before this winter is over... And it technically isn't even winter yet!! There is nothing in the world worse than having the phone ring, and the caller ID is for the daycare or the school. NOTHING good EVER comes from one of those phone calls! It always means that someone is sick, bleeding, or both. In the last month, I have been in the pediatrician's office eight times, and I still have two more follow-up appointments to go! That will be $300.00 in co-pays in one month!! Merry Christmas to me... It all started with Emma's nose.
It was running... a LOT. AND it was green-EWWW! So I called the doctor's office and asked for them to call in antibiotics. She had just been there a month before for her checkup, and I figured it was just a sinus infection, so why not? There were no other symptoms. They were reluctant, but the nurse called in some Amoxicillan. The prescription was for one and a half teaspoons twice a day for ten days. The snot turned clear, but her nose was still running. By day eight, it was green again. Oh joy! About three days after her medicine ran out, she stayed up ALL NIGHT. She wasn't happy being held, but she wasn't happy being put down either. It was a very long night!!
The next morning, we were at the doctor's office bright and early. We found out that her right ear was infected. The doctor was surprised that the Amoxicillan didn't keep it clear, and he prescribed Omnicef - a teaspoon once a day for ten days. This one is a little bit stronger, so I figured that would wipe it out. As before, the snot cleared, but her nose still ran. By day seven, it was green...again. I remained hopeful since she wasn't complaining about it (other than the fact that her cute little nose was absolutely raw from wiping it). Three days after she finished the Omnicef, we took her in for her one year well visit. Everything went well except her right ear was STILL infected!!
The doctor was bumfuzzled, but he wrote a prescription for Azithromycin - a teaspoon once a day for three days. Before I could even fill the prescription, Emma got a stomach bug - on her birthday, no less! She spent the entire day throwing up anything that she ate, which eliminated the opportunity for birthday cake!! When I went to pick her up from daycare (I got there exactly one year and two minutes after she was born), I was informed that her warranty had run out. I laughed, but isn't that the truth?? The next day, when she was recovering from the stomach bug, I went to the pharmacy to fill the prescription for the Azithromycin (did I mention that they know me by name over there??). Oh yeah, and four days after the stomach bug with Emma, I got it too! And while I was home sick, I got the call from the school to go pick up Forrest. He was coughing his head off, to the point that he couldn't even function. That was such a blessing, let me tell you!
So anyway, about three days after the Azithromycin ran out, Emma stayed awake all night long AGAIN!! And once again, I couldn't make her happy. She was edgy when I held her, and would scream the second that I put her down. At three o'clock in the morning, I gave her some Tylenol, and she finally went to sleep. The next morning when she was eating breakfast, I noticed that one of her eyes looked really gummy. Back to the doctor... and guess what? Her left ear was now infected, and her right ear was STILL infected! We ended up having to do antibiotic shots - one in each leg for three days. The doc said if that didn't fix it, we were going to have to get tubes. Isn't that awful? Her first ear infection, and it just wouldn't go away!!
On the last day of her shots, I got a call from after-school care saying that Forrest was running a fever. Another trip to the doctor (that was two in one day!!!). This trip revealed that Forrest had pneumonia. UGH!! So here we went again!! The doctor decided that Forrest would need the shots as well, so he ALSO got two shots a day for three days. If you've ever met this child, you would know that he is a skinny little thing, but don't let that fool you! When he knows that there is a needle coming at him, he has the strength of four grown men! I love the folks at our pediatrician's office, but getting to see them six times in one week is just a little too much!
Today, as I write this, the phone rings. It's the school. Forrest is throwing up... Great! I guess it's his turn with the stomach bug. I wonder when Chris will get it...
