The School Nurse Crisis

I was eleven when the call came from the school nurse.

When I got home from school that day, it was not business as usual.

My mother looked at me like I’d just been diagnosed with leprosy, malaria, polio, or any other malady of the day that was cause for panic.

The nurse could not locate the reflex in my left knee. I remember her pounding at it with that little tomahawk-looking thing, but it didn’t seem important.

They quickly arranged a follow-up visit to a neurologist in Philadelphia.

This was serious. I was scared.

Serious enough that my father had to take a day off, unpaid, to drive me into the city.

My father was untypically silent on the drive.

Now, I was starting to panic. What was so wrong about not having that reflex ?

After the exam, the doctor called in my dad. The next conversation is one I remember .

Dr. N. (for Neurologist): “Why are you blocking the reflex in your left knee”?

Me:  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.”

Dr. N. : “Is there something going on in your family that is upsetting you” ?

Me:  “Not really.” That was a lie, but I digress.

Dr. N. : “Are you trying to get attention for yourself” ?

Me: “No, Sir”. Thinking, are you kidding me, I’m 11, of course I am !

Dr. N.: “I see no physiological reason why this is happening, go home and have a talk with your family. ”

Ouch. A lost day at work, overpriced consultation fee, a family in panic, a confused 11 year old, and all because the nurse had said this to my mother on the phone that day:

“We’re not sure, but it would be best to have this checked out; sometimes it can be an early sign of venereal disease. “

This information was not shared with me until years later. My understanding is that a working reflex that is lost can be problematic. There is a good chance that I never really had a strong reflex in that knee.

Every time I meet up with a new physician, I fake the reflex. All is well.

*************************************************************

** Note: This is not the post I’d planned to write today. A simple comment by Cordelia’s Mom on a post by Nutsrok triggered this memory. Where Babies Come From.