Again with the drama

Let me start this story with the simple statement that the boy is okay. He's alive and his usual 12 year old self.

Things were a little shaky earlier this week. On Sunday, his Boy Scout troop went on a canoe trip from Bainbridge Island, WA to Bremerton, WA. This is in preparation for their 70 mile canoe trip scheduled for next week in Canada. So anyway, we dutifully got him his life vest and all other gear he'll need for this high adventure. He was paired up with Charlie who is a scout master, eagle scout and navy man. All good things. Except that some motorboat passed by too close to their canoe while they were waiting for the other canoe behind them to catch up. The wake from the motorboat swamped the canoe and my son and Charlie found themselves treading 50 degree water for 20 - 40 minutes. The time is differing only because the people on shore think it was more like 40 minutes and Charlie estimated it as only 20 minutes.

So I got an unexpected phone call from the woman whose summer house witnessed the entire scene. At the time, my son was warming up in her shower. She was very worried and asked if she should call 911. She said that she's not a medical professional but she would feel more comfortable. I told her that I was an RN and wanted to know what his status looked like. In recounting the story, I say that I asked her if he had lost consciousness, if he was shivering, if he had control of his extremities, if he knew who, when and where he was. She said no, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. I talked then to my son who was in the shower and knew exactly who I was when he heard my voice. He also told me that he couldn't hear me very well because of the shower. Then I talked to Charlie who said that he knows what hypothermia really looks like because of his training, but that my son was just cold and recovering quickly from their ordeal. That 911 wasn't necessary.

I ran outside during this conversation to get Hubby who was working in the back yard. I quickly told my girls to get shoes on and get in the car. That their brother fell into the Sound and needed to be checked out immediately. I grabbed his down comforter, a squid hat (because it was the closest hat at hand as I had just finished sewing it), and my first aid kit, thermometer, and stethoscope. Princess, with such concern for things other than her brother, complained loudly that the saimin I had just cooked for her would be cold and ruined by the time we got back home and could she please just finish it. Ah, the complete disregard for the welfare of her brother... so refreshing. We piled in the car and Hubby drove at 3 mph for the entire drive. Okay, he was kind of speeding, but it felt like he was crawling. We got to my son's location and he was bundled up in an electric blanket, 2 plush blankets, drinking tea, wearing a touk, and surrounded by 3 teenaged girls. Yeah, his life is so hard. Not a bad way for a 12 year old boy to be rescued. He was quite pink, no obvious neuro deficits, tympanic temp up to 95.2 degrees F, able to move all limbs with good capillary refill to toes and fingers, and absolutely mortified that I brought a squid hat and nothing else for him to dress in.

There were phone calls from all the scout masters that night. They've revised their plans for the 70 mile trip to include a motor boat trailing behind the boys just in case. My husband and son were furious with me at the mere suggestion that maybe he sit the 70 mile trip out. I was shot down pretty quick. The only thing that I could maybe work on is getting a layer of fat on the boy as he is so slender, he had no reserves to slow down the heat loss.

I suppose I better put some Oreos and fried chicken on my shopping list for the week.