Key West has a hospital...and Kale has bugs in his ears (not really)

We know that Key West has a hospital. We can tell you exactly where it is and that there is a great doctor there if you have a sick kid. We know this from experience. Yes, we made an ER visit. After much searching for a local doctor who would take our insurance, we finally just called the insurance company. They gave us the name of ONE doctor in the area who would take our insurance. They said if he was unavailable, the ER would be our best bet for a $100 copay. I called the doctor...his voice mailbox was full and we had no idea when he would check the messages or be open. We packed up and headed for the ER.

I swear we walked into the ER with my child. 15 minutes later, as we went into the triage area for them to check his vitals, Kale became a very, very different child. It was like the door slammed and his alter ego appeared. And they hadn't even done anything to him. He thrashed, screamed, and tried like crazy to open the door. Yet, when they put on the O2 monitor and checked his temp in a place where nobody wants a thermometer...he was docile. As we headed back to our curtained room, the wild child reappeared. I had to chase him down at least three times. He hit me multiple times. When I say he hit me, I mean the kind of hit where he flings his arm back as far as it will go and thing lets it rip...and slammed me in the head. Seriously, I couldn't believe how he was acting. The doctor immediately clued in to what got Kale's attention. We looked for bugs in Kale's ears, nose, and mouth.

The good doctor told us what we figured was wrong...bronchitus. We went from no runny nose and no congestion to a fever, no nasal congestion, and bronchitus nearly overnight. Fun times! Kale got antibiotics, steroids, and a decongestant/antihistamine. Since then, the aggressive behavior has only intensified. The fever is gone, as are the antibiotics and steroids...but the cough still lingers. The crazy aggressive boy still lingers as well. I am hoping our sweet boy returns after the steroids leave his body...but I am fearful that the terrible twos are upon us.

Side note (just try not to laugh): We took Kale home and Mema laid down with him for a nap. He was fighting sleep. She said his eyes were closed and his breathing was regular, as though he were asleep. He suddenly sat straight up in the bed, looked at her with a serious face, and said "Mema! I have bugs in my ears!" and God love my mom...she couldn't help but laugh. She had no idea what he was talking about...and we nearly lost it trying to explain it to her while imagining him telling her that he had bugs in his ears. That kid does NOT miss a thing!