Photo from: http://www.confluence.org/pt/all/n30w016/pic8.jpgThe Artist has been ailing since Wednesday, almost a week now. She had a sore throat, fatigue and a slight fever. So we cancelled school for the day and she slept most of the day. Thursday and Friday were no better but the fever got a little higher. Now I'd begun giving her medicine to bring the fever down as it was making her uncomfortable.
On Saturday this poor little girl's fever went so high I ran up to the emergency room with her at 11:30 p.m. (Why do these things always happen in the middle of the night?) Her fever was high enough that the triage nurse lost her smile and ransacked the cupboards for some linens to wrap cold packs in, "Don't we have any linens in this place!?". Paper towels sufficed. We were assigned a bed immediately, and shuffled after the nurse to the room, the artist holding a cold back on her forehead and me holding a freezer pack from home between her shoulders.
More blessings -- the nurse told us we came in on a good night, it was not too crowded (I checked on the ride to the hospital -- there was not a full moon Saturday night) and unless a critical case arose we would be seen by the doctor very soon. We were.
The quick strep test came back negative ( I was informed false negatives are common with this test) but the doctor showed me evidence of many of the classic symptoms of strep throat on his patient, the miserable, fevered, young Artist. Yech!!!
Photo from: www. rockefeller.eduA different type of fever reducing medicine was ordered and an antibiotic. When her fever lowers we can be discharged. The doctor is confident the lab culture will be positive for strep.
Why, oh why did I not think of this and get her to the doctor sooner? I'm kicking myself to no end for this. I have never had strep throat and the Quipper does not recall ever having it either. It just never occurred to me. It was completely off my radar.
Monday Morning.
Grandma calls to say she was in the emergency room with Grandpa all night last night. Oh no! He has strep throat, his initial test was positive. And my Artist had not spent any time with him since last Sunday (three days before she started feeling ill). Grandma and I are wondering who gave it to whom? Did they pick it up in the children's shoe store last Saturday? And who will be the next Unlucky One? The Engineer and I have been in close quarters with the Artist all week. So far so good there. We're hoping Grandma stays healthy too, we're planning to celebrate her birthday at my house in a few days.
Fast Forward to Monday afternoon.
I finally had my call to the emergency room's lab returned. The strep culture was negative! How can this be? Grandpa tested positive? Maybe the swab was poor? The nurse said with a child this is very possible.
I'm so glad she is feeling a little better. She says her throat is less sore, but it still hurts to talk. Her high fevers are under 101 degrees F now but the improvement is still not as fast as I, her mom, would like.
Through the afternoon there were more signs that she is feeling better. Here the kids are flying balsa wood airplanes on the back porch. These planes are very much on my radar. Especially the Engineer's. In this picture he is about to bend down to pick up the lost landing gear from near the foot of the slide. And I'm about to re-attach it for the hundredth time.
I just noticed the Engineer is only wearing one slipper. From the time he was an old enough baby to remove his socks he has always taken one off. I'm sure there will be an interesting story there when he is verbal enough to tell it!
12 comments:
Hope the little Artist will feel fine soon!
Get well soon artist! Poor litle thing!
Do you want to read a whacko/granola book that puts my mind at ease about fevers? "How to Raise Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor," by Robert Mendelsson MD. I have consulted it often.
Stole finished - will mail in next 24 hrs.
Thanks Polly,
I don't usually get upset about fevers or medicate them unless my little one is uncomfortable. Once she got up to the 102 range the Artist was definately uncomfortable. The meds lowered the fever and eased discomfort in the throat.
I did freak out when she hit 105.2. That is the highest I've seen. Just looking at her was scary then.
Hey Marie,
We have an Artist and an Engineer. Who are these other kids that people are talking about?
Quipper
I hope that your little ones are all better soon!
You and your husband are Buckeyes?! Marie, I hardly knew ye! GO SPARTANS!
OMG
we have strep throat down here too: my poor R13 has it too.
very nasty.
loads of love to you and yours xx
Kate -- hope your little ones are feeling better soon. After 7 days off, my 9 year old was finally able to have school again yesterday.
Hi Bernadette,
The Quipper is very pleased when the Buckeyes win. When the don't (I recall, it has happened) he doesn't get too worked up. Football is wonderful because it guarantees me a nap. I'm unable to stay awake during the games.
I'll root for MSU (unless they are playing OSU) -- my favorite boss was an MSU grad. I worked for her long ago when we lived in that state up north.
Getting the lyrics to Sloopy was important because the Quipper's band has had requests for it over the past several months. No one in the band had the words in print, and only one guy had them on a disc. The Quipper will sing lead for this song so he had the silly notion he needed to know all the words.
I think more than half the time I can't understand the lyrics to rock songs!
Tee hee -- on my June 12 post you can read how I discovered OSU's color scheme.
Bernadette, we are actually not Buckeyes, but root for them nonetheless. We both met and graduated at a college close to home.
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