Brothers' Day and the ER, Again

Around 4:30 last night just as I was putting the finishing touches on these cookies, * Harry said that his chest hurt.  It had been hurting for a couple of days, actually, he told us, and he claimed to be having trouble catching his breath.  Ben and I were like, um, okay, why don't you go downstairs and watch a show before dinner, and then when the kids were safely out of ear shot we, OF COURSE, freaked the fuck out.

We called the after-hours pediatric cardiology number we have been keeping on our fridge and hoping to never have to call, and we were happy to hear that Harry's cardiologist was on-call this weekend.  She called us back at 4:45 and said we needed to come to the ER for an echo and a strep test but that we could feed Harry dinner first.

Harry barely ate his scrambled eggs and toast and even the cookies didn't interest him.  He was so worried about blood tests, IVs, and the the possibility of hospital admission.

Ben took him to the hospital where his EKG was totally normal, and his heart sounded fine.  The attending ER doc was ready to let them go home, but Ben insisted on an echo.  The doctor was doubtful, saying Harry didn't need it.  Instead of calling the pedi echo tech we usually see, he dragged in an older machine and took a quick look himself.

He saw the effusion right away, put away his machine and called the pedi echo guy, and Harry's cardiologist was there within the hour.  In the mean time, Harry got an IV, had a ton of blood drawn, was told no more food or drink in case he needed to be catheterized (IN THE HEART) and was labeled a probable admit.

Ben and I freaked the fuck out via text as I put everyone else to bed and cleaned the hell out of the bathrooms for stress relief.

Harry's cardiologist put him back on heavy doses of Ibuprofen 3 times a day and sent him home for now-- there is not enough fluid to drain, and she hopes the anti-inflammatory meds do the trick.  We see her in the office for another echo tomorrow.  She says that this time we will have to do more tests to try to figure out why Harry keeps getting pericarditis.  Last time, rheumatology ruled out some scary shit, but here's more scary shit, I guess.  H has also been cultured and tested for all sorts of bacteria and viruses.  So maybe more of that?   We are pretty freaked out still, but he feels ok (a little chest pain, a little shortness of breath, an odd pain in his neck).  Maybe we will know more after his appointment tomorrow.

In the mean time, the brothers went to an air show at a tiny airport today for Brothers' Day, and I made carrot cake for dessert tonight (a little crooked and droopy but likely delicious).

* Cookies have a weird texture, but without nuts, they are only 215 calories for 2, and they taste fucking awesome with 1/4 cup ice cream between them for a 300-calorie ice cream sandwich.