It’s the all-illness blog!
Noah had a fever around 102 last night so I gave him some Motrin. Looked like a cold.
I woke up at 3 am. We’ve been co-sleeping since that big illness (I think he associated his bed with fevers, but it might just be a phase) and I was glad because it was his heat that woke me up. I took his temperature by the top ear - 105.5. So I tried to get him up to give him some Motrin and he was really out of it (not that this could not be sleep related) and held him for a bit. His temperature went down to about 104.5. Then it started going up again, and Noah was still out of it after holding him in my lap for about 20 minutes.
So Carl and I opted not to wait for the clinic and to bypass the local emergency clinic and just go down to Sick Kids. There is no question in Toronto that that’s where you want to end up with anything serious or even any serious injury, just because they have everything, kid sized - butterfly needles, splints, etc. And everyone there wants to work with kids.
Still, walking in there was hard. At least the emergency entrance isn’t one we went through with Emily, but it’s the decor and the sounds and the smells and the staff training. The murals and posters and things.
By then the cool air had sort of revived Noah, although he was still pretty out of it and had slept on the way down. The Motrin hadn’t kicked in at all and after taking vitals the triage nurse added in a dose of Tylenol. About 20 min later his fever went down and then we looked and felt like idiots as he pranced, chatted, and played all over the emergency ward. (Stomach flu next, I image.) Not that we didn’t hold him and all but we were there for 4 hours.
Anyways, he may or may not have an ear infection and he definitey has a cold. But this being Sick Kids we got two good exams (a fairly new resident, and her supervisor), clear instructions, and no attitude for showing up at 4:30 am for what turned out to be a cold. So far.
I am worried about this latest round of illness though - not only has it been nasty, it’s been sort of constant. Noah’s had two good days in between illnesses, but I worry that he’s run down. I asked about bloodwork and they said no, but I may see if our family doctor would run some.
I’d already spent yesterday cleaning everything - doorknobs, baseboards, handles, blah blah blah - so not sure what more I can do other than more chicken soup full of chard or something.
Tired. Not sure what we’ll do for childcare next week either as Carl and I are rapidly becoming “the people with the kid who’s always sick,” although people who have had kids in daycare keep reassuring us that’s what the first year is like.
There was a newborn in emerg too and I felt such a weird mix watching her parents with her. It affected Carl too. But when we all walked out together Carl said “THIS is how you want to leave this place.” And it was so true. Hope everyone else in emerg last night gets the same.
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3 Responses to “It’s the all-illness blog!”
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Argh. How awful, and scary. Glad it ended well.
The year the kids were in pre-K, we were sick continually. I fretted about everything: hygiene, cleanliness, diet, the works. I’m not sure I ever found anything that mattered, and now this past year, the kids have barely been sick at all (although I shouldn’t say that, because we’re not in the clear yet). I think you do the best you can, and pray these midnight fever dreams stop SOON.
That is TOTALLY how the first year in daycare is. We had ear infections out the wazoo, plus various colds and such. The second year is so much better you’re not even going to believe you’ve got the same child. Promise. :-)
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