Well, Ella wasn't getting better and her cough concerned me, so when Ryan came home, I had him look at her. He wasn't happy with her fast heart rate and breathing, so it was stethascope time. He did not like her lung sounds either, so we had to decide what to do next. It's the classic protective father versus doctor... so he called another doctor who told him to take her to the ER... there are no Urgent Cares out here. So, we packed up our family and headed to the ER... or should I say Dad's work. As a side note, Ryan is on-call tonight and should not have come home at all, but another doctor was very nice and split the shift with him so Ryan could come home and rest... but no such luck.
When we arrived at the hospital, we split up... I went the patient way, and he went in through the work door. After three hours, which is not that long since in most ERs in Califonia a wait is at least six, we found out that Ella has Pneumonia. The X-rays were proof. Luckily, she was not admitted into the hospital, which would have happened if we waited longer to treat it. She was given a dose of amoxicillin and we were sent on our way. I think I'm making it sound quicker than it really was. It is now after midnight, so later today I will get her prescription and continue the medication. Ella also has a fever, about 102, after Tylenol, so she received more medication at the hospital to knock it down... which I will be monitoring that more carefully. She did look better coming out of the ER versus when we came in.
Now I am home and Ryan is starting his shift, with no nap. He will finish his shift and then has a class until 5pm... no break. The life of a doctor... it is not glamorous and the prestigue doesn't mean anything, especially when you make a lot of sacrifices like not seeing your family... but is rewarding because you help people heal... and when that means saving the life of a mom, dad, child ... that just might be the reason. Oh, what am I jabbering on about, I'm not a doctor, so I don't know.
Through all of this, I am glad Ella received the medical attention needed to get better. Hopefully, she will improve in the days to come. This was not the way I wanted to meet Ryan's colleagues and I'm sure this is not the way they wanted to meet his family.
PS this was the second trip someone in our family has taken to the ER since we came here... not a good track record.
