Zombie Aaron

Aaron got up yesterday morning around 7:00 and came downstairs.  I could tell right away that he didn't feel well.  His voice is deeper in the morning and even more monotone, it seems, than his daytime monotone.  He flatly said, "Mom, I don't feel well."  He then told me that he didn't sleep much; although according to the even breathing on the monitor he slept just fine.  He told me that he had a sore throat.  As he talked I could tell that his throat was swollen.  I eventually decided to let him stay at home and he was very happy about that decision.

He tried to lay back down but couldn't sleep, so he showered and went about his morning.  I could tell as the day went on that he was getting all stopped up.  He was snorting, as he always does with a cold, and sounding more congested.  Later, as we talked, he said, "Mom, there's something in between my throat."  That's it.  The only description I got of how his throat felt was that there was something in between his throat.  Try telling that to a doctor, I thought.

Last night I took his temperature and he did have a low grade fever.  He was relieved that the beeping thermometer gave proof of how he was feeling.  He asked, "So this means I'm not feeling well?"  Uh.......I guess you could put it that way.  This tangible confirmation of how he wasn't feeling well almost made him feel better.

This morning I woke him up before 7:00 to check his temp, and to make a decision about seeing the doctor today.  His temp had gone down some, but he was still very congested.  Why do these things seem to always happen on a weekend?  Aaron tends to get ear infections or strep.  With that in mind, I went ahead and made him an appointment at McConnell Air Base to see his Primary Care Manager.  I had to wake him up at 8:45, very unusual for him.

The drive to McConnell was very quiet............which is very unusual.  Other than a few random, small comments, Aaron was very sedate.  We were listening to music and with one of the songs that he especially likes he perked up and said, "Cha, cha!"  I laughed and he smiled and then he was quiet again.  He was becoming very, very sleepy.  His morning meds were partly to blame, but when Aaron is sick he really shows it outwardly.

By the time we walked into the clinic, he was so slow.  And when we were in the exam room, he was sitting up on the exam table..............weaving back and forth, eyes going back into his head, eyelids closing, and scaring the poor tech to death.  She finished her triage and I told Aaron to come down off the table and sit on a safer, lower chair.  I helped him and as he edged over to the chair, he began to weave............and ran into me, which pushed me back into my chair.  This was getting a little ridiculous!

I gave Aaron some mints and tried to keep him talking........usually no problem there, as most of the time I try to keep him from NOT talking. The PA checked him over but was very concerned about his "mental instability."  She's very nice and thorough, but hasn't seen Aaron often and certainly doesn't understand his neurological make-up.  I assured her that what she was seeing was a reaction to his sickness and to his morning meds.  She was thinking meningitis, or overdose, or who knows what else?  She talked about getting the doctor in to check him; asked about his last seizures; had he hit his head in his last seizures; do we get his levels checked regularly; when is our next neurological appointment..............I could see where this was going.

As we waited for the rapid strep test, she left the room and I gave Aaron another mint.  I tried to get him to talk about the Looney Tunes episode that made him smile as he recalled it earlier; I let him clap when he wanted; I let him bang his foot down on the floor a time or two; I let him reach over and run his hand under the automatic faucet to see it turn on; I even let him finally open the side drawers on the exam table because he was curious about what was inside.  I drew the line when he reached behind him and grabbed a big wad of exam gloves.  But he was at least more awake, so the PA felt better about him as she further questioned me and gave me advice...........not needed, but she meant well.  The strep test was negative, thankfully.

Aaron made it to the van without falling and I ran back inside for his meds at the pharmacy.  When I went back to the van, he was asleep.............sitting up, with his bowl of Cheez-It crackers on his lap, uneaten.  A quick, in-the-van, Burger King lunch renewed him a bit.  He stayed awake all the way home as he finished munching on his fries.  That was good news!  I didn't want to leave him in the van if he fell asleep.  Even Gary can't handle the dead weight of an asleep Aaron!

Whew!  An interesting morning.  I don't remember ever being in public with Aaron, as an adult, when he's been that out-of-it.  As we ate lunch, I said, "Aaron, you're like a zombie today."  He simply replied, "No."

Well, I thought you'd like being a zombie.  "No," he repeated.

Hmmmmm........maybe if Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON had zombies, he'd like that description better.  Anyway, I'm glad that my Zombie Aaron is in his bed, snoring happily.  Hopefully, he'll be normal Aaron when he wakes up........ready for Skittles and Cheez-Its, and asking what's for supper!