I picked Big E up from his grandparents’ house last night after work. When I had gotten there, he was running a pretty high temp despite having had ibuprofen an hour earlier. He was burning up and extremely tired. I brought him home but the fever was still intense. I decided to give him a little Tylenol and get him to bed. I set my alarm for 1 am, knowing that by then the fever reducers should have worn off and he would need a new dose. However when I made it in there at 1, he was sound asleep and his whole body was completely drenched in sweat. His hair was slicked to his head and his face was glistening. I reached out and touched his damp skin only to find that he felt almost cold to the touch. I decided to forgo the meds and see how he did in the morning.

This morning he came running into my room and jumped on my bed without a care in the world, begging for food and laughing. After a very long week, he was finally feeling better. He remained fever free the rest of the day.

I am beyond grateful that he is feeling better! Baby E is going to stay away for a few more days. That will give us the chance to finish disinfecting everything. I’m just so glad to see this smile!

Big E spent the day with Tim’s parents, and unfortunately he is still sporting a fever. I’m going to call the pediatrician in the morning and see if there are any further steps we should take. I hate that his fever might linger into the weekend. However, his throat no longer hurts so I do think the antibiotics are doing something. And his fever is still responding to meds, so its probably just a matter of keeping him comfortable until it breaks.

Praying he wakes up in the morning feeling better!

Day four of crazy high fevers has come to an end. Big E spiked to 104.5 this afternoon and I called the pediatrician just to make sure I didn’t need to take any additional steps. He said as long as he isn’t having problems breathing and is acting normal (you know, normal for being sick) then he should be fine. He said it might take an additional 24 hours for the antibiotic to kick in. I’m incredibly grateful to my mother in law who has agreed to take him tomorrow so that I can get back to work.

This evening, after the ibuprofen had kicked in and he had begged to eat Doritos and pizza, I took the kids for a long walk. Well, C and I walked, Big E rode in the stroller. I was hoping that the fresh air would do him some good. We spent about 45 minutes out and Big E kept begging to get out of the stroller so that he could run around. Much to his disappointment I only let him walk next to me. No running when you’ve been sporting a 104+ fever, kid.

It’s almost time for me to sneak in and give him a little more medicine before I head to bed. I’m praying that the fever breaks soon and his little body has a chance to heal. Poor little guy!

Meanwhile, Baby E is having a blast visiting his grandparents. We spoke briefly on the phone, but he’s two, and his tooth brush was more interesting, but that’s alright. I’m looking forward to having him home in a few days. The kids miss him as well.

Meanwhile this morning after I got C on the bus I was standing outside our house talking to a mother of a child that rides the bus with C. We were in mid conversation when I looked over and noticed that someone had lopped off all of the daffodils from my garden. Granted there weren’t many, perhaps three, but daffodils are my favorites and I was disappointed that they were gone. (oh, and I’m using the term garden very loosely. Ha!) This evening I couldn’t make it to church because of Big E’s fever, but a friend sent these wonderful daffodils home to me and I think they are just perfect… in fact, probably more beautiful than the ones in my yard! Thank you for that. I feel so blessed that so many people have reached out to us over the past two weeks while we’ve been dealing with all these illnesses. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you aren’t alone. Thank you!

 

I was preemptive this evening and got to walk in hours at the pediatrician 45 minutes early! Which meant we were one of the first to be seen. I was happy because our absolute favorite doctor was the one handling walk ins. Even though C has been fever free all day, I had them check both kids out. They did a strep test on Big E and we waited for the doctor. When he came in we described the symptoms… Big E has had a massive fever since Sunday. Today it hit 104.2, which had me a little worried. He’s thrown up, complained of nausea, headaches, a slightly sore throat (when swallowing tylenol), and pain in his neck when he bends it. He’s been on Tamiflu since Sunday morning but the fever is still running high. The fever responds to meds, but for the most part he has been pretty miserable. He has no energy and has eaten, but not a whole lot. He’s drinking fine and begging for water most of the day.

The doctor said the fast strep test they took came back negative but they will send it out to have the culture done. He then took a look at Big E’s ears and chest. The ears look great. The lungs sound good. No runny nose. No signs of lingering flu symptoms. He said the Tamiflu should have knocked out the fever and since it hadn’t he suspected a secondary infection. That’s when he checked Big E’s throat. He said it look very, very strep-like and his lymph nodes were huge. He was convinced that even though the strep test had come back negative, that what we are dealing with is a case of strep on top of the flu. (The fast strep test has a 10% chance of being wrong and he thinks it is in this case.) He said that they have seen that going around a lot for the past few days so he started Big E on an antibiotic and said the fever should be down by tomorrow. He thinks the flu is pretty much over and we now just need to fight the strep.

C was a little more complicated. She’s not running a fever anymore. Her temp is pretty much normal. But her throat looked a little red. He prescribed her an antibiotic just in case, but said it was fine to send her to school if she still doesn’t have a fever in the morning.

So there we have it… probably strep. He likely thought I was a nutcase when I got really excited. Strep?!?! Really??? There’s a medication for that!! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel!!!! Yay!!! He said it would be safe to bring Baby E home in a few days after the antibiotics for Big E kick in!

I filled the prescription and gleefully handed it to the kids. Compared to the Tamiflu this stuff is a breeze to take and I heard no complaints. I’ll be home again tomorrow, but I am praying that will be the last day. I’m cruising through my leave time and Tim’s work isn’t in a place for him to be able to take off. I’m missing Baby E but I know he’ll be back soon! 🙂

Thank you for all the continued prayers. And thank you to the dear friend that brought me Starbucks and lunch this afternoon. You were/are a godsend!

 

So, if you’ve been keeping track this year… 

Baby E- cold, 2 ear infections, RSV, hacking cough, pink eye, 2 stomach bugs, and the flu with a seizure.

Big E- cold, injured foot, 2 stomach bugs, 2 rounds of the flu, and strep

C- cold, 2 stomach bugs, 1 flu, 48+ hours of not being able to walk, and possibly strep.

I know this has been a rough winter for so many families. Every time I turn around there is something new and horrible going around. We’ve gotten a lot of it, but I know we aren’t the only family dealing with this. With that in mind, I’ve decided to make a little game… a sickness bingo, if you will. Feel free to choose any or all of the cards below and see if you can get bingo! (Five in a row- across, up and down, or diagonal) If so, leave me a comment letting me know which card and I’ll choose a winner to get a prize (tbd). Try to limit the sicknesses to September 2016 – March 2017. It can be you, your kids, or your whole family 🙂 If we are going to be miserable, at least we can laugh about it, right?!? 🙂

*Note* I know that “Random Inability to Walk” is pretty specific to C and her reaction to the flu, so you can replace that one with any “Random” illness you guys have faced that might have baffled the doctors. 

 

 

 

We walked into the pediatrician’s office at just after 5pm. Their walk in hours start at 5 and there were already 10 families in the waiting room and who knows how many already back in exam rooms. My heart sank, but I signed us up anyway and asked how long the wait would be. At least an hour. I sighed and turned around to find us seats. I got the kids settled, filled out the paperwork and turned it in. I sat down next to C and surveyed our surroundings. The office was warm, made warmer by the number of people sitting there. Most were young children with either bright rosy cheeks or very pale complexions. All of them looked as miserable as my kids and all of them sweating and uncomfortable. I stared at my own kids, thinking about the germs they might pick up in an hour of waiting in a hot, stuffy room with other sick children and I stood up. Yes, I want them to be seen, but I can’t expose them to more sickness. We left.

I hoped the Urgent Care downstairs would be faster, and I was optimistic as I opened the door, only seeing four people in the waiting room, but their wait was 2+ hours. No, that didn’t seem worth it either. So we left.

By then the ibuprofen must have kicked in because they were pleading for some food and begging for Burger King. It was out of the way, but it’s the first time Big E had really wanted food, so we made the special trip. They gobbled it all down.

When C woke up this morning she wasn’t in the least bit feverish. She felt great, so I sent her to school. Apparently half way through the day she didn’t feel well, but was too shy to tell her teacher so she suffered it out and was running a high temp by the time she got home. I wish she had mentioned something. Big E’s fever was running 103.6 so I thought if I took them down they could both be looked at. Maybe tomorrow if they are still feeling low.

Today was not too bad. I disinfected their room and bathroom and this evening I plan to work on the kitchen. I regret not being at work, and I’m bummed to be using my vacation days like this, but I am also grateful to get some extra time with my kids. Tomorrow they will both be home. Baby E is with his grandparents and will stay there until all of this passes. I miss him already. The temperature was beautiful today and most of the day was spent with the windows open. I’m hoping the fresh air will help me combat all these germs.

Thank you for the prayers and words of encouragement. Today I feel a little bit more refreshed. I’m sure we have a few more days of this, but then Lord willing, it will be over for the season. I’m excited about warm days and long evenings and I can’t wait to get us all outside again.

I stared in disbelief at the thermometer this morning.

102.6

No, this isn’t happening. It can’t be happening.

But there it was, plain as day, staring me in the face.

102.6

Big E woke up with a fever. Big E woke up with the flu. He started complaining about the same symptoms C complained about early last week. So there we have it, he has the flu. The strange thing is, that the temp spiked high this evening and I called the on call pediatrician and she said it was very, very, very rare for you to get Flu A twice in one season. She suspects it’s flu b. But wait. C had flu A. Are you telling me that Big E has flu B? A completely different flu?!!? Are you saying that there is a new flu running through my house that none of my other kids have gotten yet?!? Dear woman, I pray you are wrong!

Either way, there is no denying that Big E is down for the count. Out of an abundance of caution I am shipping Baby E out to the grandparents in hopes that he avoids this round. I can’t handle him having more seizures. I just cant.

So, if I might trespass on your kindness once more, my family could yet again use some prayer. Pray that Big E sleeps well tonight and recovers quickly. Pray that C (who said she was feeling a little unwell this evening) would wake up healthy in the morning. Pray that Baby E doesn’t come down with any of it. And that Tim and I can stay healthy as well. I’ll admit that I am deep in the trenches of self-pity right now. Tim and I are tired. We are exhausted. We need a break. We really, really do.

After what seems like an exceedingly long, dark winter the brighter days and warmer temps are starting to settle in. C woke up this morning with little inclination to walk, but was keen to attend her cousin’s birthday party. I secretly hoped that exposing her to her cousins and the playground would be the motivation she might need to push past the pain in her legs. When we got to the park I insisted that she ride in the stroller until we got to the picnic area. As we were heading that way she told me she was embarrassed to be in the stroller and begged me to get out. I permitted her to and she jumped up and started running tip toe to her cousins. Within a half an hour she came excitedly up to me to show me that she was able to put her heels to the ground and from there she started running around like normal!! The kids ran and played for hours.

This afternoon after her nap she once again complained that her legs hurt, but we took a walk to the stinky bridge and by the time we got there she was feeling much better. So it would appear that the worst of it is over. I’m so grateful for that!

The kids enjoyed their outings today and were quite ready for bed this evening!

Tim woke me up from my champagne induced slumber last night to let me know that he was home and that C had been complaining about her legs hurting. We had decided early yesterday morning that we would keep her home from school one more day just to be sure we weren’t sending the flu into her class. I had deadlines at work, so Tim said he could take her with him. Apparently halfway through the day her legs started to get sore, and by the time they got home in the evening Tim had to carry her in.

This morning when she woke up she couldn’t even stand. Every time we tried to touch her legs near her calf muscles she complained that it hurt really bad. We had to carry her everywhere. It became apparent pretty quickly that we were not going to be able to send her to school in that condition. She couldn’t even bear weight on her legs. Her joints all seemed fine. Her feet didn’t hurt. It was just her calf muscles.

I had to wait for the pediatrician’s office to open, so I decided to do the one thing you should never do when you are dealing with an illness… I googled it.

Once I got past all the horrible things like cancer and certain and inevitable death, I was able to find an article about children that complained about calf muscle pain 2-3 days after having a high fever brought on by influenza. The studies I read about said it was a rare, but pretty harmless situation and might take up to a week to resolve itself.

All of the symptoms matched what C was experiencing, but I went ahead and called the pediatrician. By that point she had started to be able to walk on her tiptoes, but was absolutely unable to put her heels to the ground. Since she was having such difficulty, the doctor said that he wanted to see her and we made an appointment this afternoon. So I ended up staying home from work so that I could take her in.

Throughout the day she didn’t really seem to improve. When I took her to the doctor I had to put her in a stroller because she couldn’t walk that far and I couldn’t carry her. The doctor did an exam and came to the same conclusion that I had, that this mystery illness was brought on by the flu. He had initially been concerned about possible blood clots, but was able to quickly rule those out. He said there wasn’t much we could do but give her some warm baths and ibuprofen and wait for her body to heal. If she isn’t walking normally by Monday, I am supposed to give them a call.

This evening I gave her a bath and she said the warm water definitely helped a great deal, but once she was out of the bath the pain was back and she seemed no better. So I’m praying that my dear sweet girl can start walking again soon. She’s going to a birthday party at the park in the morning and is already disappointed she won’t be able to run around with the other kids. She did, however, ask to go to bed early so that she would be well rested for the party. I feel sorry for my sweet girl. She missed an entire week of school and needs to get back as soon as possible.

 

 

There’s a scene in one of my favorite Christmas movies, Little Women, (before you argue and take sides with Tim, yes, it’s a Christmas movie) where the main character Jo is offered a glass of alcohol. The man handing her the cup asks her if she drinks, and she answers, “Only medicinally,” to which he responds along the lines of “Then pretend you have a cold.”

If you’ve hung around this blog for awhile, you will know that I don’t really drink alcohol all that much. Not because I am against drinking in moderation, but because the main effect it has on me is to put me quickly to sleep. Therefore I usually only drink when I am sick and having problems sleeping, hence my medicinal reference.

Tim keeps a few bottles of wine around, but he drinks only slightly more often than I do. There’s a guy at work that sometimes gives me bottles of champagne when I finish an edit for him, and they usually sit around until I get sick.

As you recall, my spring break was a bust… as in while most people were enjoying quiet time and being productive, I was cleaning up a sick kid who threw up in her medical mask in the middle of the night. (It was as disgusting as it sounds, btw.) And apparently between all the sicknesses that have paraded through our house, and working full-time, and being a mom, and being a wife, and being everything else I have piled on top of myself… somewhere between doctor visits, physical therapy appointments, and laundry… I forgot to pay my water bill.

Not only did I forget to pay my water bill, somehow I missed any and/or all notices threatening to shut off our water. So imagine my delight when I went to rinse off some portobello mushrooms I had been saving for my dinner only to find out I had no water. None. Zilch. Nada.

After a much needed meltdown, I got online, paid the bill, called to have the water turned back on, and found out I have to wait until the morning to talk to someone. I pulled myself together and figured out how to wind down the evening. I made Big E pee off the deck so that he wouldn’t try flushing any toilets (I know, crazy mom… it’s 35 degrees outside and he was not amused.) I got the boys to bed, rather quickly on account of there being no water for teeth brushing, and came downstairs to survey my situation. I have two gallons of water to ration until the morning. Tim’s going to bring another two gallons of water home so hopefully I’ll be able to wash my hair in the morning.

The thing is, nearly everything I do after the kids go to bed involves water… Washing my dishes… doing laundry… taking a bath. I called a friend and she gave me some lovely advice. Just sit. Forget about the things I should be doing because I can’t be doing them. Just sit.

So folks, that’s what I’m doing. I’m pretending I have a cold. I’ve opened my $60 bottle of champagne and I am sitting in the dark, tapping away at this keyboard. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal. In fact, it might just be a blessing in disguise. No striving tonight. No trying to beat a clock. No rushing. Just silence.

Blessed silence.

Chances are if you see me in the morning, my hair will look a mess and my children unkempt, but I’ll be more rested than I have been in months! Goodnight sweet friends…

 

Baby E has been amusing himself lately by putting on his older brother’s shirts. Some of them hang like dresses on him, but he doesn’t seem to mind and prefers to spend the day in them. This morning I put him in a shirt that Big E recently grew out of but was always one of his favorites. It has a large monster truck on it. Since Baby E loves trucks of all kinds I thought he might enjoy wearing it. I slipped it over his head and pointed to his shirt. “Do you see that?!? It’s a monster truck on your shirt!”

“Monster?” Baby E said in horror. “Eat me????” He stared at the shirt with a definite look of distrust, but I was able to convince him after a moment that there was no monster lurking on his shirt and that he was going to be just fine. Poor kid!

C woke up this morning with her fever gone, so I am glad to see that she is definitely on the mend. We had yet another lazy day. Tomorrow we hit the ground running with our lives again. I’m sorry about my spring break, but I did enjoy having my kids around for the last few days. I am going to miss being home. At least it’s a short week! Bring on the weekend!