Mommy, I don't feel good

I doubt there is anything in the world more distressing to a parent than to hear the words, "Mommy, I don't feel good."

And it wasn't just the words. It was the look that accompanied it. That look that made my stomach drop and the hair raise up on the back of my neck.

You can tell me my son was just reacting to the heat, or experiencing "heat illness" or "heat exhaustion." After playing all day in the near 100 degree temperatures, he just needed to cool off and get some flluids in him.

But you didn't see his face.

And you didn't hold a cool washcloth to his brow as he threw up every drop of liquid he got into his system, and then ran to the bathroom with diarhea.

And you didn't see his temperture keep dropping lower...and lower...and lower.

And you didn't hear him crying over the migraine headache that hit him, or hear his protests against any light or sound. I even had to unplug the aquarium pump in his room because the noise of it was too painful to hear. He began to panic if I left the room, or tried to, even if I would be within his sight.

We finally got him to the hospital. My husband was incredibly reluctant to go. He finally agreed though, that if we tried one more time to get him to drink something, and he threw it up, that we would go to the emergency room. We tried. He threw up. And off we went.

But as it goes with kids, my son started to perk up the minute we got to the hospital. We sat forever in that waiting room, emergency bucket in hand, and kept trying to push water at our son. He drank and drank. Sips, mostly. And after about 45 minutes, he looks up at me and asks, "What's for dinner?" At that point, we decided to head home, and return if things didn't keep improving.

Of course, he threw up the water as soon as we walked in the door at home. I probably would have high-tailed it back to the emergency room, if my son hadn't improved tremendously. and began acting like his normal self. His color improved, he was laughing and joking, and his temperature was back on the rise to normal. We pushed more water on him, then put him to bed. I was in checking on him about every 15 minutes all night, but there was no real change. His temperature was near normal, his color was normal.

This morning he acts like nothing happened. He's rolling his eyes at me as I hand him another bottle of water. But he's drinking it. So far so good. And he asked for an apple.

I've got my fingers crossed that the "heat illness" is past. But he's sure as hell not going back to camp today, with the weathermen predicting record breaking temperatures and the hottest day of the year.

I need a nap.