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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

My kind of crazy...

The boy has a lump on his head about the size of two peas, right on the tiny bald spot where the hair spirals from. It isn't red. There is no bite mark. It hurts to the touch but doesn't itch. Is it a bug bite? Ingrown hair? Cyst? A lump from a random head bumping that was unwitnessed and unremembered? Do I call the doctor? Go to the ER? Have a drink and chill? Administer ice? Witch hazel? Neosporin? What is this thing on my kid?

I come from a long line of slightly paranoid people. Each generation grows a little less obsessive and freaky, so perhaps my grandchildren may never have to check under the bed for monsters. My great-grandma used to make her grandchildren sit on feather pillows and sprinkle them with holy water every time there was a thunderstorm. Compared to her I am apathetic to any threats to my little world. Thank you, great-grandmother, for allowing me to feel sane.

But I will admit, that I over-google. There are truly things I should NOT be reading when faced with lumps and bumps and things that scare me a smidge. Upon googling about my boy's head, my fear magnified into a knot of unpreparedness resting between my stomach and bladder, making nauseous and needing to pee constantly. Nervous much?

So anyway, I thought I'd share my random fear-based day, if not for any other reason than to keep my fingers from typing scary searches into google. If the bump is still there tomorrow and isn't smaller I will call the doctor. Until then, I am trying to ignore my freakout genes and reign in the 'what-ifs'. Besides, we are allergic to feather pillows and I wouldn't have a clue how to obtain holy water, so for this evening there is nothing to do but chill.

P.S. I think he is fine. I really do. I should never use google for anything health related. I know better.

2 comments:

K said...

I keep trying to find something funny to say. But I can't. I'm too much the same.

Red wine anyone? I think alcoholism helps with this a lot. That explains a few things about my family...

Sigh. All I can offer is company. Once an hour or so we can say, "Honey, come on over here, let Mama look at your head one more time" together. : )

candyn said...

"Honey, come on over here, let Mama look at your head one more time"

Katherine, you said something funny after all, because you described EXACTLY what I have been doing. It made me laugh and feel not so alone in my maternal worrying :)

And yes, I think you are onto something with the alcoholism thing... it would also explain my family, oh yeah.