Why we went to the hospital instead of the rodeo

***Before I relate this story, let me tell you not to worry. Everybody is perfectly fine. Me, Liz, baby Sam- everybody is ok. As you're reading, stay calm- this has a happy ending.***

The rodeo in Jasper is a big deal. A BIG DEAL. On Wednesday, school let out early for the rodeo kickoff parade, every night there's a concert (I've never heard of them, but apparently they're big country music stars), everybody goes- so we were gonna go.

It didn't start until 7:30, so when Liz got home from school, she did a little laundry while I watched a little TV. The plan was to leave about 6:00, get a bite to eat, then get our rodeo on. At about 5:30, she decided to take a little power nap. She had been laying down for about five minutes when she yelled for me to come to the bedroom- "Something's wrong," she said.

When I got back there, she was coughing and wheezing, had splotches on her neck and chest, she was itching all over, especially her ears, neck, and hands. I got her to sit up and tried to calm her down. I was thinking that maybe if we cooled her down, it might help. So I cranked up the a/c, took the covers off her, took her temp (which was normal), but it wasn't helping. Our friend Candie, who's a nurse and possibly the sweetest person alive, was working at the hospital in Jasper, so we loaded up and went to see her.

When we got there, Candie looked Liz over and recommended taking some Benadryl, as it was obviously an allergic reaction. By the way, Liz was very splotchy at this point, and coughing a lot. After a quick consult with the doctor on call, Candie changed her recommendation- "Go to the E.R." So we went.

After some quick paperwork, and an uncomfortable encounter with a bleeding teenager and a rude child, Liz was escorted to bed B, where it was quickly decided that benadryl and solumedrol were needed. Blood pressure was good, pulse was good, quick stick- IV is in, blood drawn, solumedrol injected, shot of benadryl to the hip, "Lay back and relax. We'll check on you in a few minutes." And within minutes, Liz started feeling better. The splotches faded, her breathing got better, her coughing stopped- she even dozed off for a few minutes. The doctor came back to check on her two more times, and decided that the crises had been averted. We were there about two and a half hours total, which went by pretty quickly, then we signed some papers and headed out. A quick stop by Wal-Mart for some benadryl and McDonald's for dinner concluded our adventure. Liz slept like a baby, and everything is ok.

And that's why we weren't at the rodeo.

-Jared