Just In Case...

This is our adorable little boy, Tony P. He is, by nature, a very precocious and active 2-year-old. Anyone who knows him knows that holding him on a lap for any length of time is a futile attempt, and trying to get him to be quiet is impossible. He talks constantly and his favorite thing right now is to open the fridge (since he knows how to open the safety lock, of course), take all the eggs out of the carton and crush them one by one in his oversized hands. He's great. He also has a heart condition which, though pretty stable right now, can cause doctors to go into panic mode the first time they examine him. Which is why, when I went to the ER yesterday to make sure he was alright after 5 days of a cold and 3 days of puking, the doctor sent me to the Children's Hospital, just in case. I was pretty sure it was just a virus, but since I laid him down to change one of his many diapers yesterday and he stopped breathing, I figured it was worth having him checked out. Luckily, I didn't have to wait in the first line to see the nurse, since they had called ahead and said I was coming, but even with the advanced notice, it still took 5 additional hours of waiting to get into an exam room, and then another 1 1/2 hours to see a doctor. Luckily (who'd have thought there would be a "luckily" with an illness?), when our little guy gets sick, he is incredibly lethargic and wants to stay sitting in my lap all the time. (Had he not been so tired, I probably would have waited outside until they called my name - way WAY too many sick kids in that waiting room). The doctor told me it was a virus and to keep him hydrated. That was all. Something I'm quite sure the capable and experienced doc out here could have also told me, without the 2 hours of driving (one hour in the dark and fog on the way home) and 7 hours of waiting. I am afraid that because of this heart condition of his, I will spend my entire life with him being sent for further tests and second opinions, just in case. I'm not at all complaining - I am grateful they are so thorough. I just wish when they asked me "other than the cold, is he a healthy kid?" I could say yes, without having to inform them of the other issues, just in case.