I am worn through, threadbare like my favorite sweatshirt. My son has been sick for what seems like the entire season, and actually has been. I’ve had my share of illness as well this winter. Since December:
- I had a stomach flu
- I had strep throat
- The Boy had a cold
- I had the stomach flu again
- The Boy had a stomach bug
- The Boy had another cold, this time w/a croupy cough
- The Boy had a near-week long fever, culminating in a rash on his face & body
- He was diagnosed with Fifth’s Disease (a viral thing)
And now tonight, the poor thing vomited everything he’d eaten today and I caught it. For real. I was holding him, and literally stood still while catching the vomit. I stripped him down, wiped his face, stripped myself down (so.carefully.), put on my bathrobe, and rocked him to sleep in just his diaper. I slipped a shirt on him and laid him down in the crib, then took a shower while he fell asleep.
20 minutes later, I heard weird noises coming from the monitor and he was awake again. When I peeked in the crib, I found his other end had blown up and made a huge mess. I picked him up – poor thing was saying ‘nightnight’ over & over. He’s exhausted – and plunked him in the tub, removed his diaper, wiped him off, carried him back to his changing table, re-diapered and dressed him. Then I put him in the rocker w/a lovey, removed the crib sheet, wiped down the crib liner w/all-purpose cleaner, dried it, put a clean sheet on, gave him smooches, laid him back down.
Then Husby came home. Good timing, Husby. =/
We’ve taken our little Boy to the doctor almost weekly for five weeks for the following:
- croupy cough
- fever spike
- rash
- enlarged, hardened lymph nodes
…and now I’m wondering if we need to go back? He still has a low-grade fever (about 100.3), which is high for his usual 98.4ish. I want to fight for him if he needs it and follow my gut (which isn’t telling me much right now), but don’t want to be ‘that mom’ who goes to the doctor for hiccups, you know? His symptoms are now the low-grade temp, rash on body & face, runny nose, croupy cough, irritability and decreased appetite. So far I’ve diagnosed him with Reye’s Syndrome, Kawasaki disease, and kidney failure.
Maybe I am that mom after all.
Friends, seasoned mamas, do you have any tips or words of wisdom? Should we continue to brave the clinic waiting room, change our diet, or start vitamin supplementing? Should I be doing research on seasonal illnesses? Should we move south so we can be out of doors more in the winter months? And how in the world do I disinfect my whole house/care for my sick child/get my work done/remain a good wife/try to have a little life without losing my mind???
Did I mention we were supposed to go on our first trip away from The Boy this weekend?
And after filling you in, could I ask you to please keep our little family in your prayers? I know Husby is frayed too, our poor darling little Boy feels so cruddy, and it gives me such fear to see him sick (no matter the severity of illness). I don’t know how to help him and I feel like I should know when to fight (see the doc, a new doc, etc.) and when to let it ride as normal kid stuff. This new mom thing is hard, yo, and my heart and brain are fried and I am so.tired. of all the sick.
-anna
{girl with blog & (sick) baby}
Praying for you. When my boys were younger it seemed like we were sick all the time! It does get better.
I was a mush after him saying night night (a- he can say night night??!?!?) and that is so depressingly sad. Poor poor boy. I hope the spring, clean air comes soon!
Thanks girl. Yeah, he thinks it’s a funny joke to lay down on something and say ‘nightnight’! Which is actually funny, since he doesn’t sleep very well at night =) But tonight it was really pathetic and sad =(
what else can he say?? Hunter def. can not say night night lol
He says puppy (more than anything else!), mama, daddy, book, nightnight and byebye. And he signs milk, food, drink, and all done. He’s a downright chatterbox!! =)
oh sweetie…I’m so sorry. It is so hard when it keeps happening. I remember when my 3 oldest were all little and we would be at the clinic at least once a week from January-March years in a row. I was worn so thin.
Lots of prayers for your family…for health, peace and rest.
Love ya
Jen
Well, I say trust your gut…but, you say isn’t telling you anything right now. that’s ok…if you feel better taking him to the doc, take him to the doc.
No one knows your baby like you do.
That said, tis the season…We are very healthy in our house, EXCEPT this season…I rarely bring my kids in, knowing that a warm bath & old fashioned TLC are generally what we need…
So much love to you. So…MUCH. You will survive this. We all do and we are with you. You do what you need to do to feel like he’s safe and if that means feeling like ‘that mom’? SO WHAT. You take him in if you feel like you need to do so for your own peace of mind.
(For the record, it sounds miserable and I don’t blame you for feeling overwhelmed. I have four kids and I’D be going absolutely batty if I were in your shoes.)
Love love love,
Jo
Thanks, Jo – I so appreciate when you pop into the comments with your encouragement =)
I read an article, (don’t think I am weird) about onions, if you put an onion in a room with someone sick, the onion will pick up the bacteria and clean the room out of the virus,in the olden days they used onions and garlic. The onions were kept out a day or two then thrown away.
Cheap cleansing product. Keep it up away from the baby and see if it works?
certainly can’t hurt. Hoping your baby will get well soon.
YES – I’ve heard of that too!! OK, buying an onion today. Thanks for the tip =)
Even if it isn’t true…that sounds like a very easy thing to at least try!
Love and hugs from Anthony and I. We are praying Sam feels better soon and Mommy and Daddy are well too
If he is not getting better, take him back to the doctor. If your doctor is not answering your questions or giving you the care you want, then try someone else. A good doctor won’t ever make you feel like “that mom”. I really hope that he is feeling better soon. It’s so hard at that age because they don’t understand what is going on and they just want you to make them feel better. As far as vitamins go, I didn’t start my kids on a multi vit until they were older. When they were little they ate lots of fruits and veggies along with meat, because I controlled what they ate. Now, that they are pickier, I do a vitamin because I don’t know that they get all the viatmins they need. It’s all a lot of trial and error, but I’m sure that you’re doing a great job!
So sorry you have gone through all of this….I am praying that he is better today and that you can avoid further trips to the doctor!!
{{hugs}} So sorry girl.
I have no advice on this one – my girls were never sick this young. I’m a big adviser of listening to your gut and your heart. You should be able to call and speak with a nurse at your office, which might help ease your mind.
Praying for you all.
Oh, “night-night” boy did that pull at my mommy heart-strings. 🙁 I’m praying you ALL feel better soon. My son was sick quite a bit when he was a baby as well, constant colds and viruses.
It is so hard to know when to take him in, but I would err on the side of caution. If he keeps throwing up and diahrea I’d take him in to make sure he is staying hydrated.
Blessings to you!
Can I give you a hug???? My only advice is to do what you think is right. And don’t worry about being “that mom” everyone is “that mom” at some point right??
Yes please – I would gladly take a hug! =)
Oh girl. We have had our rounds with the sickness, too, and it is NOT fun. The thing I love about our pediatrician’s office is that I can call and talk to a nurse, tell her symptoms, and then she tells me what I can do or if the kiddo needs to come down. That way, I never feel like THAT mom. More often than not, I end up taking them just to be sure, so I really think you can’t go wrong. hang in there, praying for you!
Sounds like our fall/winter- sniffles, stomach bug (I caught both), sniffles, well x 3 weeks when I had vacation over Christmas so no daycare germs, then stomach bug, now 3 week of runny nose with what sounds like whooping cough (she’s vaccinated though so hopefully not!) These littles can get 8-10 colds per year. The parvovirus/fifth’s disease sucks 🙁 It’s never a bad thing to take them in when fever is longer than 3 days, or they can’t keep liquids down/have fewer wet diapers or if your gut is concerned. Avoid the aspirin and you can cross Reye’s syndrome off the list 😉 oh and have a friend who is a nurse or NP so you can Facebook message them for some virtual bedside advice- all my friends with kids know I have an open fbook health link policy for kids symptoms! Big hugs.
Can I just say I SO UNDERSTAND where you’re coming from? My son has been sick every month of his little life. I won’t go into details here, but I’m so over being sick. I am starting to look into vitamins and probiotics. A friend of mine suggested Nature’s Way, Sambucus, Elderberry, Echinacea, and Propolis Syrup for Kids. She said its helped keep her kids healthy. I haven’t started yet but am going to check it out this weekend. I know this won’t work for every household, but my husband and I are looking for a housecleaner to come a minimum of once a month. No matter how much I want to, I can’t keep up with the cleaning and work and baby and husband all on my own. I’m hoping that if I can get help with the cleaning on a regular basis that the germs will stay away longer and I’ll have more energy to focus on healthy meals, time as a family etc. Hang in there! You aren’t alone. I’m praying for healing all around!
Oh Jessica, I’ve had the same thoughts about cleaning my home!! I feel like I’ve never really truly deep-cleaned it since we bought it. It’s overwhelming to me (and it’s not that big of a house!) Maybe I’ll ask Husby if we could work a once a month into the budget. Or try it one time and then get him hooked =)
So sorry you’re all dealing with this. It’s so exhausting and it’s so hard to know when you’re doing the right thing.
I will +1 everyone who said don’t worry about being “that” mom, because deep down most of us ARE that mom. 🙂 I always preface all my calls to the nurse line (or after hours pediatrician) with, “I’m not sure if this warrants a trip to the office, but I want to run these symptoms by you. Maybe you can recommend something over the counter to make them more comfortable?” That way, I feel like I’m telling them that I’m not panicking, but rather making a calm decision to call in reinforcements.
ALSO, good advice from a nurse friend years ago: When you DO talk to someone in the office, ask them “At what point should I call you back?” Meaning, what is the line of severity where this becomes a problem I should bring them in for. Because then, if he doesn’t make a quick bounce-back with OTC or whatever, you’ll have that line to keep in mind. Small comforts. 🙂
Lastly, my take on supplements. Sambucol, or another Elderberry product, might really help. He’s just one, so check with your pediatrician if you’re feeling unsure, but I have given it to my girls since they were his age – recommended by the ped – and it’s really bolstered their immune systems. Less severe and shorter colds, when they do get them.
Also, if he’s been taking any heavy duty antibiotics or other prescriptions, probiotics might be helpful. They balance out the good bacteria in the gut and helps them fight off future belly bugs. As with the elderberry, check with your ped if you’re feeling uncertain, but this was another supplement ours recommended.
Good luck and healthy wishes coming your way. It’s okay to feel threadbare and worn out and sick & tired of being sick & tired. It’s a hard time of year and not an easy season of mamahood. Sending you big love! – Jen at the Goose 🙂
Oh Jen, I was JUST thinking about you and your kindness, and how glad I am to know you!! Love when you let me know you’re here with your words of encouragement =)
Thank you for sharing the ‘lines’ you use with the nurses, etc. Those are fantastic, and I’ll be using them too. And also for your take on supplements – you’re not the first to recommend the Elderberry syrup and probiotics. I have a book that talks about both (I should really read that)
Thanks again =)