Archive for 'Germy'
February 9th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Germy. 1 Comment.
Dear Unwelcome Stomach Virus,
Your presence is not welcome in the Hen house. I am evicting you! I don’t care if you brought your bags and your belongings and the state of Kentucky thereby labels you as a resident. I don’t care that I’m supposed to give you 30 days notice to get out. Consider this eviction immediate! I did not agree to your arrival. You are uninvited. You are wrecking havoc on my 10 year old’s body and I will not stand for it.
Signed,
A displeased Momma Hen
It’s a snow day for X-man, but he’s not playing out in the snow. He’s not thinking about snow cream, snow men, or snow ball fights. He’s laying in bed feeling miserable and visiting the bathroom all to frequently. It’s pitiful when one of the kids gets sick, but especially when X-man gets sick because it is a rare occasion that he lets anything knock him down. Strep had nothing on him, colds don’t even phase him, and most bacterial infections don’t stand a chance against his immune system. But apparently stomach viruses can infiltrate and beat the crap out of his defenses. Meanwhile, I have little comfort to offer him. I finally found the proper cords to connect the DVD player to his television, so he’s getting to lay in bed and watch movies. There’s a big window in the kid’s room that lets tons of light in and they normally appreciate that, but X-man’s not so fond of the light right now. I found a black fleece blanket and used binder clips to attach it to the curtain rods so he could have a nice dark room. The cooler that we’ve been procrastinating on putting back out in the shed since July of last year has become a bedside table for a cup of gatorade. And DH has gone to the store, despite 6 inches of snow on crappy roads, for a few things he wanted to get, plus a few “easy on the stomach” items for when X-man gets an appetite later. (On cue, he just came and asked for whatever would be easiest on his stomach.) And Lil’C's bath toys have been displaced so that the bucket they are normally stored in can be used for “emergency situations” (and later bleached until all germs are DEAD). Fortunately Lil’ C is at his dad’s today, so he isn’t here to be around the icky germs and X-man gets to rest more peacefully.
Needless to say, this wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned for X-man’s snow day. He was gone to his dad’s during the last snow storm we had come through, so I was planning on goofing off with him outside this time. Maybe he’ll feel better this evening and get to go out and enjoy the accumulation. Western Kentucky hasn’t seen this kind of snow accumulation in several years, and may not for another several years after this winter (at least, that seems to be the pattern). X is a snow baby, born during a Michigan blizzard in ’99… it’s in his blood to like this stuff. haha. (Or, that’s my story anyway.)
September 23rd, 2009 by Jen Hen under Germy. No Comments.
Sunday morning I woke up to find that it HURT to go tinkle. My throat was throbbing, my ear was throbbing (which had started on Saturday). I was running a fever. Enough of a fever that I turned the thermostat to 78 (which is normally too hot in the house to me). DH threatened to take swabs of my germs so he could reinfect me when I got to feeling better… he was glad to have the thermostat set higher. So sweet of him, eh? 
My joints hurt… as in every single joint in my body. I didn’t want hubby to hug me or cuddle me or really even put a finger on my arm because it all felt so painful.
Well, Monday morning DH woke up with the aches. And the pains. He stayed in bed all day. I went to work, class, back to work (for all of 10 minutes) then to the doctor’s. She gave me antibiotics after confirming that I was sick. I went home, took a hot shower, put on my pj’s and sat down to be lazy and listless. X-man got off the bus and I gave him the run down that Momma and DH were full of germs and that we would be quarintining ourselves to the bedroom so that X-man could play Wii to his hearts content (but not until he finished his homework (I had some homework to do too, so we had homework time together)). I didn’t mean to, but I fell asleep shortly after 4pm and didn’t wake-up until 6:45. YIKES! I stumbled out of the bedroom to check on X-man and make him some food. After he ate he got his shower and went back to his room to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Yesterday I got X-man on the bus, got myself ready and went to take an exam I wouldn’t have been allowed to make-up, met up with a girl from my other class to give her my homework so she could turn it in for me, then stumbled to to the car, and went home. I did manage to finish washing and drying laundry, and I did manage to wash the dishes. After that… it was shower, pj’s and comfy chair. DH went to the doctor’s and found out he had strep and was given the same antibiotic.
My mom came to pick-up X-man when she got off work so they could have a “date night” that consisted of going to the Chinese buffet in town (DH and I wanted to go too… but we figured our germs wouldn’t be listed on the buffet menu), and then off they went to Family Reading Night at the school. X-man came home with two new books and a stick with a finger on it… he says it can be used for scratching, or picking noses. I requested he not pick noses with it.
DH and I both woke up feeling better today than we did yesterday. However, I woke up to a phone call from Lil’ C’s dad… Lil’ C has a stomach bug. *sigh* I gave him the list of things to do *no colored beverages *Sprite or Ginger Ale are preferred *Saltine Crackers *Keep fluids in him *Make sure he’s soiling his diaper regularly otherwise… *No need to take him to the doctor’s office.
I spoke with the doctor’s office this morning, who promptly called in a prescription of suppositories (of course they don’t need to see the kids that have things coming up and out… would YOU want to clean up that mess?). The key is keeping him hydrated until he gets it out of his system (well, and after he does too… you know what I mean).
So, I’m sitting here at the computer lab, then I have to go to my “real job” and do paperwork there. After that, it’s a run to the store for a box (or two) of diapers (he has it at both ends… my poor kiddo), Sprite, juice (for X-man, who isn’t sick), Gatorade (for after the Exorcist reenactments end), and a few other “light on the stomach” foods that I don’t keep on hand at all times.
I’m really just ready to put a big plastic bubble around our house and keep DH, the kids, and myself hostage until all these nasty bugs are out of town.
September 13th, 2009 by Jen Hen under Germy. No Comments.
At various points in my life I have daydreamed of becoming a politician. There have been a few instances where I’ve been quickly snapped back into reality and I have realized I do NOT want to become a politician. Instance 1) National Forensic League District competition where I competed in the “House” portion of Congress. Instance 2) All the news coverage that tears every little shred of a politician’s past, present, and future into microscopic proportions. Instance 3) reading through www.thefederalregistry.com Yeah, I have no real desire to be stuck pilfering through pages upon pages upon pages of extra long winded jargon all day, every day (even if that’s the kind of stuff I normally write… ha.) I told DH instead of wasting all that breath, and all that ink, why don’t they just say, “I was thinking the other day and decided to propose this bill. It would include this, this, and that. What do you think?” But NOooo, they have to sound super smart (when really, I think most of these people have the equivalent IQ to most other college graduates, just more information on how to twist things into these long ass proposals). Pardon my language, by the way. I’m in a little bit of a raw mood tonight.
Mommy is not allowed to be sick. Nope. Who is there to take care of Momma’s? Who will lose sleep staying up with Momma when she just need some extra comfort? Who will make soup, give Momma a hot bath, rub Momma’s back and legs when they are achy… for as long as she so desires such things? That’s right, Momma really only has Momma to take care of those things. Whereas little chicks and Rooster’s have Momma to do all that and more. I’m not really complaining, although I realize it seems to be what I’m doing. It’s just an observation. Maybe I’m a little whiny tonight… I don’t feel real fantastical, so please forgive me.
“Grandma Hen” has it right when she says there’s a reason they call it “Practicing Medicine.” Yes, I realize it doesn’t actually apply to all the medical practitioners out there. But, let’s face it, I’m more than just a little PEEVED and DISAPPOINTED with the care Lil’ C received yesterday. Also, I WILL be going for a second opinion. The Physician’s Assistant that Lil’ C was tended by yesterday was pretentious, pompous, and altogether not impressive. I was asked two questions: “What’s going on today?” and “Have you given him Benedryl?” Not… “Has he been exposed to this?” or “Has he recently been sick?” or “How long has it been going on?” The bumps on his arms and legs were barely even looked at. She tried to tell me that the bumps on his arms were baby acne. I DON’T THINK SO lady. I know baby acne. And baby acne doesn’t spread up my sons arm from wrist to shoulder. She told me we had something different going on with his legs. And that the spots on his legs were an allergic reaction to a bug bite. Do what? He has a few mosquito bites, but I know how he reacts to those. It’s localized swelling around the center of the bite. Both my kids have the same reaction, and they ITCH like crazy. C comes up to me and holds his leg up asking me to rub his mosquito bites to relieve him of his itchiness. Last I checked I had my glasses on, and the bumps on his legs from ankle to waist are IDENTICAL to the ones on his arm. I’m NOT incapable of checking these things. No, I’m not a doctor. No, I’m not positive of what the condition is. I have a really sneaking suspicion of what it is, but I need a professional opinion. HER opinion, was not professional, in my opinion. She was ridicuously condescending and horribly negligent in getting the information. Nevermind the fact that we heard her go in and out of 6 rooms in a matter of maybe 8 minutes. By my calculations that’s just over a minute per patient. I’ve seen good doctors, but even the best take a little more time than that before rushing the patient out of the room. Why, oh why, can’t we live closer to the hospitals in Paducah where it seems the doctor’s actually take time to acknowledge a parent’s concerns? OH… and she said, “We could do a round of steroids…” at which point I interrupted that I was not putting my son through a round of steroids if we don’t know what it is. She snaps back “it’s an allergic reaction to a bug bite.” I didn’t really hide my facial expressions which were conveying my disbelief and doubt.
THEN I find out that this very same PA has misdiagnosed serious situations, has prescribed very wrong dosages of medication which led to a child being hospitalized, and apparently has someone with too much power covering her tracks for her. DISTURBING! My son will never be tended to by her again. EVER. I will call and set-up a new appointment tomorrow with his regular pediatrician. I have a lot of trust in her as she has been watching over Lil’ C since he was born, and has been X’s doctor since we moved back to Kentucky in ’05. She acknowledges that I’m not a nit-wit and I don’t bring the kids in every time they sniffle or sneeze. She also acknowledges that if I strongly disagree with something, there’s probably something worth checking out.
So, here’s what I’m thinking… It’s not atopic dermatitis (Eczema), because he isn’t itchy, at all (or is it? Because maybe not all Eczema equates to itching?). It isn’t Fifth’s Disease or Hand Foot Mouth… he’s had those, and I at least think I would recognize them if he got them again (that, and there aren’t any bumps on his hands or foot, or face). There’s a slight chance that he could have a mild form of Psoriasis. He has a genetic predisposition from his paternal family, and he did have a sore throat last week which could have been a mild case of Strep.
You know what? Now that I think about it… I bet it was the same PA that I argued with last year about this time. Lil’ C went to the doctor on a Thursday or Friday. He was prescribed an antibiotic for an ear infection or something. By Saturday he had a rash. My gut was telling me he was having a reaction to the antibiotic. I called the office and was transferred to the PA on duty. I expressed my concern and she told me it was “highly unlikely” then blew me off. The next day the rash was worse. My gut was still yelling at me that he was having a reaction to his antibiotic (it was covering his body and he was itchy). I called the office again, got the same PA as the day before who remembered me calling previously. She got snippy with me and condescending on the phone, telling me that I was wrong and that Lil’ C’s charts showed he had the antibiotic before without a problem. I called my ex-husband, who is a Pharmacist, and if in very little else, I do have faith in his knowledge of medicine. I explained to him the symptoms, and all that, and he gives me TONS of information on how it could be that he hadn’t had a reaction the first time he had the antibiotic, but the second time could have a reaction, and how if he were to have the same one again, and it was in fact an allergic reaction, it would get worse with each exposure. He told me what antibiotic to tell them to place an order for and acknowledged that my gut was most likely telling me completely right. I called BACK (this is less than 15 minutes after the first call that day). I get the PA who wants to argue with me but I interupted her and broke it all down for her and told her I WOULD be getting a new prescription for my son and that THIS would be the antibiotic he was prescribed. Sure enough… within 24 hours of taking Lil’ C off the first antibiotic, the rash was GONE and he was actually showing an improvement.
Mommy instincts seem to rarely misguide us. So, I’ll listen to my gut, and listen to my instincts, and take my irate Momma Hen self (and Lil’ C) to the Pediatrician so we can find out what is ACTUALLY going on with his little body. By the way, yes I’ve been applying the topical Benadryl that the PA said would “fix it”…. he had MORE bumps on his body today. And yes, I applied MORE of the ointment.
Forgive my negativity. Momma Hen gets a little worked up when her kids aren’t getting the care they need.
September 8th, 2009 by Jen Hen under Germy. 1 Comment.
I never really think about how many signs and symptoms I pay attention to when my kiddos are sick. That is, until they are with someone else and they are sick. Lil’ C is with his father at his grandparent’s in TN. J contacted me to let me know the status on Lil’ C’s condition. Earlier in the day he seemed to be a ton better, but J became more concerned this evening. I was sitting here and thinking of all these things to check:
- Feel the hardness of his lymph nodes in his throat (indication of infection)
- Feel the length/shape of lymph nodes if swollen (indication of severity of infection)
- Check his throat: color, nasty pus sacks?, etc.
- Consistency of his bowel movements?
- Willingness to eat salty food?
- Willingness to eat in general?
- Swallowing own saliva?
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Regular urination?
- Temperature
- Energy level
- Alertness
- Lip is swollen??? Oh, to the lower left side… where he has bitten it. Twice yesterday.
- Red spots on his legs? How dense? Pattern? Sporadic? Could it be bug bites? What area is it covering? Recent bath? (He breaks out a little at bath time… just little raised bumps… almost every time (I’ve tried changing body washes… I use the hypoallergenic, non-scented kind for him now. No help. But no apparent discomfort.))
I could keep listing things. You gain a certain amount of experience through life when you get sick, you have two kids, and you were around a LOT of kids growing up. It’s kind of comforting. It’s REALLY comforting actually. But… it’s REALLY unnerving to me when my kiddo isn’t with me and he’s not feeling 100%. There’s this part of me, that no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get to trust anyone’s opinion but my own… and the doctor’s.
So yeah, I’ve resisted the urge to drive to TN to pick up Lil’ C tonight. I’ll be calling the doctor as soon as the office opens in the morning though. Especially since “technically” I don’t get to check him out for myself until 6pm tomorrow. *sigh*
