Steven's Hospital Adventure

So this one might be my fault. I was the one who let her 15-year-old son treat his own poison ivy rash without supervising or checking up on it. He did keep me updated on symptoms and progress but I was a little slow putting all the facts together. He probably should have been seen several days earlier for the infection but like I said, I was not quick to put all his complaints together into a cohesive whole.

It started with an Eagle project. Steven went into the woods with some friends to help out a fellow scout attain his Eagle. They were clearing out non-native plants and restoring a stream bed. The trick is that this time of year, poison ivy has no leaves and is hard to identify but can still give you a good rash. Steven did take precautions, he wore long sleeves and gloves as well as long pants. His mistake came at his socks, he wore ankle socks instead of taller ones. As a result he ended up with a poison ivy rash around his ankles. When he broke out a few days later, he showed me the rash and I helped him identify it. At that point I gave him some products to help, told him not to scratch and left him to it.

He gave me occasional updates and at one point complained that the rash on one leg was oozing. I gave it a cursory glance, told him to wash it and put some Neosporin on it and cover it with some gauze if he wanted to. Then I left him on his own again to take care of it.

Several days later Steven complained about a pain in his groin area. I asked what kind of pain it was and he said it felt like a pulled muscle. Since he had just started PE that day after a semester haitus, I assumed he had pulled a muscle and told him it would feel better in a few days.

A couple of days after that, Steven had a pronounced limp from this supposed pulled muscle, he was tired and felt chilled and decided to go to bed early, around 6pm. I concluded that he was coming down with a bug and sent him off to bed. I was busy with homework and projects with the other kids and Sarah needed me to take her to Staples for some supplies.

As we were driving to the store my brain slowly started putting pieces together: An oozing wound at the ankle, pain in the groin that was getting sharper, chills and fatigue. I looked at Sarah and said, "He's got an infection. Remind me to look at Steven's leg when we get home." When I did, I could see that his leg was inflamed. I knew he needed to see a doctor, the question was whether to take him to urgent care at what was now 9pm or to wait and take him to his regular doctor in the morning.

I did decide to take him to the urgent care. The doctors there took a look at it and told me that I should have had him in several days earlier. Yeah, I had figured that out by then. They started him on IV antibiotics and admitted him to the hospital. So Steven got to spend some time at the hospital treating cellulitis.

It wasn't all bad. He got a day off school, his dad sent him with his iPod loaded with games and shows and the hospital provided a Playstation. He was disappointed to miss the temple baptism trip with the youth from church but he was back on his feet for the dance on Saturday. He has a few more days of antibiotics at home but has recovered nicely and will probably never forget the long socks again.