My PLN – There for me!
Sep 7th, 2008 by Cathy Jo Nelson
My oldest son (almost 21) is a junior in college in Chicago. That is SUCH a long way from home in SC. ( WARNING–> bragging Mom!) He is in school and is working 3 jobs during his down time, 2 for the university, and 1 as a 4-6yo team soccer league coach. He is a terrific young man and fairly clean cut. He is not into junk food, and is a relatively healthy guy. He missed all of 2 days of school K-12 due to physical illness. No absences from K – 6th grade, which is an amazing feat considering he went to daycare as a toddler and then after school.
Along around age 16, he began having kidney stones about once a year or so. Until now, he has been home when he had an episode. But last night, he called saying he had all the symptoms of a kidney stone. We told him to drink apple juice (to maybe expedite passing it) and to take Advil for pain. When it became more pain than he could tolerate, we finally told him to go to the nearest ER. While at the ER he was given painkillers and had tests run. He is back at his apartment near school, but still suffering.
I shared these events with my Twitter and Plurk network and have gotten a lot of encouraging comments where my friends are praying for him or hoping all is well soon. They are also expressing concern for my mindset. But the most comforting one was when Lisa A. (“fsinfo” in both Twitter and Plurk) offered to exchange contact information so she could be an in-person contact who would go check on him if I needed it, since she lives in the Chicago area suburbs.
WOW. That is amazing, and it really makes me feel rest-assured that I can get a friend to check on my son for me. This just epitomizes the power of networking. Now let’s hope and pray my son is well soon too–else I will be taking a leave to head up there myself.
Glad to be there for him if he needs us, hope he doesn’t of course, and is feeling better soon. I would hope someone would come through for my kids ( and they have in the past) if they had an emergency and I wasn’t close enough to help.
Lori
I hope your son gets better and glad that there are people out there for you. I also feel that way since we travel so much. Since we began traveling so much, it is nice to have contact with people who are from the cities I mention. I feel that we aren’t so isolated in a strange world when they suggest places to see and do or recommend places to eat. What did I do without a PLN?!
Well the young’un (not so young) went back to the doctor today and basically got a clean bill of health. Well, at least the doctor said in all likelihood it was a kidney stone that had since appeared and passed after being in the ER Saturday night. He was pain free and normal in the visit. He is to go back to the doctor in 3 months for a full kidney re-check when they will run a battery of tests to ensure his lymph nodes are normal. Thank you network for all your support.