The End Of My Motherly Rope

Luke missed several days of school this week due to having strep throat. It goes without saying, but he and I spent A LOT of time together. Most Some of the time was great. We snuggled and read books, but there were a few moments I'd like to forget. 

Yesterday morning I was laying in bed reading a book. 

I know. I know. To a child, a mother sitting down to read a book by herself is the universal symbol for "What can I break, or set on fire?" Clearly, I wasn't thinking.

Luke casually walked into my bedroom and said, "I blew my nose just like you asked me to."

There was something in his voice that struck me as odd...

Warrior Moms: What Makes Us and Breaks Us

Yesterday I encountered a scary mommy moment.

Luke (4) had been battling an asthma flare-up for several days. My husband, Brantley and I had been giving him breathing treatments every four-hours in addition to the two steroids he had been placed on.

His symptoms had begun to improve until yesterday morning around 9am when he complained of a headache. By ten o'clock the pain had spread to his neck, which had quickly become so stiff that he was unable to turn his head.

I called the pediatrician who we had seen last week when the asthma flare-up started. He told us to go to the Children's hospital emergency room so Luke could be examined. He was going to call ahead and let them know we were coming.

After a thorough exam, the attending physician, Dr. Arnold explained that Luke didn't have meningitis, but a condition that caused inflammation and spasm of the neck muscles. This condition, torticollis, was actually caused by the viral upper respiratory infection that he'd been battling.

Our instructions for treating this was to alternate Tylenol and Motrin and to massage the muscles of his neck to help them to relax. Otherwise, his neck would stiffen back up, drawing his left ear over to his shoulder.

Brantley and I breathed a sigh of relief and we headed home with our little patient.

We prepared for a day of rest and relaxation for Luke. Brantley heated up his favorite blankets in the dryer while I got his favorite Scooby Doo videos to watch in bed. I gently rubbed Luke's neck, which he didn't like at all because the spasming muscles made it painful. I hated having to do something that increased his pain, but I knew that it would help in the long-term.

"Mom, can I use your Tempur-pedic pillow?" Luke asked.

"Bitches be trippin," I thought to myself as I grabbed my Tempur-Pedic pillow and held it tightly to my chest.

Yes, he was under the weather, but had he really just asked if he could use my Tempur-Pedic neck therapy pillow, aka The Precious?

"Here Puddin' Pop, why don't you try one of your Dad's really soft..."

"Lori," Brantley interrupted. "You've got to be kidding me! Give him that pillow," he said through gritted teeth.

"I was just warming it up," I lied as I relented and allowed the marshmallowy softness to be taken from my tight grasp. "Anything for my boy."

As I sit here this morning with a crick in my neck from sleeping on a standard pillow, I want to hear YOUR story. You know you have one.

When was the last time you offered to walk to the end of the earth for someone, only to later realize that the end of the earth was really far away and you didn't have on comfortable shoes?

I want to hear about it. No judgement. I'm kidding, of course. I will totally judge you. We are humans, after all and we LIVE for shit like this. Go on and share. Make me feel better by comparison.

PS: Luke feels better today. The range of motion in his neck is greatly improved, blah, blah, blah.