Friday, July 09, 2010
My daughter has become a hypochondriac
Many, many weeks ago we discovered Emma had a UTI. We took her to Emergicare because we were in Nonitown and couldn't reach her pediatrician. She was prescribed antibiotics for a week and did the whole course just fine. However, she hasn't been right since then. Even though she's cured she changes underwear several times a day. It took me a while to figure out why I was washing twenty pairs of panties every weekend.

She's keeps coming to us with imagined afflictions. "Mommy, I think my leg is broken." "Mommy, I think I have poison ivy." "Mommy, I need a bandaid for my (week old and miniscule) scratch."

We had a big long conversation when she asked me what happens when you cut your tongue. I told her it bleeds. She was really concerned because she wouldn't be able to use a bandaid. I explained that it would eventually stop bleeding, but in the meanwhile you'd taste blood. "What does blood taste like?" Like sucking on a penny. Then an hour later she came to me, "Is my tongue bleeding?" I asked her why it would be bleeding, did she injure it? "No." Another hour later, "Mom, is my tongue bleeding now?"

Her current affliction is her ear hurts, inside and out she says. This one sounds like it could be legit so we're watching her closely. We gave her a children's aspirin for the pain and sent her to bed. At 3:00 a.m. she woke me (and Jack) because it was hurting again. Coincidentally M was at work getting some stuff done (don't ask) so I called him to let him know what was going on at home. He had found something to give her for water on the ear and planned to give it to her when he got home. I finally gave up on the idea that she'd go back to sleep and set her up with SpongeBob until her dad got home. She seems to be a bit better today, but complained again in the afternoon. This time M tried a decongestant. We haven't heard a word about it since. Wish us luck.

I guess my point it that even an entertaining hypochondriac can have a real problem sometimes.
Written at 8:56 PM by Highlandgal.
|