The Mackeys: Instagram

I am getting a different phone today, so I didn't want to lose these Instagram photos - I am not sure how the photos save, so I'm not taking any chances!!!

We've had a very emotional week. At 2:30 a.m. on Monday morning, Carter woke up screaming and crying that his leg hurt. He collapsed on the floor outside our room, unable to walk. Evan gave him Tylenol for the pain and rubbed the sore spot, thinking perhaps he had a muscle cramp. Carter went back to sleep and we assumed he would be okay. I left for work at 5:30 a.m. when everyone was still asleep. Carter woke up at 6:30 a.m., unable to walk. We called the nurse line and were advised to get him to the hospital. Evan dropped Ryan off at A+ at school and took Carter right to Mercy Hospital. They were there about 5 hours (had x-rays, urine samples, and various pain meds), and the doctors could not find anything wrong. They sent him home with a prescription for pain meds and diagnosed him with a muscle strain. I took the first bus out of downtown and when I got home, Carter alternated between relatively content watching TV and sobbing with pain. Evan decided we should go to Children's so we loaded him in the truck (that in itself was a painful process given his knee had to be bent the entire time). We got him to Children's and the pain was worsening as the day went on. He screamed in the ER for about 10-15 minutes at a time. It was heart wrenching to watch as a parent, unable to help your child. They gave him so many pain meds before they found one that could help him. Once they got him comfortable, he fell fast asleep - he was exhausted. They did an ultrasound on his hip and found a pocket of fluid had built up and that was what was causing the pain. Since there were no signs of infection (blood work came back good, he had no fever, the area was not inflamed or red), it was just wait and see time. The next morning we met with the orthopedic surgeon team, they wanted to see if an MRI, biopsy of the fluid, or 'wash' of the area was necessary. They decided since his blood work again came back good and he wasn't feverish, they would let him rest. He was able to bend his leg for the first time in 36 hours on Tuesday. He tried standing up and even though he was shaky, he could do it. We took our first walk that afternoon, and by evening, we were actually released from the hospital. They said it is difficult to determine what could have caused the fluid, but their best guess would be from a flu virus he had 2 weeks ago. Apparently the bacteria can accumulate in a joint after a virus has gone through your body. We were relieved that was all it was. During all of the waiting, the worst case scenarios enter your mind and it is scary! He wanted to go back to school yesterday. I brought him and worked from home in case he didn't make it all day, but he did!! He is a tough kid and wants to get back to his normal routine as quickly as possible. His pain is being controlled solely by Motrin right now, quite a step down from the multiple meds he was on in the hospital.

We are so thankful we went to Children's to find some answers. They have a wonderful staff and Carter has all great memories of being in the hospital, if you can imagine that, after all the pain he went through. He was able to play a game show from his hospital bed, he won prizes (stuffed animals), and just received great care from the entire staff. He wants to find some way to say thank you to the staff for "making him better" so that's our project for tomorrow! :) We are so thankful Carter is home and healing quickly. What a scary ordeal!!

Carter falling asleep in the ER, finally finding relief from his latest pain meds:

Carter waking up in the hospital on day 2:

Grandmas and special treats make everything better:

He received this puppy in the Mercy ER. It was a good friend for him when he was in an unfamiliar hospital bed. He hasn't let go of it since - it sleeps with him at home, too!