Roland's Big Scare

Roland woke up one morning with his throat on fire. He coughed, and he cried, "Mom, my throat hurts!" Roland's mom came in to see what the fuss was all about. She checked Roland's head as mom's always do. Nope, no fever. "Roland," his mom said. Baby maybe your mouth is just dry. She bought him a glass of water. She then told him to go brush his teeth and gargle with some warm salt and water. His throat felt a little better so he got dressed for school.

On his way to school with his friends Josh, Jeff and Jennifer, Roland told them about his morning. They looked at him and laughed. Then Josh said, "man I understand your pain." I woke up one day feeling the same way. Only thing different is I had a fever along with it. My moms took me to the doctor. Come to find out that my tonsils were inflamed and swelled up. The doctor ran some tests. I had strep throat, he used some other term, but bottom line dude, my mom said that I had strep throat.

I took the antibiotics he prescribed, but man oh man, it didn't help one bit. So my moms took me back and the doctor ran more tests. This time the doctor told moms that I had to have my tonsils removed. HIs friends looked at him. Roland became a little nervous. He didn't quite like what he was hearing, but he put on a good front as he listened to Josh. Josh was telling how he had to go to the hospital, the big needles that he got, one to numb him, another to one to go in his arm for an IV hook up. "What's that?," his friends asked. Josh said, "You guys must be kidding me, you never had an IV OR SEEN an IV?" Jeff, Jennifer and Roland all exclaimed, "No way dude!" Josh was on a roll and he continued to describe the IV and the rest of what went through, Roland started to sweat and he became more and more nervous. Thought begin to go through his head. "What if I have what Josh has? What if I have to get mu tonsils removed?, I don't like needles and I don't want to stay in no one's hospital."

In the meanwhile, his friends had been talking to him and calling his name, but he never heard them. Finally, Jennifer tapped him on his shoulder. "Roland, are you alright?" You got quiet on us and we've been calling your name for a bit now. We're at school and about to go in the building. Roland tried to play it off. "Yeah, I'm good." Roland and Jennifer walked to their class while Josh and Jeff went to their classes. Jennifer told Roland that he was acting strange and even though he said he was alright, his facial expression and body language said otherwise. She decided to let it go. "Okay Roland, I'll catch you at lunch, gotta get to class before the late bell rings," she said, and ran to class.

At lunch Roland was still thinking about what Josh had told them. He decided to play it off and act interested in what they now were talking about. They had practiced after school and Jennifer was captain of the cheerleader squad.

Later on that day when Roland got home from practice, his throat wassss a little sore. He didn't say anything to his mother thinking about what Josh had told him. He gargled with some salt and warm water and got ready for dinner. At dinner he didn't have much of an appetite because of his throat. He told his parents that he wasn't all that hungry and made up a story about having something after practice before he came home.

The next morning, Roland woke up feeling the same as yesterday, but he didn't tell his mother. He didn't say anything to his friends as they walked to school. He did this for the next few days. Until

One morning Roland didn't get out of bed. His mother went to check on him because he was running late for school. She opened his room door and called out his name. "Roland? It's time to get up. You'll be late for school." she said. Roland did not respond. She walked over to his bed. Roland's eyes were shut, he didn't want his mother to know how much pain he was in. She felt his head and checked his temperature. Roland had a fever and his temperature was 103.7. His mother shouted out his father, Roland Sr. He came running to the room to see what was the matter. She told him to call the doctor, Roland had a fever and they needed to take him to the hospital.

Roland was in too much pain to protest. Tears were running down his eyes. All he could was moan.

His parents took him to Provident Medical. The same procedure was done there. They took his temperature just as his mother did and asked him questions he could barely answer because of the intense pain he was in. The doctor came in after getting the test results and explained to his parents that Roland's tonsils needed to be taken out immediately. Because Roland had waited so long, his tonsils were so inflamed that if they waited any longer he would have caught an infection requiring immediate surgery to prevent any further damage to his throat.

Roland layed there crying, eyes wide. He didn't want surgery and he didn't want his tonsils out, but now he had no choice because his fear of what Josh had told him, had gotten the best of him. The nurses and other techs came in so fast, hooked him up to the IV, gave him needles to prep for the surgery and explain the procedure. Since they did all of this while prepping him, he never felt anything. He didn't know that his IV was in and he was given the needle to put him to sleep.

When Roland woke up, everything was over. HIs tonsils were out. His throat felt better. He felt better and things weren't as bad as it seemed when Josh was telling him. He apologized to his parents for not telling them earlier. He told them what had happened to Josh and even though he didn't want to admit it, it made him a little scared. They laughed.

Later that day when his friends to visit him, Roland apologized to Jennifer for not being honest with her that day. He explained how what Josh said got under his skin and he couldn't shake it. Jennifer accepted his apology and Jeff and Josh gave him high five. They all laughed. Roland said that he was so scared and in so much pain that he didn't know what was going on. When it was all said done, all he could remember waking up and everything was over. Now for the good part. Roland said, "Josh. Man you didn't tell me that I get to eat all ice cream I wanted." His friends looked at him and bust out laughing! Had I known that this was the end result I would've been told my mom to take me the doctor. Next time you tell us something, give us the good information first. They laughed again as Roland began eating his ice cream.