I Rant, I Rave, I Call the Mayo Clinic
By Roberta Rosenberg on Apr 30, 2007 in Occasional Rantings
As I write this, my son and his father are sitting in the local pediatric after hours clinic waiting to see the doctor.
My son, age 9 and old enough to know better, decided to let his 8-year old sister (also old enough to know better) lob plastic checkers into his open mouth (and this is the best part … NOT) lying on the floor. He swallowed one of them, the broken one with the sharp edges.
Grand.
My pediatrician’s office is closed. So before I go running off in the night like a lunatic with my son in tow, I call one of the local hospitals and wait … wait … wait to speak with an RN who can tell me whether I should bring my kid in for a look-see or load him up with a big fat laxative and wait for all good things and checkers to pass.
Too much waiting, thought I. So I went to Google and looked up "Ask a Nurse 24/7" and I found a toll-free number to speak with a nurse at the Mayo Clinic. One minute later I was speaking with a nurse who after hearing my sad tale and trying not to laugh (after we established there was no choking, etc.), told me that an xray and doctor visit at the local ER/urgent care was indeed warranted.
I’m sharing this info because the service was free, prompt and hey, it’s the Mayo Clinic! Here’s the URL - Ask A Nurse at the Mayo Clinic.
When you find something good in this world, you gotta pay it forward. (I’ll update this post in the comments when my sheepish son is brought home.)
Copywriting Maven | Apr 30, 2007 | Reply
Sonny boy is home. All appears to be okay, no xrays just yet. He’ll be eating a diet of his mother’s “colon blow” high-fiber cereal to help bolter his self-esteem as we wait for all things to pass. Of course, I’ve been ordered to check each effort. (This parent thing isn’t for wimps or the queasy.)
Connie Reece | May 1, 2007 | Reply
I’m glad to know your son is okay … because now I can chuckle at the task ahead of you. I once swallowed a quarter and put my mother through the same exercise.
Great to know about the Mayo Clinic “Ask a Nurse” service. That’s a good resource for knowing whether a trip to the ER is warranted.
Steve Roesler | May 1, 2007 | Reply
Good to know that things are proceeding in the right direction, Roberta.
Have been trying to get to all of the blogs of the other contributors to the Age of Conversation…and now I find out I can call the Mayo Clinic any time! I’m thinking,”Gee, maybe I’ll give them a call just to say I did it!”
Looking forward to reading your contribution…and you just reminded me why I am really, really glad that my daughter is 25.
rjlight | May 14, 2007 | Reply
Aren’t 9 year old boys a joy? I do want to know though, who won the checkers game?
Copywriting Maven | May 14, 2007 | Reply
Who won the game? Oh, that’s easy. The Pediatric After Hours Clinic, my pediatrician, and the radiology center that screwed up the first set of x-rays requiring a second trip next day!