And I’m not talking about the drama series with Dr. Carter et al that ran for 15 years and ended Thursday night.

In the past few years I’ve made a few panicked trips to the Emergency Room with the three people I love the most.

KB was rushed there as a one-year-old when she passed out from crying too hard. I walked into her room to find her lying there blue and gurgling on the floor. I was convinced she was having seizures; it turns out she would just cry really hard and forget to breathe. But it took a couple of excruciating EKGs and some x-rays of her chest to lead the MDs to that conclusion.

Hubby was rushed to the ER two years ago when I was convinced he had had a stroke because he was slurring his words and running into walls. As it turns out, he had encephalitis and was admitted to Neuro ICU for three days, and that little episode changed every aspect of our lives forever.

And finally Thursday night, my precious little Annie had to be rushed to the ER by her rapidly-aging mother (me…). My third memorable ER trip.

And I’m hoping that for both Dr. Carter and this family, its the final one.

You can just go ahead and admit me to the Behavioral Health Center if there are any more.

Nah, not BHC; Rusk. Let’s just go for the Big House if I have to take one of those three people to the ER again.

I know many of you facebook friends have heard about it already, but I wanted to sum up for you non-facebook people…

Annie was playing happily Thursday night, when suddenly she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Her head lolled to the side, and she could no longer hold her head up. She began crying out hysterically, “I can’t walk! I can’t walk!”…….and she couldn’t. Trust me…I tried to make her.

I scooped her up and rushed her to Mother Frances in her pajamas.

Having had a loved one diagnosed with a near-fatal virus in the brain that took a year to fully recover from, I knew to be concerned.

They checked out her ears, and did an x-ray on her neck, thinking perhaps that when she had fallen she might have fractured her neck.

All normal.

Being the seasoned ER-mom that I am, I about the possibility of neurological problems, and the 14-year-old ER doc assured me that she definitely did NOT have neurological problems since all her symptoms went away after about 20 minutes of waiting in the ER.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that part….her symptoms slowly went away after about 20 minutes of waiting in the ER. In case you missed that. Even her dazed, blank stare and pinpoint-pupils; it all went away.

All sorts of scenarios ran through my mind, and for the past two nights I have not slept.

Thursday night, I laid on the floor beside her all night long, with one arm draped across her to be able to easily check for pulse and breathing at any given moment, as I laid there beside her wide awake and praying all night.

Last night, I just sat here, glued to my chair, in this huge funk….knowing in my heart that a child collapsing and losing the ability to walk for a little while is just. not. normal.

I don’t care what Dr. Dougie Hauser says.

She’s going to see her pediatrician, our beloved Dr. Smith, on Monday morning.

I have complete trust in him that he’ll figure this out and give me some peace about this situation.

But meanwhile….

….and this is probably totally inappropriate and rude of me to say….

I’m not really too concerned about anyone’s hairbow at the moment.

Am I wrong?

Seriously.

I need a vacation.