When we went to the doctor’s office on Thursday, our nurse practitioner repeated Minnie’s RSV and flu swabs, even though she tested negative on Tuesday. The lab batches flu and RSV tests, so sometimes we get results right away (like on Tuesday, when we got three negative results while we were still in the office), and sometimes it takes awhile. We got Thursdays results on Friday, while Dorothy and Minnie and I were getting ready to leave for the girls’ appointment.
AN ASNWER!! This is why she still feels bad and gets fevers! BECAUSE SHE ALSO HAS A VIRUS.Harry Times...All Jacked Up
A vintage mom blog, written by a vintage mom blogger.
Saturday, December 09, 2023
RSV!!! SHE HAS RSV!!
Friday, December 08, 2023
5 on a Friday: The MINNIE IS SO SICK Edition
1. I JUST WANT MINNIE TO STAY OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, but that might not happen because she is getting MORE SICK, not less. My anxiety is high to incredibly high, as you might imagine, especially since my baseline is pretty high. So far, she is drinking great and eating OK, and her breathing is all right (but not, like great)— so not going in ASAP or anything. BUT ALSO YOU GUYS! Her pneumonia is NOT RESPONDING to antibiotics yet.
2. Her cough was so awful from 4am Thursday on that I messaged her pediatrician at like 5:30 while I was working out directly under her room and listening to her cough and getting more and more anxious. The amazing nurse practitioner who works with the kids’ doc messaged me back super early and said she’d double book her end of day and squeeze Minnie in. We were supposed to follow up THIS MORNIG, but I didn’t want to wait.
3. Dorothy does not have strep but clearly DOES have some kind of virus of doom and was home from school again Thursday and plans to be home today, too. Her fever ebbed midday yesterday, but she still felt like a puddle of yuck— although she rallied enough to play Minecraft on her iPad with a friend in the late afternoon.
Thursday, December 07, 2023
Joy! And also GRAY?!
JOY though, you guys! Like the picture on the wall says! We are really joyful, despite the constant illness (At least one kid— usually Minnie— has been sick since Ben started his new job!!).
My mom’s boyfriend’s son came for Thanksgiving and put an electrical outlet in the front hallway for us, so we could put lights on a front door Christmas tree! We love being able to plug this sucker in— next year, taller but still skinny, yes?
Ben and I left the girls with Harry and went out for drinks and apps before Coop’s hockey game on Saturday, dropped him off at home, and went back out for a night cap after.
Wednesday, December 06, 2023
Top contender for the worst urgent care visit ever!!
Yesterday was probably not our worst urgent care visit, all told. That honor might go to the time Coop puked blood and granola bar during a strep test while Harry was sick with another effusion and Dorothy broke her wrist in a sledding accident. I wouldn’t want to leave out my dystopian novel early 2020 pregnant COVID test visit. In terms of trauma, the visit that ended with Harry being immediately admitted to the PICU after being so sick the pediatrician wouldn’t leave our side until we were actually in the car and on the way was probably the VERY worst. (I feel bad skipping over our island urgent care trip when Coop was baby and had a terrible vacation virus and Ben heard a guy fresh from a motorcycle accident getting part of his ear sewn back on in the next room— a definite honorable mention.)
Still, even by Big Family standards and Kid with Heart Problem standards, yesterday was a doozy.
I told you all that Minnie has been sick for WEEKS and that I had a plan to bring her TODAY to see her doctor if she didn’t feel better, right? Well. I wrote that post— and sent the message to the doc— on Monday, and she really seemed completely better by lunch time. No fever since Sunday! An excellent appetite! Playing so hard! 3 nights of excellent sleep (thank God, literally)!
I was so relieved yesterday when I sent her merrily off to preschool.
Dorothy, though, was home sick.
She sent me this text Monday night from dance:
Monday, December 04, 2023
Poor little germy Minnie
Ugh, my darling Minnie. She has been sick since THE TUESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING.
We spent Friday at urgent care AGAIN because she had another fever and complained of ear and throat pain ON THE LAST DAY OF HER ANTIBIOTIC. And you know what? SHE HAD STREP AND HER EAR WAS STILL INFECTED.
We got another antibiotic, which is the pits because she is scared to throw up, and she almost threw up her first does of augmentin, and now she's sort of scared of all antibiotics. The PA-C we saw (not a great bedside manner, but it was a terrible night to be working downtown urgent care with a snow storm, a volleyball playoff game AND a Badger men's basketball game plus a million COVID coughs) said the next step is injections, and I was like LET'S JUST DO THAT and save me the 10 days of misery, but she was not really offering, just threatening. Cool, cool.
I followed up via MyChart with her pediatrician today and have plans to bring her in Wednesday afternoon if she is not much better by then (still getting random fevers and feeling yucky, complaining of a tummy ache, etc (also! she ate well today for the first time in 2 weeks and has lost 2 pounds and her ankle rolls)).
It is amazing how terrible sick 3 year-olds are, though, you guys, Like, all of the adorable little eye-rolly toddler quirks are magnified and HORRIBLE. So much whining. So unable to take a joke. So clingy. So not able to play independently.
She is a MAJOR tattle tale, too, which is usually a slightly older kid milestone. SHE IS GIFTED AT BEING AT TOTAL PILL, you guys. We are so proud.
Sill! Her cough is finally almost gone. She only coughs to the point of nearly puking once or twice a day, so that's progress.
We had FUN today, and she didn't cry at all, which was really lovely and made me realize how bad she has been feeling lately. She even played by herself happily while I wrapped some presents and came to find me to ask WHERE IS MY AIR FRYER? I was like your air fryer? What? And she goes MY AIR FRYER THAT HELPS ME NOT COUGH AT NIGHT.
Humidifier! LOL. (I was washing it with vinegar because that's a thing I do every day now because it smelled like mildew the other day and OOOOPS.)