The Tylenol Incident

It was 8:30 p.m. and I was tucking Anna into bed when I spied the bottle of Tylenol (adult, regular strength) on the heating vent under the window. I knew it had been rolling around since about 7:30 a.m., when Jon noted that it had fallen out of his pocket. In the morning craziness I forgot all about looking for the bottle until I saw it on the floor.
I picked it up and turned the cap to make sure that it was on securely. It was not. It didn't fall off in my hands, but it was rather loose. Hmmm....
"That's medicine," said Anna.
"Yes, it is."
"Isaac ate one."

Full stop.

Keep voice nonchalant: "What's that honey?"
"Isaac ate one."
"How did he get the bottle?"
"He climbed up on the toilet and got it out of the cabinet."
Yah, right.
"Did you give it to him?"
"No."
"Did you really see him, or did you make this up in your head."
"Oh, I made it up in my head."
"Did you eat any?"
"No, it's Mommy medicine."

Okay then - no problems! But let's call poison control just in case.
Poison control informs me that Isaac would have to eat six pills before it became a problem. These are those yucky white pills that are hard for even adults to swallow. Seems unlikely. Now the kicker:
"Ma'am, if you think there's any way that he could have swallowed a dangerous amount you should take him in, because there will be no symptoms if he's overdosed."

Damn.

Review the facts:
Lid was on bottle. (But loose, and Isaac's been practicing putting lids on and off.)
No pills were lying around. (But bottle was on vent and loose ones could have fallen through.)
I can barely swallow these pills myself. Very yucky. (But little kids don't perceive taste the same way we do. At least, I think they don't. Nuts. Should have paid more attention in class on Sensation & Perception.)
No overdose symptoms. (What the !$#*&%? He's just gonna wake up dead?)
ER costs major dough, and we already have a lot of medical bills. (Don't be shallow. Can't put a price on health.)
It would be illogical to wake him up and go into the ER. (Yup. But I'm an illogical kind of gal.)
The chances that he swallowed six (six!) pills is astronomically small. (But what if.....)

Sit on the couch. Review facts again and again and again. Bemoan the horror of the what if mindset.

Finally, at 10 p.m. I got Isaac up and drove to the ER. All the way I cursed the fact that although I could look at the situation logically (he did not swallow any pills), I couldn't feel my way through it (what if? what if? what if?). In the end it came down to this: Stay up all night worrying and checking and worrying, or risk money, time, sleep, and Isaac's mental health in the ER but regain my own peace. Was this all about me?

What would you have done?

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Final note: Was informed by ER doc that there ARE symptoms if someone overdoses on Tylenol. Vomiting.

Damn.