So, we see the Schulze family enjoying a family dinner. It is he eve of Elizabeth’s 11th birthday, Feburary 18th, and she is in a full leg cast from her knee injury; Erica, who had to go to an emergency doctor visit just 2 days ago because she injured her neck; CJ, who was sent home from school with a low grade fever and a stomach ache; me on heavy pain medicine again because I went to pick up Elizabeth from school and the nurse did not have time to help me put the wheelchair in the car; and poor Chuck, just shaking his head.
CJ starts to cough during dinner. He blamed a green bean, but I had to give him his inhaler because he could not stop coughing. Before dinner is over, I got a call from a neighbor from my mom’s old neighborhood. She said that some kind of animal had gotten into Mom’s old house that was due to close in 2 weeks. Apparently a squirrel got in through the chimney and tried to gnaw its way out through the wood window frames. By the time Chuck had gotten to the house I called an animal removal service. The man on the phone was the world’s slowest speaker and I could hear CJ still coughing.
By the time I got to CJ he was complaining that he could not take a deep breath. Not believing this was a true emergency I tried to calm him down. I was thinking that possibly with all that goes on in our house that he might have some anxiety and this was making it difficult for him to breath. I must explain that CJ does have asthma, but he rarely uses his inhaler and when he does it is because of exercise or when he gets really upset.
I tried to get everyone to bed so that I could further assist my mom with the squirrel adventure. Elizabeth has had a hard time sleeping lately and did not like it that I did not have a lot of time to spend with her. I went into CJ’s room and he was still complaining about the difficulty breathing and I said, “Why don’t you try to go to sleep and I will check you later.” Again, I am still convinced there was nothing wrong. He reluctantly agreed and we began our ritual of praying before I leave the room. No sooner did the pray leave my lips, “Please God help CJ breath better” did he turn white and I knew he was telling the truth. I went downstairs because my sister-in-law let us have a nebulizer. I thought I would give him a treatment and things would get better. I got the machine, but I did not have any medicine! It was then I realized that we were going to the ER.
With Chuck gone to my mom’s house, I had to find a neighbor so I could take CJ in right away. Then I am thinking, which neighbor is not going to think our family is not completely nuts! I think we have gone to the ER at least once a month for the last year. I kept thinking, “This is really not happening right now” when I got a hold of Charlie across the street. Charlie and Elleta were there when Elizabeth dislocated her knee and were there for several of Erica’s dislocations. Many other neighbors, friends and family members have gone with me to the ER or watched the other kids to which I am eternally grateful. If it was not for all of their kindness, I do not know how we would survive!
Poor Charlie came into a chaotic scene. I was dashing around the house and talking to myself. I did not have a chance to explain much, I just left. He has no idea where Chuck was, how long or what to do, but he was very supportive and said he would do anything I needed.
When I got in the car, I called the pediatrician office, thinking that they might have some advice to help me avoid going to the ER. While driving I was still trying to calm CJ down in the car, still holding out hope that I would not have to go the ER. I was trying to talk to CJ and listening to how he talked to make sure he was alright. I could not turn my head due to my surgery so I needed him to talk. When he wouldn’t respond I knew it was bad so I started to drive faster. The doctor’s office called and I told him he could not speak, they told me to get him there ASAP. I was on highway 129 driving 100mph after that. I lived in Germany for a few years and never drove that fast.
I park right in front of the ER and rush him in. The nurse takes him back right away. He sits down, we look at him and he is a healthy pink color and his oxygen level is 100%. This is the same kid that could not talk! Now I am really upset because I am thinking that he just wanted some attention or did have a panic attack like I originally thought. The nurse is looking at me like I am crazy. Then she said, “Didn’t I just see you with your daughter? How is she doing?” I thought she was talking about Erica because she is usually the one we have to bring in to the ER. So I told her that her hips do have damage and the doctors are unsure what to do for her. She has to go through a MRI and an EMG soon. She looks confused. “No, the one with the dislocated knee and broken leg.” So now I am looking very suspicious to the nurse. I explain that Elizabeth still is in pain and is in a full leg cast. She is still not able to feel her leg from the knee down. Of course she remembers me because I was the mom that was pulling on my daughter’s broken leg.
With this we return to the saga at my mom’s house. Chuck and Rob, a neighbor that has been staying at Mom’s house because he is going through a divorce, have encircled the rabid squirrel. I guess Rob has a phobia of squirrels and is running around the room. They are trying to scare the “very large squirrel with big teeth” out a window. The animal removal guy is on his way, but Chuck needs to stay because he needs to pay this guy.
It is about this time that my mom calls my house. I did not tell her that I was leaving to take CJ to the hospital. She panics when she dials the number and I don’t answer. Charlie explains that I am in the ER with CJ. Charlie knows nothing about the “squirrel situation”. My mom then calls Chuck asking what is going on. Of course he is running with a squirrel trying to figure out how to help me as well. He was just not sure what to do.
We turn back to the ER. The nurse is now suspicious and thinks like I did that he is having a panic attack. His lungs sound good, his color is good and he is back to talking. They send in a male nurse to talk to CJ to see if he will calm down so that we can go home. The whole time CJ sticks with his story that it hurts to breath and he can’t take a deep breath. I am mouthing to the nurse, “Sorry” and spelling out “a-n-x-i-e-t-y”. Now some of you know me well enough to know that I am a horrible speller, so who knows what I really spelled. We have been there over an hour and I just want to take my son home. I begin to tell him that he is just as important to us as his sisters and he does not need to be “sick” to get attention. He looks at me strange and says, “I know, but I still can’t breath!”
By this time I have to move my car from the front of the hospital so I have a chance to call Chuck. I tell him not to worry, CJ is fine, I think he is having a panic attack. Chuck is then able to go home to relieve Charlie and it looks like the night is just about over.
I return to the room and the doctor comes in and says that she read the reports of the nurses (she knows that we think this is related to anxiety) and talks to us about what brings us in. I told her that CJ was sent home with a low grade fever and a stomach ache. She says that kids that present like this could have one of three things, pneumonia, strep or a virus that triggered an asthma attack. She wants to do an x-ray and take a swab. She listens to the lungs and says that they sound clear but she still wants an x-ray. They give him a couple of breathing treatments. When he is finished he is so excited that he can finally breathe. I am thinking it is the placebo affect going on here, but I am still trying to reassure CJ.
I was hoping to avoid all of that because this means we are there longer, but I am confident that he is going to be fine. We then have to wait for another hour or two to get the results. The doctor comes back in and says, “He has pneumonia.” So know I have to apologize to CJ for doubting him. He just pats my arm and says, “That’s okay Mom.” In the last month I have pulled on my daughter’s broken leg and doubted my son while he is having trouble breathing. He was panicked because he could not breathe!
I felt so bad for CJ. I called Chuck and told him. He said that my mom wanted to hear about CJ as soon as possible. So I call her from the ER and said, “So this squirrel walks into a bar…” She laughs, then I tell her that CJ has pneumonia and we just started to laugh.
This is the crazy thing about all that has happened in the last year, we laugh. We know that it is hard to believe that we have gone through all of this in the last year, but if you really look at it, we have been blessed right through it. God did answer our prayer; He just did it in a way that I did not understand. You know the old joke about the guy that was trapped in a flooded house. He prays to God to save him. Right after the prayer, a fireman comes to rescue him. He said, “I can’t go with you, I am waiting for God to save me.” So the fireman left. The flood get higher and he has to go to the top level of the house. “God save me!” Right after that a man in a row boat tries to rescue him. He refuses again saying that God will save him. Finally he has to go to the roof of the house, “God save me!” A helicopter comes by and tries to rescue him. Again, he refuses saying, “God will save me.” The man finally drowns and goes before God. He asks God why He did not save him. God responds, “What do you mean? I sent a fireman, a boat and a helicopter!”
My friend Katrina set me the following quote, “This is a little bit from my bible study that I want to share with you...
"God is the God of RIGHT NOW. He calls us not to be regretful over yesterday or worried about tomorrow. He wants us to focus on what He is saying to us and putting in front of us RIGHT NOW. The Enemy's voice will focus on the past and the future while the voice of God will focus on today. He is the God of RIGHT NOW."
I just felt that I should share this with you; He is with you EVERY step of the way!!! No worries...He is with you!
I also read in a devotional book that we should not come to Him begging, but like a son that hands a tangled string to his mom and runs out to play. He does not worry about the string because he knows that his mom will untangle it. He does not beg her. He simply goes out to play. I also heard a quote from the Bible on the radio that no one that puts their trust in God will be shamed.
God wanted me to share this story not to show how strong our family is or just to make your laugh, although, I do hope that you were able to laugh. He wanted you to see that our family is very weak, tired and needy right now but because of God’s blessings we are made strong. We thank all of you that have supported us through prayer and meals and other ways. I know that we are being carried by Him and it is a great feeling.
As a side note, I started this email yesterday. I took Elizabeth to the doctor yesterday and she does NOT have the same instability of her neck like Erica and me. She will never need that surgery! Praise God!
