Taking your child with Autism to the ER is never easy. Around this time every year, we usually get a boil that needs lancing. William handles it like a trooper and he can move on from it. But in the last two years, We have been through a Pilonidal cyst, and repetitive boils under his arms. They tell me to do warm compresses for the pain. I won’t go any higher than a prescription for Ibuprofen 600. His dad passed away at only 42 years of age due to addiction to pain medication. And if I can somehow control that path for William, I will. I might sound crazy, but it’s a chance I don’t want to take.
But anyway, last week he complained his belly button hurt. I noticed it was a little red but didn’t see anything concerning it. But by Saturday, he came to me crying this time. He said, “My belly button hurts.” It looked to me like a hernia issue. I tried to hide my emotions so as not to scare him. That’s when he looked at me and said, “Doctor.”
That’s the keyword we use when something is going on and the pain is too much. So we head to the ER.
The doctor was great and wanted to avoid needles. It was too close to July’s emergency room visit to lance a boil. Then, It took numerous times to numb it. I’m sure that was on his mind because his heart rate was through the roof.
The nurse asked if they could use me to do the ultrasound to show William there were no needles involved. I was okay with the idea. That worked, and he calmed down. I finished the moment with some redirection. We talked about Jax and did his famous voice imitations of cartoons while the nurse took pictures. When he started to flap his hands, I knew he was getting himself to a better place mentally.
Funny Moment
When everyone left, registration came in. William wasn’t happy about it. I assured him this nurse was to talk to mom, no needles. He accepted my answer while the nurse asked one of her questions, “Did you come from home? Before I could respond, William said, “I came from mom” I started laughing because this was new and pretty darn appropriate. The nurse didn’t seem to be impressed. It didn’t bother me his response was another milestone.
The doctor came in with his results. I already had it in my head about going home to feed the dog, get some clothes, and plan on a mini vacation at the hospital. That’s when the doctor said, “Abscess of umbilicus” in English terms, another boil in his belly button. Worse yet, two of them one over top of the other.
Jax knew something wasn’t right when we got home. When William lay on the couch, Jax immediately got right above William’s belly button and started licking his shirt and giving him kisses. He never did this before. But the reunion was sweet.
