LTC and the ER?

So, the last couple of weeks I have been getting increasingly sick, so have the kids. In fact Esther missed her first soccer game because of high winds, chilled air, and a SERIOUSLY bad cough. Last week, the I couldn't talk or hear. I chalked it up to a really bad sinus infection. On Sunday of last week, my LTC groups had their last practices before the big event. I could barely talk but the did good job. I was starting to get a little worrited about my drama group because some of my kids still didn't know all of thier lines. On that very same night, my ears started hurting. Hurting worse and worse and worse until I was in such pain that I had not experience since childbirth. It was as bad or worse, I was actually crying and vomitting from the pain. I didn't cry during childbirth, and I have had enduced labor which is AWFUL! and natural labor with a 10 lb kid! So, around 1:30 in morning my husband suggests that I go to the emergency room. Well our kids are asleep and I don't want to wake them but it really hurts so, we call my mom. She comes and gets me and takes me to the ER downtown. After waiting for hours in agonizing pain to get a room, I go in, and they start testing me, x-raying my lungs, and all that mess. They even have me in a mask so that I don't get others in the ER sicker than they already are! They are testing me for things like strep, flu, phenomia, ect. Things I didn't think I had, but of course now I am trying to not panic and worry that I have. So a couple more hours later, I am exhausted and I actaully fall asleep with my ears hurting. By the way the temp in my room is like 50 degrees and I am in a winter coat and have 3 blankets on me, and yes my ears still hurt. The doctor finally comes in and says well, you have a cold, sinus infection, and ear infection. Here is a prescription for a pain med, mix that with some ibprofen, (no clue how to spell that) an antibotic, and an antihistimean with an expectorant, (not sure how to spell those either). Anyway so, we leave the hospital and went to get the prescriptions filled; by this time it is 8:00 or so in the morning. Of course no pharmacies are open until 9, we finally make it to Wallgreen's (their pharm is open that early), and it turns out that one of the prescriptions that the doctor gave me isn't even made anymore. The FDA pulled it!!! So the closest thing I can get to the prescription is Mucinex-D longlasting 12 hour formula. So we spend $80 on prescriptions and go home. Docs orders bed rest and LOTS of sleep. Lloyd took off work that day, and I sleep. I started feeling better by the Wednesday or Thursday.
On Friday, we pack up, clean up, and I drop the kids off, pick up Lloyd from work and we are off to Dallas for LTC. (Can't wait until next year, Esther will be old enough to take with us without any trouble, maybe Micah too.) We get there and one of my drama kids hasn't shown up yet. Kids are starting to panic, we go on in 10 minutes and no kid. 5 minutes and no kid. We ask the coordinators, and they said they weren't sure if we would get docked points if I read for the boy that didn't show up. So, Dallas (one of the kids in my group) says give me the script! and in 3 minutes he learns all of the missing boys lines. The performance wasn't as smooth as the practice we had right before they went on (with me reading lines), but considering the stress they were under due to the missing person, and that aside they did WONDERFUL!!!
Later that night, Lloyd and I went to watch the Jr. High drama group practice because we were going to miss their actual performance on Saturday. So on saturday, we watched the 3rd and 4th graders large chorus (that is the age group that I had for drama and puppets). After that we had puppets. The kids did a wonderful job on puppets too. A quick lunch then I was off to judge puppets for the next hour and a half. Some of the puppet skits were so funny, and and they were all done well.
I have to say though, things are done a lot different than when I was in LTC (a long time ago). The puppet groups had backdrops! Something our group didn't have. I felt a little unprepared, even though our group had already gone. So, now I feel better prepared for next year! Another whole year to prepare for LTC!!! Got back on Saturday afternoon, picked up the kids and watched Luke (one of Esther's friends) for a couple of hours. They are pizza, blew bubbles, and colored Easter eggs. I took pictures and will post them later. Started feeling sick again late on Saturday night, and really bad on Sunday again. (Relapsing after that wonderful eventful weekend.) So today is Monday and it I am coming full circle and going back to the doctor today, because my ears are stuffed up and hurt again!!! Oh the joy of my life!!! I wouldn't trade it for anything! Have a blessed week.