Emergency Care

So yesterday we were all meant to be going out shopping and then for lunch but at breakfast mum showed me the insect bite on her leg. Now I never go to the doctors and believe in self-care or at worst go and ask the pharmacist, so scared mum upon seeing her leg as I said she should see someone about it. The bite had all bruising around it and she said she hadn't scratched it! So over in USA you can pop into the "Minute Clinic" at the pharmacist and wait to see a nurse for a consultation (for around $80). We were in luck because when mum electronically checked in she was the only one on the list so as soon as the nurse was ready she was in. So mum was already scared because of her leg and as I had suggested she see someone so you can imagine the shock was compounded when the nurse said she couldn't treat her and she needed to go to "Emergency care". This was more like a doctors surgery and after waiting nearly an hour Mum was called in to see a doctor. Well she was in there almost an hour by which time I was starting to get concerned about what they were doing to her! Jamie said that they often just have you wait in another room and this it turned out is what happened, more or less. So with an injection of anti-biotics and a purple circle drawn on her leg (to monitor the growth/reduction of the bruising/redness/swelling) Mum was free to go. By now it was 1pm having set out to go to the minute clinic at around 10.30! We then had further waits at the pharmacist to get mum's medicine and antibiotics. I don't know how much its cost in total but mum had to pay around $150 at the emergency care place and then medicine on top! Its not fun getting ill when you're abroad! Lucky that she's had it seen to though as the bite has caused a skin infection which could have developed into an abscess and then she wouldn't have been able to fly home - tomorrow. So, mum's last day today, I'm hoping she feels up to going shopping and for lunch but she's not up yet so we'll have to wait and see.

We went to McDonalds for lunch whilst mum was waiting at the pharmacy and I spoke to the server who was a lovely young girl from Equador. She was fascinated with us, being from the UK and loved our accents and wanted to talk to us all day! The children were happy at having something they're used to to eat - they're still being quite picky about everything tasting slightly different and apart from dry bran flakes (All Bran Complete Wheat Flakes - see if the product tastes the same then to confuse us they give it a different name!) oh and of course the glazed ring donuts, they're not eating much else so it was great to see them eat a whole meal, even if it was chicken McNuggets and fries!

Back at Stu and Jamie's in a bid to entertain the children I started a jigsaw - not used to doing jigsaws so I didn't quite comprehend the mammoth task that a 1000 piece jigsaw is! After helping me sort the edges out from the other 900 pieces William and Imogen got bored and I have been left to complete it! I have to finish it now I've started, if only to check we're got all the pieces after some over-enthusiastic sorting on Imogen's part. I'm almost at the end of my Cecelia Ahern book which is getting even better now. I did worry that once the hero and heroine met up that would be the end of the story and whilst that may still be the case (they have managed to avoid meeting so far and I'm only 75 pages from the end) the book has been very entertaining with the heroine exploring her relationship with her elderly father in such a poignant way so as to make you ponder about your own life, relatives and relationships.

So whilst the children sit and watch the Disney channel and watch Mickey Mouse alongside the chipmunks (you know they didn't know who mickey mouse was until this holiday!) making crumbs on the carpet from their dry breakfast cereal the sun is shining outside for another glorious and hot day full of possibilities for mum's last day here - she flies home tomorrow! Another 13 days for us though, home 2 weeks today!