So, this story may be getting old, but my dear Evan is sick again. This time I got a call yesterday afternoon from the daycare informing me that he has a fever of 103. I run down to get him, call the pediatrician and head into their office. Both doctors look him over and, aside from the fever of 103.3, can't find a thing wrong with him. He's obviously suffering side effects from the fever and is in and out of delirium. As the second doctor came into the room I overheard her asking the first doctor, "... in room 2 is the one you're worried about?" We were in room 2. When she walked in, Evan was laying limp across my lap with his eyes rolling around in his head. It looked like he was trying not to fall asleep (or pass out). He was burning up and totally listless. He was also making this odd sound when he inhaled - like the noise your throat makes when you have a gas bubble stuck or something - and his belly was very distended. He almost looked pregnant. Needless to say, I was terrified. She spent a good deal of time listening to his chest and back and couldn't find any congestion in his lungs. She told me that his heart rate was increased, but that was a side effect from the fever. His eyes, nose, ears and throat were all clear. Basically, aside from the fever (and it's side effects) and a dry cough, he was perfectly healthy. I'm told to treat the fever aggressively and prescribed a cough medicine/decongestant. I explain how worried I am that he keeps getting sick, week after week it's something new. They decide to send him for some blood work.
I'm relieved that he doesn't have some horrible illness and that all the things I was worried about were brought on by the fever, but I'm frustrated that we don't know what's causing the fever or why his immune system seems to be so compromised.
This morning I took him to the lab to have his blood drawn. I tried to rope my mother into going with me so I wasn't alone, but she wasn't going to suffer with me. I did my very best at pretending not to be nervous so he wouldn't pick up on it. Since he's so out of it, it wasn't hard to pull one over on him. I have to say, Quest was wonderful today. I walked in, waited about 2 minutes to be able to sign in, waited another 2 minutes to hear Evan's name called and was immediately called back into a room. I spent more time waiting to sign in than I did having his blood drawn. Evan didn't fight and didn't shed one single tear. They drew 3 vials of blood I think. They're running a CBC, checking his lead count and running one other round of tests that I can't remember. They told me that our doctor should have the reports by Thursday.
Here it is, the end of the day on Tuesday. Another day or two to wait for results that may tell us nothing and no more clear on what's wrong with our little boy. The decongestant has caused a runny nose, but it's clear, so still no sign of infection. His cough is still present, but not as bad. However, it appears to hurt him when he does cough now. Aside from that, and the here and there spiking fever (Motrin and Tylonol seem to be keeping it mostly at bay) he's not acting as sick as yesterday. He is far from himself and very fussy and clingy, but he seems to be past the delirium at this point.
Fingers crossed that we figure this one out, that it's no big deal and that it's the last illness we have to face in this house for a long, long time!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
To Sleep or Not To Sleep
So, my dear Nicholas seems to have absolutely no respect for sleep. He never seems to want any of his own - I used to swear he was solar powered as a baby, he never napped for more than 20 minutes - and he really wants to make sure that nobody else gets any.
Every night for the last week or so, he's been getting up about 10-15 minutes before Shawn's alarm goes off and about half an hour before I need to be up. He comes into our room and announces that he has to pee, is thirsty, is hungry, needs to cough, heard the dog having a nightmare, etc. We have tried telling him that he is not allowed to come out of his room until 7:00 or later, he waits for a 7 to appear anywhere on his digital clock (ex. 6:47) and then proceeds to wake us all up. We have explained over and over that he can simply pee, drink or cough as need be and he need not announce his need to. We have told him that, while Murphy may have had a nightmare, he is perfectly capable of going back to sleep without Nick's help. We've even gone as far as to threaten to put a baby gate across his doorway to keep him from waking us up during those last precious moments of sleep. He seems to be willing to go quietly back into his room after he's peed, drank, coughed, etc, but the problem is that, at this point, he's already woken Murphy up. Weather Murphy's had a nightmare or not, once woken up in the morning he does the pee-pee STOMP back and forth across our room. I have no idea how a 40-pound dog paces so loudly, but it could wake the dead - it's that loud. Anywho, no matter, the damage is already done. What's the point of Shawn falling back asleep when he has to be up in 10 minutes anyway. For me, I admit, I'm much like Murphy. Once I'm awake, I have to pee, and I have to do it right away. I'm capable of peeing without stomping though. However, once I'm up and out of bed, I'm awake enough to realize that I only have X amount of minutes before I have to get up. I cannot fall asleep normally, let alone under that kind of pressure. I usually just lay in bed pouting about my lost sleep. Our newest attempt is to not give Nick anything to drink before bed, keep the alarm clock in his room, have him let Murphy out in the morning and keep the threat of being gated into his room looming over his head. Hopefully this will keep him from waking us up. I fear this will only cause him to come into our room and stand silently next to my face waiting for me to feel his presence and wake up (startled) on my own.
He's also not respecting nap time at school anymore. Nicholas causes so much disruption at nap time that the teachers have tried "reward" charts for good behavior at nap time; moving him away from his closest friend; moving him away from all his friend and even moving him out of the room all together. Putting Nicholas in the toddler room for nap proved to do nothing but give him the opportunity to wake up his brother. I've considered that possibility that he's simply outgrown the need for a nap, but I don't think this is the case. He still naps at home on the weekends and, if he goes without, he's cranky all night. The teachers have also found that putting him on his mat under the science table away from his friends allows him to fall asleep almost immediately.
I have no idea how to teach him how important sleep is - if not for himself, then for those around him. I've taught him to eat veggies with little complaint, to use his manner and to share with his brother. He really is an amazingly well behaved (albeit very hyper) 4 1/2-year-old, he just can't grasp this one thing. I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's no big deal. Being somewhat of an insomniac, I just hate giving up those precious final 30 minutes of time I actually could be sleeping each day.
At least the baby seems to be sleeping better these day... now if only he could teach his big brother!
Every night for the last week or so, he's been getting up about 10-15 minutes before Shawn's alarm goes off and about half an hour before I need to be up. He comes into our room and announces that he has to pee, is thirsty, is hungry, needs to cough, heard the dog having a nightmare, etc. We have tried telling him that he is not allowed to come out of his room until 7:00 or later, he waits for a 7 to appear anywhere on his digital clock (ex. 6:47) and then proceeds to wake us all up. We have explained over and over that he can simply pee, drink or cough as need be and he need not announce his need to. We have told him that, while Murphy may have had a nightmare, he is perfectly capable of going back to sleep without Nick's help. We've even gone as far as to threaten to put a baby gate across his doorway to keep him from waking us up during those last precious moments of sleep. He seems to be willing to go quietly back into his room after he's peed, drank, coughed, etc, but the problem is that, at this point, he's already woken Murphy up. Weather Murphy's had a nightmare or not, once woken up in the morning he does the pee-pee STOMP back and forth across our room. I have no idea how a 40-pound dog paces so loudly, but it could wake the dead - it's that loud. Anywho, no matter, the damage is already done. What's the point of Shawn falling back asleep when he has to be up in 10 minutes anyway. For me, I admit, I'm much like Murphy. Once I'm awake, I have to pee, and I have to do it right away. I'm capable of peeing without stomping though. However, once I'm up and out of bed, I'm awake enough to realize that I only have X amount of minutes before I have to get up. I cannot fall asleep normally, let alone under that kind of pressure. I usually just lay in bed pouting about my lost sleep. Our newest attempt is to not give Nick anything to drink before bed, keep the alarm clock in his room, have him let Murphy out in the morning and keep the threat of being gated into his room looming over his head. Hopefully this will keep him from waking us up. I fear this will only cause him to come into our room and stand silently next to my face waiting for me to feel his presence and wake up (startled) on my own.
He's also not respecting nap time at school anymore. Nicholas causes so much disruption at nap time that the teachers have tried "reward" charts for good behavior at nap time; moving him away from his closest friend; moving him away from all his friend and even moving him out of the room all together. Putting Nicholas in the toddler room for nap proved to do nothing but give him the opportunity to wake up his brother. I've considered that possibility that he's simply outgrown the need for a nap, but I don't think this is the case. He still naps at home on the weekends and, if he goes without, he's cranky all night. The teachers have also found that putting him on his mat under the science table away from his friends allows him to fall asleep almost immediately.
I have no idea how to teach him how important sleep is - if not for himself, then for those around him. I've taught him to eat veggies with little complaint, to use his manner and to share with his brother. He really is an amazingly well behaved (albeit very hyper) 4 1/2-year-old, he just can't grasp this one thing. I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's no big deal. Being somewhat of an insomniac, I just hate giving up those precious final 30 minutes of time I actually could be sleeping each day.
At least the baby seems to be sleeping better these day... now if only he could teach his big brother!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Cleaning up 30,000 pounds... of mashed bananas
The boys in my house were sick again this past week. We've literally had to deal with one sickness or another every week for the last 5 weeks. First, Evan and Nick were both sick with the virus written about in recent posts. Then, when Evan hit 18-months, I took him in for his well-baby check up and shots. The doctor informed me that he had a sinus infection and wouldn't give him his shots. She sent us on our way with a script for the pink stuff and told us to come back in 2 weeks for his shots. The day after he finished his antibiotics, he started with the green snot drip again, so I called the doctor, told her and got a new prescription for stronger antibiotics for him. Within a couple days of him finishing this round of medication, he developed a rash from head to toe. Back to the doctor we go. This time she says that he has a rash (thanks, I knew that, that's why I brought him in) and it's possibly viral. She still will not give him his shots. Tells me to come back in 2 weeks, after this possible virus has run it's course.
Last Sunday Shawn bought a bunch of bananas at the grocery store. Nothing new there, my kids love bananas.
Nick ate one that day. That night, while we're eating dinner, Nick throws up directly onto his dinner plate. Luckily the deeper wells of his Thomas the Tank plate caught the majority of it. It did, however, still put a damper on the rest of our appetites. We gave Nick a bath and cleaned up the table. Before long he was asking to go back downstairs to finish his dinner (I'm thinking he didn't realize where his vomit landed). He seemed fine the rest of the night. We put him to bed with a bucket and that was that. No more vomit, no more sick. Off to school he went the following morning.
Over the next couple of days Evan eats the rest of the bunch of bananas except for the last one.
At some point during the night - Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Shawn is woken up by Evan whimpering. Shawn goes in to check on him to find out that he's thrown up all over his crib. Shawn, being the WONDERFUL father/husband that he is, cleans up the baby, throws a towel over the crib mattress and puts Evan back to sleep. I know nothing of any of this until morning. I told you, Shawn really is wonderful. Evan proceeds to throw up and blow out diapers for the next several days. A call to the doctor informs me that he's probably caught another virus (gee, ya think?!) and to watch for signs of dehydration. By Friday we're getting concerned because he cannot even keep the pedialyte down. This is no good. Shawn's scheduled to work on Saturday and I'm going to be home with a bored-out-of-his-mind Nicholas and a puking-all-over-the-place Evan. My parents are in the mountains and I'm, again, on my own with all this vomiting.
This is where it gets entertaining - to me anyway...
Friday night Shawn comes home from work telling me that he thinks it's the bananas. There was 1 left and he ate it at lunch. "Now, if I get sick too, we know it's the bananas for sure." Yes, I know there are faults in his logic, like the fact that he lives in this germ ridden house right along with us, but I don't think it's worth arguing that fact. I'm too busy trying to plan out how I'm going to entertain Nick while cleaning up after Evan.
At approximately 12:32 a.m. on Saturday, Shawn bolts out of bed and runs to the bathroom. He spends the next couple hours trying to figure out which end should be pointed at the toilet. The rest of the night is spent laid out on the couch praying for sleep. By 7:30 a.m. Shawn has decided to call work and tell them he's going to be in late, he needs some more sleep. By 11:00 a.m. he has acknowledged that he simply cannot safely work, he can't even leave the house. Now, I've been with Shawn for 10 years. In those 10 years, he's only called out of work 3 times - this being the 3rd. I know he's feeling pretty badly to call out of work. He spends the rest of the day whimpering on the couch and sleeping upstairs.
At some point during the morning hours I called Evan's doctor again because I'm worried about dehydration. In the past 24 hours he's only peed 3 times and he's not making real tears. When I relay this information to the doctor, she tells me to take him directly to the emergency room for IV fluids. There is no way Nick can stay home with Shawn and I'm NOT taking both kids to the ER alone. It was bad enough with just Evan last time, I don't want to deal with both of them this time. I ask if there's anything else I can try given the situation. She calls in a prescription for a anti-nausea suppository.
I now believe the way to cure most ailments in most men is to threaten to shove some foreign object up their ass. Without utilizing a single bullet, Evan seems to be on the mend. I'm glad because the side-effects of the medicine seem dangerous (possible shallow breathing which could be fatal in children under 2-years-old).
By Sunday morning all my men seem to be feeling much better. Evan wound up having a bit of a set-back Sunday night. I'm thinking it was from the pizza he ate for lunch. He stayed home from school again Monday, but re-joined his friends yesterday.
The school was very concerned about him while he was sick and they were glad he was able to go back. My boss was just as happy since I was able to re-join the work force. His doctor is relieved he didn't have to go to the hospital. Oddly enough, the only one still complaining is my insurance company who keeps calling to yell at me for skipping his 18-month exam and shots!
Somehow, even though I was caring for and cleaning up after everyone in the house all week, I managed to not get sick this time. Interestingly enough, I was the only one who didn't eat any of the bananas.
Damn bananas!
Last Sunday Shawn bought a bunch of bananas at the grocery store. Nothing new there, my kids love bananas.
Nick ate one that day. That night, while we're eating dinner, Nick throws up directly onto his dinner plate. Luckily the deeper wells of his Thomas the Tank plate caught the majority of it. It did, however, still put a damper on the rest of our appetites. We gave Nick a bath and cleaned up the table. Before long he was asking to go back downstairs to finish his dinner (I'm thinking he didn't realize where his vomit landed). He seemed fine the rest of the night. We put him to bed with a bucket and that was that. No more vomit, no more sick. Off to school he went the following morning.
Over the next couple of days Evan eats the rest of the bunch of bananas except for the last one.
At some point during the night - Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Shawn is woken up by Evan whimpering. Shawn goes in to check on him to find out that he's thrown up all over his crib. Shawn, being the WONDERFUL father/husband that he is, cleans up the baby, throws a towel over the crib mattress and puts Evan back to sleep. I know nothing of any of this until morning. I told you, Shawn really is wonderful. Evan proceeds to throw up and blow out diapers for the next several days. A call to the doctor informs me that he's probably caught another virus (gee, ya think?!) and to watch for signs of dehydration. By Friday we're getting concerned because he cannot even keep the pedialyte down. This is no good. Shawn's scheduled to work on Saturday and I'm going to be home with a bored-out-of-his-mind Nicholas and a puking-all-over-the-place Evan. My parents are in the mountains and I'm, again, on my own with all this vomiting.
This is where it gets entertaining - to me anyway...
Friday night Shawn comes home from work telling me that he thinks it's the bananas. There was 1 left and he ate it at lunch. "Now, if I get sick too, we know it's the bananas for sure." Yes, I know there are faults in his logic, like the fact that he lives in this germ ridden house right along with us, but I don't think it's worth arguing that fact. I'm too busy trying to plan out how I'm going to entertain Nick while cleaning up after Evan.
At approximately 12:32 a.m. on Saturday, Shawn bolts out of bed and runs to the bathroom. He spends the next couple hours trying to figure out which end should be pointed at the toilet. The rest of the night is spent laid out on the couch praying for sleep. By 7:30 a.m. Shawn has decided to call work and tell them he's going to be in late, he needs some more sleep. By 11:00 a.m. he has acknowledged that he simply cannot safely work, he can't even leave the house. Now, I've been with Shawn for 10 years. In those 10 years, he's only called out of work 3 times - this being the 3rd. I know he's feeling pretty badly to call out of work. He spends the rest of the day whimpering on the couch and sleeping upstairs.
At some point during the morning hours I called Evan's doctor again because I'm worried about dehydration. In the past 24 hours he's only peed 3 times and he's not making real tears. When I relay this information to the doctor, she tells me to take him directly to the emergency room for IV fluids. There is no way Nick can stay home with Shawn and I'm NOT taking both kids to the ER alone. It was bad enough with just Evan last time, I don't want to deal with both of them this time. I ask if there's anything else I can try given the situation. She calls in a prescription for a anti-nausea suppository.
I now believe the way to cure most ailments in most men is to threaten to shove some foreign object up their ass. Without utilizing a single bullet, Evan seems to be on the mend. I'm glad because the side-effects of the medicine seem dangerous (possible shallow breathing which could be fatal in children under 2-years-old).
By Sunday morning all my men seem to be feeling much better. Evan wound up having a bit of a set-back Sunday night. I'm thinking it was from the pizza he ate for lunch. He stayed home from school again Monday, but re-joined his friends yesterday.
The school was very concerned about him while he was sick and they were glad he was able to go back. My boss was just as happy since I was able to re-join the work force. His doctor is relieved he didn't have to go to the hospital. Oddly enough, the only one still complaining is my insurance company who keeps calling to yell at me for skipping his 18-month exam and shots!
Somehow, even though I was caring for and cleaning up after everyone in the house all week, I managed to not get sick this time. Interestingly enough, I was the only one who didn't eat any of the bananas.
Damn bananas!
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