Fever, sickness, tests, cause stress.

My daughter called me at work yesterday, crying, she was sick. As a mother, it really hurt my heart to hear her voice. I arrived at the high school to find a shaking, crying, very warm, upset teenager. As I talked to her I realized it could be her appendix flaring up. Her side had been aching since Friday, off and on, and she had just generally not felt so great. As I am calling a doctor-friend, I immediatley become a mother more than a nurse. I am a little nervous. I am feeling stressed that I should have taken her earlier to the doctor. I am wondering if I missed another symptom. As I am comforting my daughter, I realized I was scared.As we are sitting waiting for tests and xrays to see why she feels so bad, I decide that I am so blessed. I have had little experience with sickness and trauma with my children. Tonsils removed at age 4. A few viruses along the way. Nothing major. My daughter asks "what do people do who have really sick children that have cancer or other bad problems?" I cannot imagine. The hurt, the anxiety, the questions, the uncertainty of life. As the tests result gather, it is decided she has a simple problem that doesn't require surgery. Her blood work was okay and the xrays did not show a bad appendix. As she is stressing over missing her classwork, last night, I realize how important every second of life is. She hopes to make-up her work today, the day after being so sick. I think about the children who have no idea when they can ever go back to school. Yesterday, I was a mother worried about my child. Today, I am a nurse who knows how grateful I am to have a daughter that feels better today.