Sickness -- PLEASE BE GONE!
When I say everyone is sick, I know it may sound like I'm being overly dramatic and a real extreme exaggeration - but I'm serious. It seems like everyone we know has someone in their immediate family who has caught some form of the sick bug this year.
Let's just say 2017 has not been great to us when it comes to our health, especially the kiddos. This sickness has lingered for months, and quite frankly this Mama has had quite enough. We've had more visits to our pediatrician than ever before and I'm convinced they're tired of seeing us and hearing my voice. I mean honestly, this week alone we physically visited twice and I've called them at least 3 additional times with concerns. We've had several diagnosis's and antibiotics prescribed but the symptoms seem to hang around, very unwelcome.
I would normally classify our family as relatively healthy, we've certainly never experienced anything like this. It sounds like this outbreak of ailments is wide spread, but that still doesn't make it any easier to handle. This past week was certainly our worst and I'm hoping this week brings healing.
A couple weeks ago on the same exact day, both kiddos developed a fever and cough. Harper asked to take a nap, so I immediately knew something was up. She hasn't napped in almost a year, and the days where I think she could actually benefit from a little snooze I typically get a scowl in return. Within a couple days she seemed to be back to normal, but Emmett's fever and cough stuck around but I didn't think too much of it.
Last Monday we received another strep notice from school. This little medical alert has been so common this year, I swear it goes out at least one a week. Just a few weeks ago Emmett, Mitch and myself were on antibiotics for it. By Wednesday afternoon Harper was back on the fever train and requesting naps, but Emmett seemed to be on the mend. That night Harper had a 104 temp, which sent me into a frantic Mom tizzy. I immediately called the after-hours line at our pediatrician's office to see if I should be freaking out or if I just needed to take a couple deep breaths and up the Tylenol doses. After talking to the nurse while I poked Harper asking her questions, I felt much better and decided to bring both kids into the doctor's office in the morning for strep tests.
Thursday morning Harper woke up fever-less and in a great mood, E seemed a little better too although the cough was still there. We went to the doctor anyway, despite their happy attitudes. I decided I was better to be safe than sorry. My hope was to get them both tested and on antibiotics and we'd be on our merry ole' way and Harper could go back to school on Friday. (I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy.) They had routine wellness checks and Harper passed easily and her strep test came back negative (yay!), but the doctor seemed a little concerned about Emmett's coughing and his breathing. She decided to have us try a nebulizer in the office and see if that helped - which it did. She also prescribed him some medication that was supposed to help get things moving for him. After an hour and a half in the doctors office, including a sibling fight - we were on our way. Our usual pharmacy was out of stock of his prescription, so we hopped in the car and drove to a neighboring city to a location that had it in stock. We finally made it home where I tried to force feed my medicine-hating 2-year old with his "yummy new orange juice." He wasn't buying it and I can't blame him.
When we woke up Friday Harper was still in great spirits, but Emmett was on the decline. His fever was higher than before and his coughing more intense. Not to mention he had a mild reaction to the medication which made his cheeks super flushed. Mitch dropped the kids off at my parents in the morning, like usual and we continued on with our regularly scheduled work days. At 8:45am I received a call from the pediatrician telling me they re-tested Harper's strep test at 24 hours and it came back positive this time. The lady must have thought I was a crazy person because I just blurted out, "NO! They told me yesterday it was negative. She's negative, she doesn't have strep." She explained the testing process (clearly I had no idea) and told me to bring E back in. I quickly called my Mom who was walking into school and told her the news. She had me break the news to Harper that she was not going to be enjoying "leprechaun day" at school.
That afternoon I brought a very tired, cranky, warm Emmett back to the doctor to learn he had a double ear infection (apparently ears can change that fast! the day before they were fine!), strep and pneumonia. My heart sunk. Basically my poor sweet boy was miserable and there wasn't much I could do to help him besides force 3 different medications into his mouth. We came home and braced ourselves for a long, low-key weekend.
Saturday started off okay, Harper was still doing great (but was now on an antibiotic for strep) and E was a straight up booger factory. He had no appetite, but from what the doctor told me Friday our biggest concern was making sure he was getting enough fluids. I normally wouldn't allow popsicles for breakfast - but at this point, I didn't care. Most of the morning was low key, and Harper and I ran a few errands in the afternoon while Emmett napped. Just when I thought we were turning the corner, we came home to find E with a 104 fever. Yet again, I called my new BFF's at the pediatrician's office in a semi-frantic, overwhelmed tizzy. They explained the antibiotic could still be kicking in, but as long as it was breathing okay and was comfortable not to worry too much. They suggested calling back if his fever got over 104 (or didn't go down with Tylenol), but to do out best to keep him comfy. I spent the rest of the night in a mild frantic state, just trying to think of ANYTHING we could do to get these kiddos healthy again!
Now, here we are to today. Emmett was back to torturing Harper and being a stinker - so I took that as a good sign. His fever was still there, but mild. We decided to keep him home from church, but Harper and Mitch went on without us. Once they got home, Harper and I headed to the movie theater to see Beauty and the Beast with Jennie and Amanda - a nice little girls afternoon. The theater was packed but we cozied up in our seats with our popcorn ready for the movie. Towards the end of the previews (which seemed super long) I noticed Harper's demeanor change. She laid her head on my arm, told me her belly hurt and that she was cold. I gave her my coat to use a blanket and hoped that would help. It didn't. Within 30 minutes she looked awful and she complained of her belly. We made it to the bathroom where we were a little successful, but she asked if we could go home. Sigh.
I felt awful that she felt so crummy, then she said in a teary voice on the way to the car, "I'm sorry you had to miss the movie, Mom." Those sad, sweet words brought on the waterworks for me and I made it very clear there was nothing she needed to be sorry for. Our only goal was for her to feel better and get some rest. Within minutes of being home she got sick all over the bathroom floor (this is where I internally said, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? PLEASE JUST LET THEM BE BACK TO NORMAL AND HEALTHY ALREADY!" She napped for a bit, woke up and needed to use the bathroom again. After all of that she said she felt much better - I would hope!
So, I sit here tonight slightly overwhelmed and praying for healthier days for everyone, not just Harper and Emmett. If E's fever is still lingering tomorrow, I've been instructed to call the doctor again which she mentioned would likely result in another doctor's visit.
Fevers, be gone. Boogies, be gone. Sickness, PLEASE be gone. I want my healthy kids back.
Until next time...
The Helleen's
Let's just say 2017 has not been great to us when it comes to our health, especially the kiddos. This sickness has lingered for months, and quite frankly this Mama has had quite enough. We've had more visits to our pediatrician than ever before and I'm convinced they're tired of seeing us and hearing my voice. I mean honestly, this week alone we physically visited twice and I've called them at least 3 additional times with concerns. We've had several diagnosis's and antibiotics prescribed but the symptoms seem to hang around, very unwelcome.
I would normally classify our family as relatively healthy, we've certainly never experienced anything like this. It sounds like this outbreak of ailments is wide spread, but that still doesn't make it any easier to handle. This past week was certainly our worst and I'm hoping this week brings healing.
A couple weeks ago on the same exact day, both kiddos developed a fever and cough. Harper asked to take a nap, so I immediately knew something was up. She hasn't napped in almost a year, and the days where I think she could actually benefit from a little snooze I typically get a scowl in return. Within a couple days she seemed to be back to normal, but Emmett's fever and cough stuck around but I didn't think too much of it.
Last Monday we received another strep notice from school. This little medical alert has been so common this year, I swear it goes out at least one a week. Just a few weeks ago Emmett, Mitch and myself were on antibiotics for it. By Wednesday afternoon Harper was back on the fever train and requesting naps, but Emmett seemed to be on the mend. That night Harper had a 104 temp, which sent me into a frantic Mom tizzy. I immediately called the after-hours line at our pediatrician's office to see if I should be freaking out or if I just needed to take a couple deep breaths and up the Tylenol doses. After talking to the nurse while I poked Harper asking her questions, I felt much better and decided to bring both kids into the doctor's office in the morning for strep tests.
Thursday morning Harper woke up fever-less and in a great mood, E seemed a little better too although the cough was still there. We went to the doctor anyway, despite their happy attitudes. I decided I was better to be safe than sorry. My hope was to get them both tested and on antibiotics and we'd be on our merry ole' way and Harper could go back to school on Friday. (I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy.) They had routine wellness checks and Harper passed easily and her strep test came back negative (yay!), but the doctor seemed a little concerned about Emmett's coughing and his breathing. She decided to have us try a nebulizer in the office and see if that helped - which it did. She also prescribed him some medication that was supposed to help get things moving for him. After an hour and a half in the doctors office, including a sibling fight - we were on our way. Our usual pharmacy was out of stock of his prescription, so we hopped in the car and drove to a neighboring city to a location that had it in stock. We finally made it home where I tried to force feed my medicine-hating 2-year old with his "yummy new orange juice." He wasn't buying it and I can't blame him.
When we woke up Friday Harper was still in great spirits, but Emmett was on the decline. His fever was higher than before and his coughing more intense. Not to mention he had a mild reaction to the medication which made his cheeks super flushed. Mitch dropped the kids off at my parents in the morning, like usual and we continued on with our regularly scheduled work days. At 8:45am I received a call from the pediatrician telling me they re-tested Harper's strep test at 24 hours and it came back positive this time. The lady must have thought I was a crazy person because I just blurted out, "NO! They told me yesterday it was negative. She's negative, she doesn't have strep." She explained the testing process (clearly I had no idea) and told me to bring E back in. I quickly called my Mom who was walking into school and told her the news. She had me break the news to Harper that she was not going to be enjoying "leprechaun day" at school.
That afternoon I brought a very tired, cranky, warm Emmett back to the doctor to learn he had a double ear infection (apparently ears can change that fast! the day before they were fine!), strep and pneumonia. My heart sunk. Basically my poor sweet boy was miserable and there wasn't much I could do to help him besides force 3 different medications into his mouth. We came home and braced ourselves for a long, low-key weekend.
Saturday started off okay, Harper was still doing great (but was now on an antibiotic for strep) and E was a straight up booger factory. He had no appetite, but from what the doctor told me Friday our biggest concern was making sure he was getting enough fluids. I normally wouldn't allow popsicles for breakfast - but at this point, I didn't care. Most of the morning was low key, and Harper and I ran a few errands in the afternoon while Emmett napped. Just when I thought we were turning the corner, we came home to find E with a 104 fever. Yet again, I called my new BFF's at the pediatrician's office in a semi-frantic, overwhelmed tizzy. They explained the antibiotic could still be kicking in, but as long as it was breathing okay and was comfortable not to worry too much. They suggested calling back if his fever got over 104 (or didn't go down with Tylenol), but to do out best to keep him comfy. I spent the rest of the night in a mild frantic state, just trying to think of ANYTHING we could do to get these kiddos healthy again!
Now, here we are to today. Emmett was back to torturing Harper and being a stinker - so I took that as a good sign. His fever was still there, but mild. We decided to keep him home from church, but Harper and Mitch went on without us. Once they got home, Harper and I headed to the movie theater to see Beauty and the Beast with Jennie and Amanda - a nice little girls afternoon. The theater was packed but we cozied up in our seats with our popcorn ready for the movie. Towards the end of the previews (which seemed super long) I noticed Harper's demeanor change. She laid her head on my arm, told me her belly hurt and that she was cold. I gave her my coat to use a blanket and hoped that would help. It didn't. Within 30 minutes she looked awful and she complained of her belly. We made it to the bathroom where we were a little successful, but she asked if we could go home. Sigh.
I felt awful that she felt so crummy, then she said in a teary voice on the way to the car, "I'm sorry you had to miss the movie, Mom." Those sad, sweet words brought on the waterworks for me and I made it very clear there was nothing she needed to be sorry for. Our only goal was for her to feel better and get some rest. Within minutes of being home she got sick all over the bathroom floor (this is where I internally said, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? PLEASE JUST LET THEM BE BACK TO NORMAL AND HEALTHY ALREADY!" She napped for a bit, woke up and needed to use the bathroom again. After all of that she said she felt much better - I would hope!
So, I sit here tonight slightly overwhelmed and praying for healthier days for everyone, not just Harper and Emmett. If E's fever is still lingering tomorrow, I've been instructed to call the doctor again which she mentioned would likely result in another doctor's visit.
Fevers, be gone. Boogies, be gone. Sickness, PLEASE be gone. I want my healthy kids back.
Until next time...
The Helleen's
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