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Category Archives: Sickness

Someone is sad.

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So Owen was eating a snack of apples and peanut butter and I was on the computer when I hear him say he needs a wipe. Okay, fine. That’s normal.

I go out there and he has thrown up his apples and peanut butter all over the place—on himself, his B, the blanket he was sitting on, a stuffed animal toy… He was just sitting there looking totally dejected and says “I’m sad.” 🙁

I hadn’t heard any ruckus, so I asked if he had choked on the apples and he said yes. He didn’t seem totally confident, so I asked if his stomach hurt and he said yes. So who knows what really happened.

He felt warm so I took his temp: 101.7. EEK! Talk about feeling completely clueless…he’s only been sick like twice so I didn’t really even know what to do! He seemed fine overall so I just let him lay on the couch and drink water. I waited a bit and took his temp again because I figured he might have just been hot and sweaty from throwing up (I know it happens to me—and I was using one of those forehead thermometers and it said if you were sweaty it might misread). I took it like 20 minutes later and it was down to 100.

Poor kid.

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Owen, why are you up so early?

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I happened to be up really early this morning—it was one of those times I woke up at 4 and couldn’t fall back asleep. I turned on Owen’s monitor about 6:15 and I saw (what we joke are) his rat eyes so I knew he was up. I waited a bit, hoping he’d fall back asleep. When he didn’t, I went in.

Me: Owen, why are you up so early?
Owen: My nose is stuck.

Hee.

Barfing boy.

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There’s nothing quite like walking in the door after eating dinner out…only to have your kid barf all over the living room floor. Not 30 seconds earlier outside…but at least not two minutes earlier in the car. 🙁

I really wish I knew why Owen throws up when he does. He didn’t eat a ton. He’s not sick. He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t coughing or choking on anything…??

We ran one errand and then came home. Six steps inside the door he stopped and I knelt down to listen to him and he barfed all over me. I had him stay there to get some wipes and Tom came over…and Owen barfed again. Thinking that had to be it, I started undressing him when he barfed again, more than the other two times combined.

What. The. Hell?

He gives no warning. He doesn’t complain. He just barfs and is done.

Are other kids like this?

Volcano, Take 1

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Well, we were going to have a “volcano” (fire) tonight with s’mores (Owen keeps asking about marshmallows)…until Owen was eating a marshmallow and didn’t quite chew it fully before swallowing…so he half choked and ended up barfing all over Tom. So that was the end of the volcano (good thing Tom hadn’t started the fire yet) for the night.

Four more months? Ugh.

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Would someone just shoot me? Oh my god. I thought I just ate too much last night, so I took Tums and they didn’t really help—and I had a hard time falling asleep. Uh oh.

And this morning I still felt crappy and laid in bed pretty much all day feeling crappy, not really ever sleeping (so as to feel refreshed) but just snoozing off and on. My body started aching so I thought maybe I was getting sick…but it didn’t really feel like that. I showered and that didn’t even help. :'(

I hadn’t eaten much all day (toast with peanut butter at breakfast) so I had chicken broth and a handful of dry cereal and felt a little better, but my stomach still gurgles like I’m hungry…but I’m not.

I’m just really uncomfortable and it’s annoying. And of course I have zero energy.

Four more months?

/cry

Whimpering, night #3.

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Last night was better—he woke up crying (more like loud whimpering) at 8:45 and since he didn’t sound too bad, we let him cry, hoping he’d go back to sleep. Which he did after about three minutes.

As we were going to bed about 9:45, he did it again. This time it was a loooooong seven minutes before he soothed himself and went back to sleep.

This morning Tom asked if I heard him crying at 2am (I didn’t—I was apparently dead to the world) and Tom said it only lasted a few minutes before he was back asleep.

So it looks like maybe we’re on the upswing?

(Oh, friends suggested it was his second set of molars…which it might very well be, though it’s nearly impossible to check since he won’t open his mouth on command and if you stick a finger in you get chomped.)

Not a fun day or night.

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11:49am

Owen just woke up mid-nap crying like crazy. I went up to get him and he proceeded to vomit all over. I don’t think he’s sick, so maybe the violent crying provoked it? Or maybe he didn’t feel good and that was why he was crying. The fun thing with toddlers is you’ll never know. 🙁

7:00pm

We put him down for the night and it was like any other night behavior-wise, so we hoped for the best. We hoped he was extra tired since he hadn’t really napped at all. He finally fell asleep around 7:30.

8:26pm

He woke up crying again…but no vomit. /phew

He was inconsolable for a good 10-15 minutes—not wanting to be held by either of us, not wanting to rock, not wanting any of his toys, etc. He did let us take his temp (which was a little high (100-101) but nothing to worry about. He finally took a few teething tablets (which he LOVES and usually cures anything!), but he was still upset and definitely not ready to go back to bed. So we all watched an episode of Sesame Street in our bed, gave him some Tylenol (against his will).

9:46pm

When Sesame Street was almost over, we asked if he wanted to go to bed and he grabbed his blankie and got off the bed! He laid there quietly for awhile and finally fell asleep about 11. I had stayed up to watch, having been assigned kid duty from 10-3 (Tom had 3-8).

11:32pm

He was up crying madly at 11:30—inconsolable for a good 15 minutes. I finally got him quieted down in the rocker after about a half hour, put him back in the crib…and he immediately started up again, completely inconsolable (again). So after more rocking and attempts at consoling…we ended up downstairs on the recliner at 12:30 where we both slept on and off.

4:00am

I desperately had to pee, so decided it was time to try going upstairs. I carried him to his crib and kept my fingers crossed. Tom tolled over and I gave him the quick update (he hadn’t even known I was gone). Of course I was wide awake and didn’t fall asleep until probably 4:30-5:00.

5:47am

I heard Tom get up, rolled over, and went back to sleep until 8. Turns out Owen slept until about 7 and was quiet until about 7:30 when Tom got him up. So, apparently Tom got the easy hours, though he says he didn’t sleep much anyway.

I hope it was a one-night thing, because that was not fun. This is about the same thing that happened back in May when we were staying at a hotel in Frankenmuth and he woke up crying in a daze (but no vomit)—and later, at my mom’s house, when he got sick at bedtime then refused to sleep in his pack-and-play and I had to sit with him in a rocking chair all night.

Isn’t parenting fun? 😮

First hives!

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Owen just woke up from his nap with major hives on his legs. :??:

There has been NOTHING unusual ingested (no new foods) or applied topically (same lotion as always) this morning…so it’s freaking me the hell out. Google says as long as his face isn’t swelling (cutting off the airway) to just treat with Benadryl to lessen itching (though he doesn’t seem to be itchy or uncomfortable in any way) and if they last longer than a week, then contact the pediatrician.

And of course, with all the kid meds I have in the house, I don’t have Benadryl…though I do have Benadryl spray that we had for Maggie. 🙂

Stay tuned.

Two hours later…

Well, honestly, we could have handled that batter. Geez, you’d think two college-educated adults could figure out dosage information—WITH THE USE OF THE INTERNET—in under 10 minutes. 😐 (The box says not to give it to kids under 2 and to ask the doc for dosage for ages 2-5…but the internet [and our doc] doses by weight…so I was going by that. Then we couldn’t find a quick and easy conversion from mg to ml so I found a weight dosage chart, but then Tom misunderstood and was going to give him a very small dose…we FINALLY got it figured out after much arguing and researching.)

That said, I completely forgot we had a ziploc of meds somewhere. I found the boxes (kept for dosing info) so thought that was all we had so didn’t even look. So I went to Rite Aid, got the Benedryl, came home, and then tried to find our droppers because he can’t take it from a cup. Yeah, they were in the ziploc with the other meds. Where the Benedryl (well, Waldryl) was. So we had it the whole time and I didn’t need to run to the store and Tom didn’t need to come home. (Well, he didn’t NEED to come home, though it made it easier for me to run to the store…and he wanted to come home to see the hives.)

And to top it all off, by the time we figured out the dosing and gave it to him, the hives were pretty much going away so we could have likely skipped the meds entirely. 😐

I have a headache.

Pediatrician Revisit

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Since the nightly Zyrtec hadn’t helped any, we scheduled a revisit with the pediatrician. We were there on time and put it a room at our appointment time, but the doc didn’t come in until almost 30 minutes later. BOOOOOO HISSSSSS. And on top of that, it was a substitute doc, which the nurse only told me about AS we were walking into the room. Not that it necessarily would have altered our decision to visit, but I think something like that should be known as ahead of time as possible in case there were issues. I was pretty irritated by that time, too, since it’s a small office and I knew no one else was there—so why the long wait? I know I can’t possibly know all the details, so it may have been justified, but I was still irritated. Also, it was Owen’s nap time but that had been the only appointment available that day. Had the doc came in on time—or even close to on-time—we would have been out of there before the crankiness attacked (keep reading).

So the doc comes in and he’s an older Indian guy and pretty nice. Unfortunately, Owen didn’t really like him—and it was nap time—and he pretty much cried and fussed loudly the whole time the doc was looking in his ears, listening to his chest, and looking at his throat. I don’t think Owen would have been that fussy normally, so I think he knew it was someone new (unfamiliar) and didn’t like it. Luckily the doc didn’t have to do anything too invasive so it was over pretty quick. Unfortunately, Owen didn’t calm down as quickly as he normally does (like after shots).

His determination? Basically, the gunk—a minor ear infection and congestion. One wasn’t the cause of the other, but they could affect one another. Or something like that. Whatever the case, I got two prescriptions—one antibiotic and a cough syrup. And I was to continue with the Zyrtec at bedtime.

Of course, Owen was sleeping in about two minutes, so I decided to swing by Walgreens to drop of the scripts, planning to pick them up when Tom got home. But the lady said it would only be 20 minutes, so I said I’d wait, figuring that I’d still be able to get Owen in the house to finish his nap since he wouldn’t have been sleeping that long. Except that it took about 35 minutes for the scripts to be done >:XX so that by the time we got home Owen had been alseep for about 45 minutes. It seemed he was going to fall back to sleep in the crib…but he didn’t. Which meant I then had to deal with a cranky and still-tired little boy. NOT FUN. I managed to give him his medicines with not too much terror.

He did take a good two-hour afternoon nap (which my sanity really needed). The rest of the night went pretty well, and then it was time for all three meds before bedtime. It was a MAJOR struggle getting him to take the meds and that was with me holding him down and Tom administering the stuff. But we did it and as soon as we were done, Owen was fine and went right back to playing. Then it was time for his milk, and that was going well, too, until…

SURPRISE!…the projectile vomiting of wonderfully-staining fruit [blueberries and strawberries from dinner], curdled-looking cottage-cheesy milk, and all three medicines all over me…and the couch…and the floor.

Talk about YUCK. XX(

After we got the basics cleaned up, he was just fine—happy and giggling and playing. Of course. After he went to bed, the major couch clean up started (I think it will survive) and the laundry started (I hope my pants survive).

So, from now on, we’re dropping the Zyrtec and alternating the antibiotic and the cough medicine (or dropping it entirely until we think he needs it). I am NOT going to do that again.

The pediatrician doesn’t know, either.

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So, the pediatrician said that his ears were a little red, but nothing to worry about at all. She was more worried about his congested cough, which of course sounded much worse there in the office than it normally does at home (he did some shrieking-while-inhaling thing that she DID. NOT. LIKE.) and she said she thought it sounded croup-like, but was reassured when I said he had NEVER coughed like that before that moment, and he generally only coughs, in general, a handful of times in 24 hours.

She also checked his mouth and didn’t see any new teeth even remotely coming in so teething is pretty much out.

So I’m to give him allergy meds (generic Zyrtec) once a day at dinner and then let her know if he’s better or not by Monday. She said the allergy stuff should help dry him up so that the congested cough goes away. I’ve been giving it to him on and off, but more off because I hate giving him meds if I can help it. But, apparently, I should have continued. Who knew?

That said, her best guess to the waking-crying-thing was either a) nightmares or b) the congestion waking him up, then him being freaked out. She said it could really be 100 things, and she didn’t have anything concrete to tell me…which is basically what I expected.

Barf.

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Tom fed Owen tonight while I was working on dinner. I was amazed, because he went through a 3.5oz veggie, then a 6oz veggie, and then during the last bit of a yogurt, I asked Tom if Owen had burped at all…and just as he was saying no, Owen barfed.

Yeah, I thought it had been too much food too fast, but I didn’t make a big deal about it because it’s rare that Tom feeds him so I didn’t want to criticize anything (love you, babe!). We just cleaned him off and put him in the bath.

Then, since he had barfed up most everything, I made a big bottle, which he sucked down crazy fast. Before I put him down, I wanted to make sure he burped…and boy did he. I heard it coming, but it wasn’t just a burp.

That’s right, folks. He vomited all over me. Then turned to the other side and barfed some more, which got in my hair. I immediately yelled out — HELP! HELP NOW! — and Tom rushed up to see me and the boy covered in barf. He took the boy to get changed. I hopped in the shower. Then Tom got out the Rug Doctor and cleaned the green bean vomit (first in, last out!) while I played with the VERY HAPPY boy.

I was scared to try another bottle, but he needed something before bed—so Tom took a turn (he called me a wuss for not wanting to try again) with a 6oz bottle but I don’t think he even ate 2oz.

Poor baby.

Poor mom.

Wonderful dad for rushing to my aid.

Sick.

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We have a sick boy. :(:(

I think it’s just a cold because he’s just got a LOT of snot flowing (runny nose and sneezes, knock on wood it doesn’t get worse)…so we’ve got both the Vicks Waterless Vaporizer and his humidifier going at night.

His fourth tooth is also coming in, so maybe that’s part of him being sick (you never know what strange side effects teething will have).

Dog food & a parenting YUCK night.

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Owen is fast. Which is why the new gate normally stays closed:

But sometimes I leave it open so he can crawl up the step and into the kitchen. So tonight, he actually bypassed the water bowl and headed straight for the island…which is where the dog food is. He was fishing in the bowl, which made Maggie come running because she thought she was getting something good. It was funny because she saw him in her bowl, and suddenly she wanted to eat her food! I actually called Tom to tell him, and while I was talking to him, I saw a piece of food go in Owen’s mouth. Stinker! I wasn’t terribly worried, but I did try to get it out—to no avail. So Owen has officially eaten his first (and certainly not last) piece of dog food! He seemed no worse for the wear and I laughed about it.

Fast forward to dinner, when he becomes Mr. Crankpot. I am sure it has to do with him teething right now…but he’s fine ALL DAY and only turns cranky in the high chair. So he’s either becoming a fussy eater (some nights I’ve had to open three or four different jars of food to find something he’ll eat) or there’s something about eating while teething that’s the problem. Regardless, he’s just been off kilter for a few days—but he always ends up eating his normal amount (it just might take longer…and more patience).

So tonight I tried homemade carrots and that was a no-go for the second time. Then he finished the Zuchinni and Squash Stage 3 jar we started at lunch. Then I tried to give him some itsy bitsy noodles with some butter, and he ate a few small bites but he didn’t like that (although he has been okay with those same noodles mixed IN something). All this was interspersed with puffs, cheerios, freeze-dried corn, and veggie straws—all typical meal snacks. He still needed to eat more, though, so I got out some green veggies.

And he was eating just fine.

And we were almost done.

When he started coughing.

Which turned into almost choking.

I was just starting to get him out of the high chair when he started vomiting. There was nothing I could really do except let it happen. Yuck. The only good thing was that it stopped the choking. But it was all over everything: him, his clothes (jeans, onesie, and socks), the high chair (tray, seat, and foot ledge), me (jeans and shirt—he missed my shoes), the dining room chair cover—and as I learned later while cleaning it up…there was spatter in the entryway to the kitchen, the wall behind where I had been sitting, the floor under the high chair (and the inside underneath of the high chair…and the dog. Yes, the dog. And it was all green.

And speaking of the dog, yes, she cleaned it up. I didn’t want her to, but I was too busy taking care of and cleaning up Owen to worry about her. So I got him in his PJs and he was no worse for the wear. He was sitting, playing, and watching Sesame Street while I went to clean up the dining room. Egads, what a mess.

Definitely a parenting YUCK day.

Yuck.

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It started with a sore scratchy throat and a cloudy head last week at work. I tried to sleep it away, living on Nyquil 24/7, but it didn’t go away. I felt okay on Thanksgiving and okay for most of the day Friday, but Saturday I started to feel worse and started coughing and having a runny and stuffed nose—in addition to the stuffed up head with headaches. Just yucky. I’ve been plopped on the couch or in bed just watching TV because I have no energy. The only good thing is that Maggie has been cuddling with me all weekend!

I hope I feel better soon because working when you feel this way is NOT fun.

Infectious Tonsillitis

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Well, after a (re)visit to the doc this morning because I still didn’t feel ANY better, they told me it wasn’t strep after all, but was infectious tonsillitis! I got an antibiotic shot to help boost my immune system against the infection (or something like that), additional pills (prednisone) to hopefully alleviate the swelling…plus they did bloodwork to test for mono (just in case) and scheduled a checkup in a week.

I haven’t been sick in years…and now I’ve been super sick twice in three months. This is SO not fun.

Strep Throat, Day 5

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Unless something miraculous happens overnight, I will be headed back to the doctor in the morning. I have been taking antibiotics and painkillers every eight hours for four days and I do not feel ANY better and my throat still hurts as bad as it did last week (talking is still very difficult and I have little to no energy). I can’t imagine this is a good thing and am wondering if it’s something worse than strep…

Strep Throat, Day 3

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Yes, folks, I’m on Day 3 of strep throat. And I’m MISERABLE. It started Tuesday evening with a little tickle in my throat and a few muscle aches, so I took Nyquil and went to bed at 8:30, hoping to sleep it off. No dice. I felt even worse in the morning—and actually had a temperature of 101! I normally run below normal, so I figured I was really sick. I kept taking Tylenol all day and slept most of the day (except when I had to force myself to take Maggie out).

I was even worse Thursday morning so I had Tom take me to the doctor (I was too out of it to even drive). My temp was 101.9 (!!) and the doc took one look and said it was surely strep (although he could let me know for sure when we got the labs back—Monday)…but he started me on antibiotics and Motrin anyway (and said I could go back to work Monday). I slept most of the day, which was good, and I have to say I loooooove Ambien (I also requested something to help me sleep, as Nyquil wasn’t cutting it). Today, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to sleep all day—and I laid in bed all day trying. It’s completely frustrating as I do NOT make a good patient.