As I have posted earlier, Junior came down with a case of mono a couple of weeks ago. After his doctor's appointment, it was found that his spleen was enlarged. The doctor made it very clear he needed to be careful about his activities and not injure the spleen thus causing the spread of infection throughout his body or the need for surgery.
As the mother of a child who has problems falling down while standing up, this caused me great alarm. Though the doctor kept mentioning contact sports as the biggest factor to cause injury my thoughts went elsewhere....floors, chairs, walls, our cat....the air, etc. All these can give poor ol' Junior a run for his money in staying upright. Needless to say, my level of concern was a bit heightened.
Though the doctor did an excellent job explaining to Junior how careful he needed to be, I decided I needed to put my own "mommy spin" on this issue. As we drove home from the doctor, I did what I could to make sure Junior understood just how serious injuring his spleen could be. I didn't want to scare him, but...no, I take that back...I wanted to scare him. My boys tend to have a mother who doesn't get too concerned about ailments and such. I mean, if they come to me carrying their own torn off arm, sure, I'll take them to the doctor. But in my opinion, aches, pains, sniffles, and such can be taken care of with a little Advil, sleep and lots of water. I wanted to make sure he knew how concerned his MOTHER was and that this wasn't an ordinary sickness.
Our conversation covered information about where the spleen was located, what major function it served in our body and why it was so important NOT to injure it. By the time we were done talking, he knew he could fill his whole body with infection, possibly endure surgery, and then worry the rest of his life about getting sick. Too much doom and gloom? Maybe. But the message was received as is now evident in our new topics of conversations...
Since our drive home, we now hear these kinds of phrases in our house...
"Mom, I think my spleen is aching, I better sit down for a while."
"Mom, can your spleen make you sleepy? I am really tired."
"If I eat too much chocolate, will that hurt my spleen?"
"Is there anything I can do to make my spleen heal faster?"
"Mom, I am really hungry tonight, and I think my spleen is too."
"I know I can't sled, but can I play in the snow or will the cold hurt my spleen?"
On Saturday we went bowling with some family members but before we got out of the car, Junior asked, "Will bowling hurt my spleen?" Oh sheesh child!!
I guess I need to be thankful he took my words to heart. Every. Single. Word. Especially the "spleen" word!!
I have to chuckle as I never dreamed our family would use the word "spleen" so much in a day - heck, in our LIFETIME. I guess if Junior ever takes anatomy in high school or college he is set on location and function. He can remember back to the days of yore when we did what we could to protect this vital organ of his.
It does make a mother chuckle though. I thought when he got his stuffed hyena from a zoo visit we'd never find ourselves saying such ridiculous things as, "Has anyone seen Junior's hyena?" on a regular basis....never say never, right?
I'm guessing "spleen" is right up there with "hyena" on words rarely used in an American household.
Oh the silly things that happen in families!! I'm sure your family has crazy stories like these as well. I would love to read about them! Please post in the comments your silly story!
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