A couple of days ago Hank began a sudden fever with seemingly no other symptoms. Yesterday he was a total wreck and the fever skyrocketed to 104. During one of his screaming episodes I saw that the back of his throat seemed weird. Once B came home and we were able to examine closer we knew something wasn't right. We called and spoke with the nurse at our pediatrician's office (note: we have the BEST nurse and pediatrician ever - things like this make me so grateful for them) and after some discussion it was decided he needed to be seen. We called the concierge at our hotel to see about where to go (it was about 6 pm local time) and I called our insurance to see if anything was needed.
I was really nervous about bringing him to a hospital in another country, especially since Hank has a fairly extensive medical history that wouldn't be available. B and I even considered booking flights home early. The downside of travel is when things like this happen, the stress is amplified. Luckily for us, our experience with a foreign hospital was actually pretty fantastic. We saw the nurse immediately and the doctor came for us right after we went to sit in the waiting room. We were in and out in about 30 minutes (this includes the time it takes to pin down a very upset and strong two year old) We paid €84 before he could be seen (this covered the whole emergency room visit!) and then another €31 for the antibiotics. I was so shocked at the ease and cost - pretty terrific.
The verdict is that Hank has tonsillitis pretty bad and an ear infection. Poor kiddo has the worst luck with staying healthy. He is on antibiotics and that should hopefully clear things up. I am so glad we didn't book flight and go, as the plane ride would have been terrible for him (and therefore us, and therefore the entire plane).
He woke up this morning sans fever and a lot more himself. We all needed some fresh air after a cooped up couple of days, so this afternoon we explored a local park, here in Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands. Olaf, Hank's new buddy he picked out at Paris Disney a few weeks ago came with us. Hank is (like every other kid who has seen the movie) obsessed with Frozen and adores Olaf. Since the loss of Taggy, Olaf has been the closest thing to a transitional object. On the autism front, it is really great to see him play with a stuffed animal, a type of play that can be tricky for ASD kids.
This was Theo's first time on a swing, and also playing in the grass. He loved it.
Of course it was special since Daddy was able to come too!
Yup, from ER to the park! It was a busy 24 hours here! We are also working on switching up our weekend plans here since the Hank sickness and the general end-of-trip tiredness is starting to kick in. We will see where things go over the next few days!
Safe Travels,
Amanda
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