A Trip to the Doc in a Box

In our area we have what I guess others call "Urgent Care Centers." The local brand is Texas Med-Clinic. In the past our insurance hasn't covered this clinic, so we've just headed for the ER. Today we had an event that could have been an ER trip, but a friend reminded me of our "Doc in the Box" as we humorously refer to going to a late night, after hours clinic.

Pick a child, any child. Well, just pick the one who tends to go to ER at least once a year. The one who really is much more coordinated and not often sick, but gets herself into predicaments requiring care at the most inconvenient times. Bethany is the child d'jour.

Today some friends were over and all the girls were outside. Bethany came in crying. At first I was sure someone had hurt her feelings as she's been EXCESSIVELY teary lately. Last night she started crying two or three times during the course of dinner with some old friends of ours. I even asked, "Do you feel okay?" She did. So, I chalked it up to pre-teen issues. I have assumed the teariness was due to being nearly 12 & a pre-adolescent with hormones bouncing around in her. This time she was crying in pain. She had stepped on something that had penetrated her shoe and gone into her foot. It look almost like an "X" cut when I finally got it clean enough to look. I looked with a magnifying glass but couldn't see if there was anything still inside. We asked her exactly where she was when the incident occurred. Natalie showed us and then she found the "dagger." It was a slightly broken metal hairclip that had somehow become lodged with points up, and she must have stepped on it with enough force that it jammed through her shoe into her foot.

I was concerned about tetanus, so once we got it clean, I called my nurse neighbor. I knew she'd know the shot schedule since she had a baby not long ago and was in the midst of shots. Turns out her daughter who shares Bethany's birthdate had just had a booster for her DTaP, so I knew that meant it was time for B. to get a booster. We thought of waiting til Monday. I couldn't find enough info online, so I called my friend Kathy, who is my "first aid reference desk." I was considering going to the ER, but she reminded me of Texas Med Clinic. Called them, they asked the doctor, who said bring her in. Once we got in to get Bethany's vitals (she never had heard that term before, but was talking to the nurse herself asking about it), the nurse said, "She has a little fever. It's 100.7." BETHANY is the one who said, "Well, that explains last night." LOL!

After waiting for what seemed an eternity, trying to play the "staring game" over & over, then I spy, then fiddling with my new phone to see if we could hear any music, then just waiting some more, the doctor finally came in. He cleaned her foot off (she asked him WHAT that red liquid was he was about to use on her), and rebandaged it. Then examined her for any upper respiratory issues. He said there was a tiny bump on a tonsil, but no redness. The fever has no detectable source. HOWEVER, having a fever meant NO SHOT! Bethany was relieved, though she WILL get the shot as soon as the fever's gone.

Basically that put us back to square one, where we have to go in & see the doctor ANYWAY this week, plus the trip to the Med Clinic. Still WAY cheaper than a trip to the ER. We know. We frequent that place.

Never a dull moment here. A dull moment might be nice!