Today, I am thankful…

Christmas was interesting.

I had planned to sit here, glass of port in hand, telling you all about our festive time but instead, as is the way with our children, Alex decided to liven it up with a quick dash to A&E on Christmas Eve.  He’d come down with tonsitilis on the Friday before and every morning he seemed to get better and by the end of the day he was not… he was lethargic and getting fluids into him wasn’t always something his sore throat wanted to do.  We got worried.  The doctor we hauled out on Monday said that if after another 24 hours he’d got no better we should head for RUH.

For those of you who live further away this is our local hospital.  It’s a good one I know, but the very thought of it fills me with dread.  Every parent who has spent any amount of time in hospital with their child will understand this.  It’s where you end up if things have got bad.  And when he was little, things with Alex got bad a lot.  We spent a lot of time there and I got on first name terms with the nurses: ‘Back again?’.

So we reach A&E with Alex’s temperature high and his oxygen levels low… after two hours he’s the perkiest I’ve ever seem him and I feel like a fraud.  The little people know, don’t they?  At midnight, with promises of a return if he doesn’t improve, Gary came to get us and we raced Santa home.

And yet.  I am thankful.  Thankful that the paramedics, ambulance drivers, nurses, paediatricians, consultants (‘Your son does present as a very unusual case’) all asked sensible questions, all took me seriously, all checked Alex’s vital signs at every step of our journey through that hospital.  Thankful for the wonderful nurse who dug me out a sandwich at ten o’clock at night as every food outlet was closed.  Never has a ham sandwich tasted so good.  Thankful that they were pragmatic enough not to panic over an undiagnosed child, who doesn’t present as most children would, and trusted my judgement enough to let us home.  Thankful that we had Christmas together and that it was such a lovely day.  Thankful for Gary’s parents who came up early at a moment’s notice, looked after Emma and then looked after us so that we all had fun.  Thankful that Alex noticed and played with his presents but really thought the wrapping paper and the gold shiny bag were the Best Things Ever.

Thankful for you all for liking and sharing and promoting Alex’s page.  It means an incredible amount to know that you are all there xx