*sigh* What next?

This morning, as the girls and I were crammed into our tiny bathroom, getting ready for our day, I noticed Natalie's eye was red.  It hurt "a little bit", but not too badly.  I figured her early morning rubbing had lodged an eyelash in there, and we finished getting our day started.

Kevin picked the girls up and drove back to Blue Springs for haircuts.  The girls both have short bobs now, and it's SO cute on both of them.  Anyway, they met me at Walmart for a few essentials, and when I looked at Natalie, my heart sank.  Her eye was BRIGHT red, and she said it burned.  There was also some yuck in the corner.

Off to the ER we went, while Kevin brought Monica home.  I knew it was pink eye, from the years I spent working in day care, as well as from raising 3 kids, but without a visit, no medicine.  Without medicine, no school.  Without school, I miss work. *sigh*  2 hours later, they told me, surprise, it was pink eye.  Thanks, doc.  Thanks a lot.  The copay was $150 that I didn't have, and the medication was $10.  The McD's value meals (Natalie and I hadn't had dinner, and it was 8:15) was $11.56, and I was getting grumpy.

The med is for every 4 hours.  The school wants them out for 24 hours, but I'm gonna try something.  If I wake her up at midnight and again at 4am, then get her again at 8, she will have had 4 doses before school starts.  I doubt the nurse will go for it, but it's worth a try.  This kid is working SO hard toward perfect attendance, and experience tells me that 4 doses will remove the red, and the discharge, and the discomfort will be a thing of the past.  Here's hoping.

If the nurse doesn't like the idea, I'm hoping Mom can keep her.  We are VERY short handed at work, and Kevin's missing a guy this week, too.  I hope and pray nobody else in the family gets this.  Another thing I've learned from experience is that doctors will often say that the same med can be given to another family member, but the school will NOT go for it unless it's in the name of the person receiving it.  How many Dr. visit copays will this fiasco require?  We shall see.