Thursday, October 08, 2009

This Little Piggy Sucks

Yesterday morning I was told that my two youngest "most likely" had the swine flu. They each passed the "regular" flu test but were obviously incredibly sick so the nice lab tech at my pediatrician's office offered up that sound advice.

Most likely.

So Brad and I went home and equipped ourselves with gallons and gallons of juices, Tylenol and Motrin and settled in for an exhaustingly long day. We had already survived an exhaustingly long night with one or both kids up almost constantly and now that we had a diagnosis in hand, we felt ready for battle.

Wihle Sienna rebounded nicely all day long, the Tylenol and Motrin did little for Austin's fever which steadily hovered around 103. When he spiked back up to 104.4, I called Brad in a panic who came racing home and off to the local Doc in a Box we went. We were luckily seen almost immediately and once an actual doctor looked him over, he said "this kid doesn't have the flu!"

Which was a huge relief because I had intermittently spent the day planning their joint funerals. Because, you know, it was the swine flu. The one with all the nasty publicity and taglines of Death! Destruction! Deformity! All because of some silly little piggy.

So to hear that I could continue on in life and sporadically enjoy bacon again did wonders for my mental state. This left the question, however, of what in the world did my poor little sickies have?

"Extremely nasty, puss-y, swollen throat infection."

That's a direct quote from the doctor.

When the poor doctor went to exam Austin's throat, Austin gagged and sprayed the good man with a combination of chunky, puss-y, nastiness. It. Was. Foul. After that, he opted not to do a culture for fear of another chunky shower but swiftly prescribed antibiotics and off we went.

Here's the thing: when Brad talked to our pediatrician's nurse yesterday, she immediately said "sounds like the flu. Come to the lab to confirm." We never saw a doctor yesterday morning and spent most of the day treating the wrong symptoms with the wrong meds in a baby who was miserable. It seems as though the swine flu has everyone all aflutter in panic and while I understand the concern, I hope we're not treating people under the assumption that everyone has The Pig Problem while the real culprits of strep and colds are running rampant.

As for Austin, once we started him on the antibiotics, he quickly turned the corner and slept soundly all night.

Except that's not true. He slept soundly until 12:30 am and then cried until 5:30 am. At least I got to watch 3 episodes of Glee while holding a waling Austin. That Kristen Chenoweth was a hoot!

Today's lesson, my dear friends: follow your gut and eat more bacon.

9 comments:

tharker said...

I just love you. That's all I can say. Oh, and I will NEVER give up bacon ;)

Michele said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Heather said...

Really, no doctor?? Glad you figured out the problem, albeit a pussy chunky problem.

Sarah said...

I too think the media has everyone in a panic. It is scary because you don't know what the symptoms mean when your kids get sick now. Glad you got a better diagnosis (although it came from rushing Austin back to the doctor) and figured out what was really wrong. Hope you get some much needed rest today if you get the chance. Oh yeah, and Glee rocks.

Tana said...

Your humor in light of probably a not so lovely day just makes me smile. Could we survive all the crap we have to endure some days without laughter? I think not. Hope everyone is feeling better soon!

Kelly said...

Only you could make a puss-y mess funny. I'm sending you all my good health mojo your way in hopes that the rest of you family stays healthy. Maybe this weekend just isn't in the cards for us... We can reschedule to a less germy weekend perhaps?

Shayla said...

Sounds similar to our house right now. A fever that just won't stop (over 5 days now!) and nasty cough, cold yuckiness overall. The school just wouldn't stop calling me, though. Concerned that I should take her to the doctor..etc, they need a doctor's note, etc. I'm thinking? The kid has a nasty cold and fever, why spend $20 to get told that and sent home? But after enough worry that maybe I'm not taking her symptoms seriously enough, off to the doctor we go yesterday. Only to be told that yes, she has a nasty cold/throat/nose/yuckiness that can't be treated with antibiotics. When I venture across the inevitable swine flu question...I get told that they aren't even testing for it unless there is fear of a hospital trip, that the test takes 12 days to get results back and costs over $300 which some insurances aren't paying. By the time the test comes back, most people are already over it. Panic much? I think yes. We moms should be given awards for our endless nights and gut instincts. Hope your family sees wellness soon!

Melanie said...

Ok, I am so glad you spelled puss-y with dash. I am glad your children are not infected with the pigginess of controversial over-hype, but I am most thankful that they are starting to feel better. Way to be on it!!!

vwbabe said...

This sucks, just sucks. I hope he gets better soon and I hope that my kids and myself don't get it :)