Alice is prone to melodrama
When I grew up, I spent a lot of time around my grandparents, and loved listening to the strange phrases they would use. One of my favourites was “they’d cut their nose off to spite their face”. When I was little, it made no sense to me, but made me giggle because it sounded so silly (and quite painful!). Of course, as I grew up I learned that it meant taking action, aimed to annoy someone else, that would only bring extra pain on yourself!
Sometimes this can be so true of our foster child. Once again, it was not the weekend we were expecting (which, ironically, we’ve come to expect!). Alice became unwell again over the weekend. She had just finished a course of antibiotics for a case of tonsillitis, but still had a temperature of almost 39 degrees. We decided we better get her checked out by a GP.
On a Sunday the choice is either go to the Walk-In Centre or call 111 for an assessment over the phone. You then hope to be given an appointment at a local Prime Care Centre. As it was so early in the morning, I opted for the Walk-In Centre figuring that most people would be up this early!
As it turned out, I was quite wrong.
When we arrived at 8.30am there were at least 20 patients ahead of us. We waited just under two hours to be seen. The GP said she still had tonsillitis, and a urinary tract infection. We went home via the pharmacy and that’s when the fun began.
Alice is prone to melodrama at the best of times, but when she know there is something important at stake – like taking medicine – she really rises to the occasion. She decided that she would not be taking the new antibiotics. After lots of coaxing and encouragement she finally opened her mouth for the medicine. She held the medicine in her mouth for a good five minutes and refused to swallow. She then tried to swallow, gagged and made herself vomit. We made three more attempts through the day to get the medicine into her, and the same thing happened. Her temperature was still high and she started to shake, she laid down and refused to get up.
We decided to get further advice, and called 111. During an over the phone assessment we were advised to take her to see another GP across the city. By the time we had arrived Alice had perked up, she became really chatty and full of beans. The GP could clearly see that Alice was now okay. He told her that she needed to go home and have her medicine, or she would not get better. He suggested giving her the antibiotics with an ice-pop. We returned home and sure enough she took the antibiotics with an ice-pop. Panic over.
After a good night sleep she woke up a different child. Ate her breakfast and asked to go to school. What a turn around in 24 hours!! She went to school, I stayed on alert by my phone all day. I’m not sure what my grandparents would have about it all if they were still around – perhaps “heaven helps those who help themselves”!
