Life's an adventure...?

Seems I've got a theme going here, and the last couple of days tie in nicely. The difference between being a kid and being an adult, I mean.

As much as I don't like to use those words- my son is sick. He has Juvenile Arthritis, has had since he was but a wee bub. It sure adds a rollercoaster dimension to the whole family life thing.

Long story short-ish: he had to have his tonsils/adenoids out due to repeated infection due to being immunosuppressed due to JIA. He had to go off most of his medications prior to the surgery to reduce post-operative risks. As expected, he flared up in a number of joints. His right wrist has not recovered. But at least he can walk again! Yay!

So, after weeks of being unable to care for himself as best a 6 y.o. can (eating, dressing, even toileting) and after many 'phone calls trying to get someone to look at him again (including a bum-steer by a GP who admitted she didn't know anything about juvenile arthritis and sent him for an x-ray suspecting another fracture) we were called by the Paed Rheumy to get to Sydney as quick as we could. (Normally, just an hour and half's trip south.)

Now the fun part really begins!

I had to leave work (casual, because I can't do fulltime due to the extent of care needed) dash home, get the kids ready, and 'convince' them to go. My Beloved didn't come because he was on night shift and needed sleep. We head down the ol' F3 freeway and en route hear of a fatal truck accident blocking the other side of the road. My son's first words were "I bet he's someone's daddy." (My hubby drives trucks.) Such wisdom in one so young.

Anyway, half an hour ahead of the emergency appointment and just 19.7 km (according to my trusty TomTom) from our destination, my car loses power and I do some precision driving to weave through the traffic to get it to the verge- nowhere near an emergency phone, and barely enough room alongside the rockface to pull over (scary stuff).

The kids are wondering why I've stopped there, but are still content at that stage to watch their DVD player (thank God for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®).

After waiting nearly an hour for a tow truck, we got the rudest, most chauvinistic (and I'm sorry to say this: the ugliest) driver in the known universe. I won't go into all the details here, but I'm sure ladies would appreciate comments like "Shouldn'a done a trip with no fuel in the car" (that wasn't the problem actually) and "You can wear the ticket if ya get one", and the ever-so-thoughtful "What's wrong with your kid?" I can only say, I'm sure the man's mother loves him.

After being told my son's got to go back into hospital again, :-( we wait another half hour for the roadside assistance guy to get the car started again. Thankfully, he was lovely!

OK, so now it's late, getting dark, starting to rain, the F3 northbound is still blocked for hours, and I have a dodgy car. We arrange emergency accommodation and make the trip home 24 hours after we left, in heavy traffic, in the rain, driving very cautiously in case the car breaks down again.

So for the kids: what an adventure- they got a ride in a tow truck, got plenty of DVD time, got snake lollies from the doctor and funky new toothbrushes from the hospital, slept in 'motel' beds, AND had Maccas not only for dinner but for breakfast too!! Awesome!!!

The grown-up, on the other hand, needed an aspirin and a nice lie down.

Jx
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