Adventures that are Luke

There are certain words, when said in a certain tone of voice, that fill a Mama with dread. Luke spoke those words today.....and I swear my stomach did a loop-de-loop. The adrenaline rush that overcame me made me weak to my knees and a slight bit woozy. Those words?

Help me, Mom.

In hindsight, I have to laugh a little at my gut response. BUT....I say that in complete hindsight knowing what the problem was and the final outcome. But when those words are first spoken, oh my, there is nothing worse. A Mama's worst nightmare coming true.

Today, I was very thankful for whomever designed the shape of a Lifesaver candy. Actually, I curse them and I thank them.....all in the same breath. I am not sure where, but Luke found a package of Lifesavers. I decided that he could have a couple. The first one was no problem, so I didn't think much about it when he asked for another.

Then came those words. The panic. The loop-de-loop.

Quick as lightning, my brain went straight down the checklist to see how much distress he was in. Outwardly, I think I kept my cool pretty good....but inside I had more moves than a bowl of jell-o. I could tell he was distressed that he couldn't swallow the candy. He was breathing....so I was thankful for that hole in the middle of a lifesaver. Yet, after all those quick mental gymnastics, I was completely lost. How do you get a lifesaver to go down...or come up?

Wouldn't you know, our doctor's office was out to lunch. No advise nurse to ask. So, I loaded my boy up and we headed to the nearest immediate care clinic. I felt a little foolish....but I was still worried. Wouldn't you know....the doctor was out to lunch as well. Thankfully he was due back in about 10 minutes. So, we sat and waited. Luke sipped on some water. Pretty soon, he declares that he thinks it went down.

Mental gymnastic times again. Do you trust a boy who is a little bit nervous about seeing the doctor? Do you take him home, and give him something to eat and hope that nothing will get lodged on top of a stuck Lifesaver? What to do. These quandaries of life are enough to give me a headache. I decided to at least let the doctor run the gamet of tests to make sure. Not that he did much, which really burns the ol' mental pocketbook, but I felt better. How much is peace of mind worth?

Today...$20.....though I suppose that the insurance company will have the final say on that.