bulldozed....

Vance woke up today saying "my whole body hurts.  my arms my legs my back my neck" but he was cheerful.  His temp 99*.  He didn't *look* sick so I told him to go to school and to call me if he felt bad and I would pick him up (I had a follow up with my pain & spine doc and class to attend).  Faith also said her tummy hurt.  I told her, too, to go to the nurse if she was sick.  I didn't get a call before class so I went, it's 30-40 min away from his school and a dead-zone for cell service.  At break I went outside to check my messages and sure enough there was a call from the nurse to come get Vance.  His throat, stomach, entire body hurt, and he has a fever.  He tells me:

Mom I feel like one-hundred bulldozers ran me over.  

awwwwwww man.  Poor baby :(  I take him to the store because I have to get ingredients for a meal I'm taking to a dear friend (who needs to rest!  You, yes you, REST!  love you).  I was planning on making one of the best salads I've ever had but I needed to cut the shopping trip short so I got fruit instead and I have chile relleno casserole in the oven (Rach's recipe.  Delicious).
I pick Faith up and she's shaking.  Her stomach, head, throat are all hurting and she tells me her testing teacher refused to let her go to the nurse.  Ummmmm, no, that is NOT okay.  I will be talking to this person (not her reg. teacher) tomorrow.  Both of them have wicked red throats so I called their ped.  He went ahead and called in antibiotics for Strep since Alorah had it last week.  I hate strep throat.  I reallllllly hate it.  If I get it, well, I better not get it.  I do not have time and finals are coming up.  I cannot get strep throat.  

When I took Vance to go get the girls I took his field trip permission slip and money to his teacher and on our way back to the van I told him he was going to go see a very special acrobat show at Popejoy Hall.  He said "Mom, I'm going to go see bats!!".  

ahhh, yes, that's my son.  

(****I will reply to those of you that commented on the post about Levi soon...thank-you.****)

I am a terrrrrrrrrible mom, just ask my daughter.

   So our Ped was booked today, it's that time of year.  Everyone and I mean everyone is cramming into doctors offices.  I don't know why the fall gets so much hype, spring is way worse as far as illness.  I despise going to the doctor for any reason in March and April.  Last March Alorah was on oxygen at home for 5 days because they did not have room for her at the hospital.  I knew taking Vance and Alorah to Urgent Care was going to be a long, exhausting event...and it was.  We got there at 11:45 and we didn't leave until almost 3pm.  I should have gotten there at 11:15, they open at noon and the line was 20 deep when we got there.  The kids were really good for 99% of it.  They played their DS(i)'s and watched tv and found a dead fish in the tank.  Around 1pm Alorah started to meltdown, she was pissed off and over it.  I heard about it.  Over and over and over.  Vance was actually really good about everything.  We finally get in a room around 1:30pm (by the way Vance weighed 50.2 pounds!  I am guessing a good 2 pounds of that was clothes and shoes but he's finally gaining weight!!!!).  We got Outer Space, which was cool because we'd never been in that room and I am sick to death of Asia.  The kids play I-Spy, that's the great thing about school agers, they can make a game out of ANYthing!!!  It's so cool.  Their creativity astounds me.  The doc comes in and I try not to audibly grumble.  The one doc at this clinic I cannot stand is the one we get 8/10 of the time.  This doc is condescending and talks at you instead of to you.  The exact opposite of their Ped.  This doc infuriates me. The doc decides to test Alorah and not Vance because she has enough symptoms to warrant a test (sore throat, vomiting, no signs of allergies/cold, and her throat looks awful), the nurse makes her gag and I'm glad we got an aggressive one.  The nurses that blindly stick the swab in and move it without making them gag concern me...for many reasons.  This one gets a great gag out of Alorah and she takes it in stride.  10 minutes later doc and nurse come back to tell me Alorah is positive and that they would check Vance.  Doc gives some half-assed talk about carriers vs kids that are sick and blah blah blah blah, I blocked it out.  The mere voice of this doc irritates me.  Another 10 minutes, Vance's rapid is negative.  Cool.  Now do we do an injection or oral antibiotics?  Alorah is awesome with shots.  She giggles with flu shots.  MMR is the only one to ever rattle her and let's face it, that baby burns.  I ask her and she agrees to go with the shot.  Awesome, she's had it before so she knows what she is agreeing to.  The nurse comes in with the shot and tells her to get on her tummy.  All hell breaks loose.  Last time they did the shot, at this very same clinic, they gave it in her leg.  Getting it in her booty was NOT what she had in mind.  She starts to freak out and I have to make a choice-force it or give in and go with oral.  She is on so many daily meds, her immune system has taken a hit with every round of steroids (4 rounds in 4 months), I am worried if we even missed one dose the strep wouldn't go away and she has been sick SO much this year.  One shot and we can have peace of mind.  I decide to force it.  I know my child, I know she will be fine, and I know that I am doing this because I honestly think it is best for her.
I let them call in another nurse to help hold her down.  She screams bloody murder.  It's over very quickly.  She is pissed.  I betrayed her and she is so angry with me she can barely look at me.  This isn't my normal parenting style and I felt awful because I honestly think she felt like I broke her trust.  My job is to keep her safe.  We have had strep outbreaks over and over and over in this house before, it was AWFUL.  I do not want her stomach wrecked from another daily med for 10 days.  If she flares she would be on 9 meds every day, that is just TOO much.  I made the choice I honestly feel was best for her because of her current health.  (by the way she gets a book she desperately wants and bubblegum ice cream tomorrow-I am NOT above bribery).  I gave her Motrin when we got home.  About an hour ago she told me her bum doesn't hurt anymore and it really wasn't that bad, it was worth it.
I'm glad that I took her, the vomit was a huge tip-off that it might actually be strep.  That and her throat DID look awful.  I don't regret having her do the shot.  I am pretty sure she knows and trusts that I don't make choices like that lightly and that I would never let anyone give her a shot if I didn't think it was best.  For about 30 minutes she hated me, she was seething mad, but at the end of the day we both know that I love her more than life itself and I just want her safe and healthy.
I am SO glad we skipped Sofia's baptism and Rhiannon's 3rd birthday party yesterday.  I was very much on the fence about it being a virus or strep, I am just glad we didn't share!  

(I still felt about <> big though).
This Mommy stuff is not for the faint of heart!

sick kids...

may very well be the death of me.  Seriously.  They have spent more time sick these past few months than they have been healthy.  I am SO over it.  Alorah's asthma is bad enough. thankyouverymuch (who by the way had a bad attack tonight, I bought a pulse-oximeter and she was bouncing between 88-93%, more 88 than 93, along with other signs of distress.  Thankfully the neb pulled her out of it but she has nebbed 3 nights in a row.  The oral steroid "bubble of protection" has clearly popped.)  Now her tongue is white with red spots all over it, her throat is red, she threw-up a little last night, her body is still achy, and she's had chills on and off.  Tonight Vance came down with whatever IT is.  We go see their doc tomorrow.  Another class missed.  BIG HUGE SIGH.  Vance damn near lost his mind tonight...I mean that kid can be very hard on me but this was worse than I've seen him in a long, long time.  Then when he stopped loosing his mind he said his head and throat and stomach hurt.

We see Pulmo on Friday.  Another week where it feels like we live in doctor's offices.  At least they get to see their doc tomorrow.  I almost took them in to Urgent Care today but I am SO sick of that place and no one knows them like their Ped.

Any other immune-boosting supp's I can put them one?  Anyone?  Buller?  Buller?  They are currently all on vitamin D3, Omega 3's (with vitamin C and E and some other stuff thrown in), and multi-vitamins with iron (since they eat very little meat).

I try to get them to drink Emergen-C but it's hit or miss.  Some days they like it and others they hate it.  I just want my kids healthy.  I have to think they are feeling the stress of our life....

Oh and Vance's hands peel a THICK layer of skin every time he takes a bath.  Never his feet.  Just his hands.  It's creeping me OUT.  When it's done peeling his skin looks normal, sometimes there is some left-over peeling.

I'd love a reprieve from illness.  A long, long, loooooooooooong reprieve.  Maybe daycare wouldn't have been so bad.  Ha!

PINWORMS: the stuff no one tells you when you are pregnant (but I will!)

Pinworms, threadworms,seatworms, Enterobiasis


Have you heard of any of these? Worse yet have you had them? If you have had them then you know they can be MISERABLE (I had them as a tween and I am still traumatized). One of my children, whom shall remain nameless for obvious reasons, has them. I feel horrible for them. They are miserable and itchy and grossed out! A long time ago I told my kids "If you ever see anything tiny and white in your poop tell me, if you see worms in your poop tell me!" This was long before when Molly had her worms which were horrible and as long as she was so this child did not think what they had was worms because they thought worms were big..not tiny. Doctor Tom called in some medication and said child took her first dosage today, and will take another in 2 weeks. I can deal with showering one child every day, washing their under garments/sheets/pj's in HOT water every morning. I cannot deal with all 3 getting it so I went to town with my least favorite cleaner EVER. Bleach. I do not use it. I hate it. I hate worms even more!!! I am going to call around to find some Diatomaceous earth on the advice of my friend Jasmine (I will try almost anything!) . No one will tell you when you get pregnant that at some point you, too, may be scrubbing your walls, door knobs, floors, etc with bleach because of this infection or that...and they most certainly do not tell you about pinworms.  Or that at some point you will deal with choosing between your child puking on you (pretty easily cleanable) or the couch (not as cleanable) and that 99% of the time you will choose you.  No one tells you so many things but I'm telling YOU that pinworms happen and they suck and they are terribly gross and their eggs can live up to THREE WEEKS on surfaces.  So let's just hope this is a one child ordeal and we can move on.  Goodness knows I am up to my neck in every day life stuff without adding the extra laundry and showers and bleaching to my daily load.  Wish us luck and I hope you never have to deal with this madness.  I will update in a couple weeks if no one else gets it..if anyone else does, well...you'll know and I'll share whatever it is that I decide to do next.  I wish tea tree oil was enough to kill the eggs.  Those sticky microscopic bastards aren't easy to kill though!  I have to go wash the dog next, she could be carrying the eggs on her fur.  Oh yes, it is as fun as it sounds.

Some helpful links:
CDC

Influenza-boy

Not many smiles going on in this house this week. Vance got hit hard with the flu. He has not been really sick in at least two years, I am so used to him bouncing off the walls that seeing him couch-bound is incredibly sad! He has had a high fever, headache, sore throat, cough, watery eyes, body aches, oh you name a flu-symptom he has had it. He got a flu shot this year so I really don't get it. He has been a bit wheezy today so the neb has gotten a work-out. I just hope the rest of us are spared this misery! The last thing Alorah needs is the flu...please, noooo.

A slight hint of a smile, sigh.

Curled up on the couch today with the neb watching TV. He even took a nap. This kid has not napped in years.

Flu=misery. I think this pic sums it up. Miserable.

sickies and the single mom

Kids get sick. No s**t you are probably thinking. Mom's get sick. Again... These things used to be no big deal. Life was not made much more complicated by illness in my old life. Sure, asthma attacks and stomach bugs resulting in i.v. fluids sucked and made me worry but that's about it. Now, getting sick, is an emotional and financial pain in the ass. Let's face it, every penny counts. I will be fine-I have a few bucks set aside for things like this-but still. It's worrisome on a whole new level. I don't get sick pay or vacation pay for an entire year. I work in a cesspool of freaking germs and no matter how much I wash my hands when the kids bring stuff home, really, there is no escape. (by the way not offering any sick pay to people that work with kids is complete and utter crap.) Last Friday I came down with a stomach bug. I felt absolutely horrible. Our cook went home with it the day before. My boss took one look at my pasty pale face and sent me home. My absolutely amazing fantastic favorite mother-in-law kept Vance another night (he spends the night at her house most Thursdays) so I did get some rest. Some. Over the weekend I improved. I actually had a pretty good weekend, then this morning the symptoms returned. I went to work anyway. I knew we where short-staffed and I didn't want to make that worse. My boss, immediately sensing my unwell state, pulled me into the office and told me I had to go home and that they would get me out of the center as soon as possible. 2 hours later, when help arrived from another center, I went home. In the parking lot I got a call from the nurses office to come get Faith. Such timing. Ha! I went straight over to get her. She has a bad stomach ache and a headache. Alorah has a temp of 99.7, she was laying around after school so I checked it. Grrrreat. No work, no school tomorrow. So it goes. On top of it all she won't let Vance go to daycare (it's a long story and it involves the rules that go along with childcare assistance-and since I work in childcare I, unlike EVERYONE else, cannot break them). Luckily Levi still comes through for stuff when he is needed. Like today, he brought over Children's Motrin and some saltines, because I asked him to. Who wants to go to the store when they are sick? Not I. Not you. So, thanks Levi. I really do appreciate it. It's times like these that I know it could be worse. My kids could have a dad that doesn't give a damn and isn't involved. They don't and they are blessed, and so am I. It makes this single mom thing, a little easier and that is always welcome. As are times when no one is sick. Those times are freaking priceless. Esp. now. Esp. until Jan 9th 2010 when I get sick pay.

Round of Sickies

Since I started working in January we have all been sick. Faith has had 2 ear infections, Alorah has had an ear infection, Vance had a never-ending cold, and I had that sinus infection. Let's add Strep Throat for all the kids and another ear infection for Faith. Sure, why not. Ugh. Faith started with a fever and a bad headache on Sunday. She and Vance stayed with Levi that night and did great yesterday. Faith woke up with a sore throat this morning but she ate and did not have a fever so I gave her motrin and told her to go to the nurse if she felt unwell. When she got to daycare she had another headache so I asked them to check her temp, 99.4. 2 hours later when we got home it was 103. I had already made an appointment at After Hour's Peds when I was on lunch for 6:30pm. Thank goodness. Her left ear is infected again, she said there was a raging infection, bless her heart and she came back positive for strep. Having gone through strep with my kids a time...or 20...I asked that she please test the other two so we checked them in and sure enough they both have it too. I was going to have my mom watch Faith and still go to work but obviously that was not going to work. Levi is swamped at work because of the high school basketball tournaments at the Pit and my mom simply cannot watch all 3 kids when they are all sick. I called in and explained the situation, thankfully my boss took it well. I'm not thrilled about loosing a whole days pay but that's the way it goes with kids. Levi did go get their prescriptions and bring them over, which was extremely helpful. I am exhausted. I miss the days of someone getting sick not being a huge event that requires a whole lot of help and planning to get through.

Sidenote: Vance, while I was taking a bath, decided to mess with his nightlight in his room. I guess he zapped himself. Scared the crap out of him. He was so traumatized. Lessen learned I guess. He said it hurt his feelings.

Oh, and they all slept in their own beds all night last night and this mommy got a fantastic nights sleep!!!!

4 days in and we are already SICK!

Vance has had 4 days of daycare and he is already sick. Woke up throwing up mucus. I absolutely cannot take off. Levi is going to take him to see Dr. Tom, he has had a cough for a month and though he was seen 2 weeks ago this is a new symptom. Want to make sure he is not having a bad asthma flare.

I hate that I can't be the one to take him :( I've always been there...

So sad...

just another 'magic' Monday

Vance-4 year olds can double for puppy-pillows.














Faith-Has bronchitis. As evident by keeping her and I both awake until 3am on Saturday night into Sunday. She is on the mend, but stayed home to catch up on rest. Too bad mommies don't get to do the same!











































Cookies-chocolate cookies w/ peanut butter chips. Very tasty.


It is supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow with snow. brrrrrrrrrrr. Maybe I'll make some lentil soup, I've been craving some!

What sniffle sniffle cough cough looks like

"I don't feel fine Mommy"

awwww

But, Buzz and Woody always make it a little bit better. So, he is laying in my bed watching Toy Story 2 (because the whole creepy toy thing in Toy Story 1 weirds me out too much)

Seriously, could he be more pathetic?

sniffle sniffle cough cough

I've thought for a few days that V-man was coming down with something. He fell asleep the other night, Wednesday, from 4:30-6pm and then he ate dinner and went to bed at 7:30. Weird. Then last night he passed out at 7:15. Weird. Now his nose is running like a faucet and he's coughing and my throat is sore. Yuck. So I plugged in a Pedia Care Gentle Vapor thing and I have a pot on the wood burning stove filled with water, to moisten the air. He is running a low-grade fever. Oh, one of my most favorite inventions I discovered last March when I had bronchitis-Puffs with Vicks. Fantastic. So far he isn't wheezing, retracting, or flaring. Time will tell if it goes that way. He is snuggled up in jammies and his brand-new Spider-man slippers he picked out at Target a couple days ago.
Hopefully his fever does not increase. Ever since I read this study I think Brandi sent it to me, and this study it makes me weary of using either Tylenol and Motrin on my kids. I have always avoided giving any fever-relievers until temps reach 102+, that is the point with my kids that they don't function and refuse to get off the couch. They both had chronic ear infections, V-man ruptured his ear drum before he was 6 months old, so they both had to have pain relievers early on. It makes me wonder now...
I have to wonder if any of us make it through parenting without second-guessing ourselves. It's always such a fine line.
So, the sounds of our house today consist of "sniffle, sniffle, cough, cough" mommy can I have some more lemon (he loves lemon and honey tea that I make). So tweet.

Feel better little man! Girls, don't get what your brother has!

oh, and a little side note, today is a yellow day and so is tomorrow. Yucky pollution. This is why that sucks.