Do you ever feel like your kids are the worlds biggest hypochondriacs? I had to take L and K to the doctor yesterday after work for their sports physicals. After all the usual checks (heartbeat, breathing, eyes, ears, spine, etc.) the doctor asked each girl if they had any questions. OH. MY. GOD. I think K was making lists in the car of ailments! She sounded like a little old lady! She complained that her chest hurts after doing cartwheels in gymnastics, but it doesn't hurt when she's resting. Diagnosis - muscular pain. Remedy - stretch better. She then complained that her thumb hurts when she does anything in gymnastics that requires her to put pressure on her palms. (Of course that means EVERYTHING she does in gymnastics) Diagnosis - muscle pain. Remedy - simple hand stretches. Finally she complained that her eyelid twitches sometimes and doesn't stop. At this point I wanted to crawl into the floor.
L is the only one who had a legitimate issue. Her period is going on for 10 days now. Not exceptionally heavy but not spotting either. I told her yesterday that this sometimes can happen and unless it's really heavy not to worry about it unless it goes for a month. The doctor said the same thing. The doctor did want to do a finger prick test to check for anemia though. She said anything under 12 is cause for concern. L's result came back at 11. So we had to go downstairs for an actual blood test.
L is not a needle person. She hates shots. She hates needles. Of course, being the caring mother that I am... I told her how this was going to be worse than a shot. They were going to take a needle 2 inches long and stick it in her arm, then she was going to have to sit there while it filled the vile with blood. I told her that sometimes they don't get the vein on the first try and they'll have to stick her over and over and over again until they get it right. That sometimes they can actually POP the vein. Sometimes they'll stick the needle in and then she'll feel it wiggle around in her vein. Yea. I'm mean. The poor kid was white as a sheet by the time they called her back. They called her name, she looked at me and whispered "will you come with me?"
She sat in the chair, eyes squeezed shut, two of my fingers in a vice grip in her other hand - and it was done! She winced when the lady wiped her arm with the alcohol swab, but not when she inserted the needle!!! When the tech told her it was over L's eyes popped open, she glared at me and said "YOU LIED TO ME!!" Oh boy, did I ever laugh at her!! Yea! I said it! I. LAUGHED. AT. MY. KID. Don't judge. You would have, too! I told her that I made it sound so awful so that in comparison it wouldn't be so bad. She was less than understanding at first but on the way home she said she's glad the blood draw wasn't so bad.
