live from sublurbia

Day one, post one. Already into re-runs.

I have been planning my first post for three days, maybe four. Helvetica, our youngest, had had a bowel movement of epic proportions at daycare, and I intended to go on about the wonderous joy that is poop. Maybe work in a reference to the Madness of King George while I was at it.

However, our eldest, Wolfie, spiked a fever last night and a cough that had him barfing, keeping us out of work and school today. First time he’s really been sick for Dr Cool, first time he’s been very sick at all, since we left Mc Doctor’s practice and I locked in Parent of the Year 2005.

We spent the day going to Dr Cool, taking a rapid Strep-B test, and ruling out pneumonia with a chest x-ray (he liked the cow-patterned lead apron he had to wear). He’s resting now, with a heavy-duty cough suppressant helping him finally get some sleep, and I’m about to cork off as well. Dr Cool has Saturday hours; I need to call and get a follow up tomorrow. I’ve just spent the last hour looking for this message I wrote my friends back in the spring of 2005, and getting my camera phone pictures of the rashes and hives printed out to add to his medical record. Meantime, enjoy. I’ll write about poop later.

Originally written 31 March 2005 @ 07:26 pm

I love and hate the internet.

I should be sleeping, but I’m not, I’ll go soon. I promise. Giving the kid green beans and rolling him in curry powder didn’t win me Worst Parent 2004, but here is my entry for 2005:

I have a full write up of the past few days, but basically, he was sick Friday, fever and a vomit at 5pm, we gave him Tylenol, fever continued so we started varying with Motrin. He’s had mild occasional diarrhea and coughing for a few weeks now so we added in Reuteri (probiotic) and eliminated fruits and juices. Cold symptoms coming and going.

Started varying with Motrin? Not sure when over the weekend. I didn’t write it down.

I don’t care if they’re over six months old and not preemies. Always write this stuff down.

He started spotting on the trunk a bit Monday morning, 40% of his trunk by afternoon (second dr appt, sat morning he was diagnosed with unidentified usual kid virus, keep him comfortable and no food restrictions unless he starts barfing again). Still had cold symptoms too sometimes.

Monday, probable diagnosis of coxsackie and ear infection and bacterial pink eye (from rubbing his snot into his eyes). Did not give antibiotic for ear infection (I refused it as his mild ones do clear up on their own), gave eye drops and Benadryl for rash.

Tuesday, rash and fevery still, quiet because of Benadryl. Some blue spots under his skin, but he’s fair-skinned, not a big deal as his extremities were fine (I called the ped, spoke to a nurse).

Wednesday, fever, rash, chills, blue fingers and toes. Off to the ER. Diagnosed with rotavirus (long fever time and diarrhea, just like he had) confirmed much later with stool sampling. Diagnosed pneumonia with an x-ray, blood sample taken thursday to rule out “walking pneumonia” which would cause the rash.

Which all made them think that the rash was caused by … Motrin. I’d read about allergic reactions before to Motrin, but I’d forgotten the green bean incident and the rolling him in curry powder and how he looked then - and I still assumed it was coxsackies, but he had no sores. Somewhere in there they also suspected Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.

Don’t assume the doctor’s cursory examination is automatically right, especially if he or she is reluctant to listen to you on other things.

And as an infant, Tylenol Cold was packaged so conveniently and worked so well on his fevers, we hardly if ever used Motrin in any form.

Do use the Internet to confirm what you are told about your child.

He got Motrin more often than Tylenol because it was easier to dose, and because a couple of times it appeared to work on his fever. But the fever would sometimes come and go on its own. But every piece of it in my own post-game analysis last night I put together points to rash going down after dosing with Tylenol. He was experiencing symptoms similar to a severe allergic reaction with some of his symptoms.

I think the kid is (permanently) fine. We just had a long couple of days at home, and a long night in a hospital getting him re-fluided (he wasn’t bad off, but he wasn’t great) and Benadryled/steroid down from the allergic reaction. If you’re really uncomfortable with what you’re being told and the symptoms don’t quite fit (sixth day of fever, no reduction in rash), the ER would much rather do a double check and send you home than have you wait too long to come in.

As for rotavirus and pneumonia - could be a chicken and egg deal. Who knows which let which in, or if they were let in because he was being run down these past few weeks by a low grade viral infection from life in the petri dish daycare.

I’ve read the horror stories about the problems Motrin has appeared to cause in a few people. I’m not worried about that … but I wish I’d kept closer notes so I might have been able to have us put it all together a few doses earlier.