Really?

Many people think I'm lucky to have the "summer" off to enjoy my children and for the most part they are right except for days like today. Today is one of those kinds of days where I long to be back in my classroom with my eighteen kiddos on a schedule. Where you know that you'll be teaching Math for 70 minutes and the day goes much as planned.

Schedules are wonderful.

Really, they are.

Then there are unscheduled days where I spend the morning at Vacation Bible School (VBS), drop Tyler off at the pool by one and then take Madison to the doctor to figure out what's wrong with her hands. Don't even get me started about Grant's behavior at VBS. That's another blog story.

You see, Madison has had raw, red finger tips for two weeks now. All 10 fingers are missing layers of skin, cracked and sensitive. I've tried numerous topical creams which have helped to no avail. Madison has slept every other night for two weeks wearing gloves (the winter kind) on her hands after I've coated them with large amounts of Aquaphor.

Really, I have no clue why her fingers are so fiery red, sore and bleeding. I am perplexed.

So finally, I decided to cough up the $30 co-pay and see what the doctor says. Madison is complaining that it's painful to use her hands, so it's now necessary.

And guess what....The doctor has no idea either. She said that if it was a fungus, it would have spread. She asked Madison if she touched something hot or something she wasn't suppose to touch and now's the time to confess. Still Madison can't think of anything she would have possibly handled. What I wonder is...if she did touch something, how is it possible it's on every finger, right in the center and above the first knuckle of each tip? The spot that you'd get finger printed at the police station.

Madison could possibly live a life of crime now that she probably no longer has fingerprints, but that too is another blog story.

Really.

So, the doctor asked another doctor and they decided to treat it as if it is a burn. The cream is very expensive, so the doctor frosted and bandaged her hands like this (which, I've fixed twice now in the last 2 hours)...

The doctor wants Madison to wear the bandages for 24 hours to see how she responds to this expensive burn cream. If it works, I'll have to buy the pricey, burn cream. If not, we will try another method.

Really, wear the bandages for a day and to VBS? Doesn't she know we do Arts and Crafts?

I then asked the doctor how is Madison suppose to use the bathroom. Her response, "You will have to help her."

I'm ready to go back to work. Really!