Floppy Chicken

So funny story, well I guess it didn't start out funny, but luckily it ended that way.  One Wednesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago Buckwheat tells me his neck hurts and he isn't moving it like normal, kind of like he slept on it wrong.  I asked him why it hurt and he showed me this LUMP on his neck.  It wasn't like a bump or a bite or anything, it felt like he had somehow managed to get a large marble stuck under his skin.  My first reaction was "WHAT IS THIS!!!"

My second reaction was to call my mom....which is usually the much more logical thing to do HA!  My brother researched it on his phone and it said it could be a swollen gland or cancer or you know just about anything under the sun.  Don't research your symptoms on Google you will think you are going to DIE at any given moment!!!  So after some filtered searches and some discussions with those wiser than myself I decided that the best thing was to probably have it checked out so I could sleep soundly and so that if it was in fact something to be concerned about, then we could take the steps necessary.   So the next day we went to the doctor.  They were a little puzzled, not shocked or too concerned but they were stumped that it was only on one side of his neck and not both sides.  The doctor told us that we could have an ultra sound to make sure it wasn't anything to be too concerned about, but then she said we should probably do a blood sample first and if it came back with anything of concern then we would do an ultra sound or whatever needed to be done.  I was glad she was so informative and that we were taking baby steps to get the true answers not jumping into worst case scenario stuff right away.

If any of you know me very well you know that blood, needles or anything of that nature just don't sit well with me.  (Yes I did have children and I even had them C-section ~ Fancy that!)  So I put my brave MOM face on and thought "You got this, he's a little BOY, you can't freak out now!"  Buckwheat was a LOT little nervous.  We don't really go to the doctor a lot and now they wanted his BLOOD?! He asked how they would get the blood out and I told him it would come from his veins and he melted into a puddle on my lap.  I quietly calmed him down and he very bravely asked "How much of my vein do they have to cut out mom?"  "OH NO Sweetheart they aren't cutting your veins out!"  I must not do a good job of explaining things to this brave little guy!  I told him they would poke a small needle and suck the blood out and that he wouldn't even be able to really see the hole.  He felt much better knowing that we wouldn't be slitting his arms open to remove his VEINS!!!  Then the assistant came in with the blood sucking equipment :)  I informed the assistant that I "get a little queasy with blood so I'll just sit behind him on the table and hold his hand"  the assistant smiled a little and watched me climb up behind Buckwheat so I could hold his hand but not have to look directly at what they were doing.  Jo quickly went to the waiting room as she was having NONE of this!  I tried to bribe Peanut into going with her but she wouldn't budge.  The assistant started inspecting Buckwheat's arms to find a "good vein".  Peanut was sitting across from us and looked at me and then started yelling "MY BROTHER IS GOING TO DIE!!!"  The assistant busted up laughing!  I was laughing trying to get Peanut to stop telling people her brother was dying and that he would be just fine!  I'm sure the assistant thought we were NUTS!

They poked the needle in and I held Buckwheat's right hand with my left and we looked at pictures on the opposite wall, trying to talk to him so he didn't concentrate on the needle.  He started giggling from Peanut's crazy antics and the vein closed off.  So round two!  The assistant goes and fetches the doctor so he can have a little help, and because the veins of a 7 year old just aren't that great for drawing blood.  They tied his arm, this time they used the right hand vein (ouch I hate the hand veins!) I put my arm around Buckwheat's neck because I couldn't hold his right hand anymore.  I held him and we started talking about different things. I tried to block out the conversation the doctor and assistant were having (because I'm visual I just can't shake those kinds of things LOL!) the blood was pumping so slowly it was taking FOREVER and poor Buckwheat was trying to hold still and the needle in his hand vein HURT, so the poor kid was being so tough!  After about 2 minutes .....which seemed like 10, the assistant said that the vein had collapsed because the suction was too strong for the vein...... I felt myself go warm..... I looked at the clock ........concentrate Kyndra concentrate.  No NO NO you're fine it's all going to be okay, Stay here, right ..................

"Mom, mom........are you okay?...........What's your mom's name?" I barley heard the voices.  "Kyndra" Buckwheat replied.   "Get him off the table," the doctor stated.  I slowly came to.  I felt the doctor push me back on the table and I saw the flashlight in my eyes.  "Are you okay?"  she said again.  "Yeah, I think so," I said.  Yep, I passed out!  Right over the top of my son with the needle in his hand.  He told me I fell on him, hit my head on the wall, did the floppy chicken with my tongue hanging out and my eyes in the back of my head.  LOL!  Oh the poor kid thought his mom was dying!! The assistant was trying to get the needle out of my son's hand and get him off the table.  The nurse was trying to keep me on the table (bless her heart).  I laid on the table, completely embarrassed and still dizzy and hot flashy from the fainting spell.  After a few minutes I sat in the chairs and My Brave little man had to get his blood drawn a THIRD TIME,  ALL BY HIMSELF!  And now we know that I honestly can't do it, not that I don't' want to be there but I just can't! :)  And we learned that a 7 year old is a WHOLE LOT BRAVER than his mama or he thought!

Oh, and it turns out it was a swollen gland.  It wasn't anything crazy and went away in a few days with some antibiotics.  Now we have a great story, and the knowledge that I need to call Sue my Oldest since she has medical training, or a friend  when a doctor springs a blood draw on anyone (including myself) HA HA!