Kate & Emily

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I have decided that having ill children is the worst bit about this whole deal. Do not get me wrong, my family is so stuffed full of doctors and nurses that had it not been for my lamentable performance in chemistry O’ level (U) I too would have been pacing the wards. So how do I find myself at night thrown into a spasm of panic fearing for my son’s life as he has slight bout of the flu?

Boy goes to bed off-colour and with a raised temperature, before he falls fast asleep he mutters turn the light off it hurts. Something is seriously wrong, he always sleeps with the light on! I turn light off, run down stairs ring my father (retired 20years) does his neck hurt??? I don’t know, ring your sister … could be meningitis!!!!!!!!!! Sister not there go on NHS Direct tap in ‘Temperature, eyes hurt with light, screen starts flashing ring 999 !!!!!!!!!!!! Think to self ‘eyes often hurt when you have a temp so I need to do some more tests’. Race upstairs, wake child with torch ‘does this hurt?’ I yell trying to remain calm, put your chin on chest, scour body for rash so thoroughly give child rash…. passes all the tests, begs to be allowed to go back to sleep. Go to bed at 10 can’t possibly leave him in another room how would I perform my hourly observations? So drag him in with me. Feels cooler…. Woken in night by wheezy chest…. Obviously at 3 in the morning this is pneumonia.. Call NHS Direct lovely lady on phone tells me the GP will ring within an hour .. An hour! I don’t have phone near bed… move bedding to sitting room, move son and self onto sofa … fall asleep. 2 hours later GP rings, child breathing normally, temperature down. 7.30am feel like I have done a few rounds with Frank Tyson.

In the wee small hours of the morning, on your own I think we all go a bit bonky … don’t we ?

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