A Brief History, Part II: The Vacation

Friday, July 28:
A few days before our departure, Henry was sad and afraid that his vacation was going to be ruined by the fact that he was sick, but as we started out, we were all in a good mood and looking forward to seeing family in Georgia.

Although the drive to Alpharetta is do-able in a day, Henry had begged us to spend the first night in a hotel; staying in a hotel makes it feel more like a vacation. We stopped at a Comfort Inn in a little town just north of Macon. As we checked in, Henry promptly began jumping on the bed with glee (as Mom & Dad only let him jump on the bed in a hotel). However, after just a few seconds, he stopped suddenly and held the top of his head. Our hearts sank - we knew he was right: he would not be able to fully enjoy his vacation.

Once we made it to the lake house at Lake Lanier, the first few days were great. We met up with Aunt S, Uncle S and Cousin P, and were soon joined by Uncle S, Aunt C and Cousin NC. We had fun catching up and generally making merry.

Despite Mama & Dad's trepidations, Henry had a great time riding in front of the speedboat as Uncle S piloted us around the lake. He survived the brisk and bumpy rides with no apparent nausea or headaches. We did, however, have quite a scare when Mama & Cousin P (being towed behind the boat, riding in a tube-like inflatable raft) hit the boat's wake during a turn and did a violent flip, plunging them into the lake. Both were fine, but Mama took in quite a bit of water.

Sunday night we drove to Alpharetta with Aunt S and Uncle S, and went to the Georgia Aquarium on Monday (see photos in a separate post).

Tuesday, Uncle S took the boys to the "CARS" movie, and then to some putt-putt golf. Henry was a little low on energy, but seemed to be generally fine. Wednesday we planned to take him to Six Flags.

Wednesday morning, Henry threw up several times and his head was hurting. He knew that he wasn't up to the amusement park, but broken-hearted that he wouldn't be able to go. Mama and Dad discussed options, and thought we would extend the trip by a day and take him to the park on Thursday if he felt better. However, by about 11am, he seemed to bounce back, and so we felt if there was a window in which he felt good we should take it.

He was excited to be going, and enjoyed the first ride (a "Log Flume"). But during the long wait for the second ride - a water-rapids - he quickly went downhill, becoming listless with a stomach ache. After that ride he felt so bad - sometimes just lying down on the grass to rest - that we were ready to give up and leave. We made one last stop at Skull Island: a huge series of water slides and sprinklers. Henry lit up like a Christmas tree (he has always loved playing in the water) and immediately set out to try all the slides.

This water slide extravaganza is a parent's nightmare. Dad attempted to follow Henry to the first slide, but was immediately deluged by a group of kids with water cannons mounted on railings, and by waterfalls pouring from upper levels as kids reach the pools at the end of slides. For a brief time we lost sight of Henry, until he came back and found us. We quickly worked out a system where Mama would stay back to get a full view, while Dad accompanied Henry to the entrance of his chosen slide, then wait for him at the end of the slide.

The day was saved. We stayed at the water slides for almost four hours, and Henry had a blast.

Thursday morning, Henry threw up several times. He complained that it hurt his head to throw up. We called Dr. L and made an appointment to see him when we got back. We drove home that day.

Friday, August 4:
Henry was having more frequent headaches. With our Doctor's appointment not until Monday, we called the office to see if there was some other medicine Henry could take with the prescribed Cyproheptadine (for the "Abdominal Migraine"), since that didn't seem to be working, especially for the headaches. Dr. L said to give him Motrin for the headaches, but he changed the Monday appointment to a CAT scan at the hospital.

Saturday, August 5:
The Cub Scouts were scheduled to have an activity day at the local water park. Despite all the recent activity, Henry really wanted to go (he had a fantastic time last year), and we weren't about to deny anything that he might enjoy at this point.

This "Water Fun Park", while MUCH smaller than the one at Six Flags, has three fast slides that land in the pool of a local Comfort Inn. After a couple of hours, Henry came out of the Pool and said the top of his head hurt. When Dad tried to give him Motrin, he threw up. We went home, and he felt fine for the rest of the day.

Sunday, August 6:
Henry woke up and immediately said his head hurt. He went to the bathroom and we could hear him crying in pain. We tried to get him to take Motrin for the headache, but he didn't want to, as by this point he felt all medicine was making him throw up. When he finally did take it, he did indeed vomit repeatedly, but his head hurt so badly that he cried out and tried to hold back the vomit.

At that point, we dressed and took him to the emergency room.

Next, Part III: Lamar Reveals Himself