Lockdown

When I taught school we had drills for all sorts of things...fire drills, tornado drills, earthquake drills, and then "lockdown" drills (which did actually become important the day a bank down the street was robbed and the get away car was ditched in our parking lot....but I digress).  Evidentally, children like mine enjoy a good "lockdown" every once in a while.  Yes, of course, this just means one thing....more sickness in the Hayden house that requires us to stay INDOORS and me to Lysol/Clorox wipe/hand sanitize all surfaces on a routine basis.  The sweet person who helps me clean my house said that they reason my kids are always sick is because I am TOO clean and they are TOO vaccinated.  HA!  If only.....

Our fun story begins LAST Monday.  Baby boy wakes with a high fever (over 102)...I give him Motrin and he is saying "ouch" with every drink.  I figure....well COULD be strep...but more likely the virus that kids in the summer always seem to get that gives them mouth sores.  He of course REFUSES to allow to me look into his mouth...so I make a dr. appt.  The ONLY available appt was at 4:30 p.m.  We go through an entire day...girls go to pool with the sitter....come home and my mom comes to watch them while I take sick lil boy to the dr.  You know things are GREAT when the dr. gasps when she finally gets a good look at your child's throat.  I think the exact words were, "Ouch!  That is a BAD throat.  Gross.  My guess is strep or mono...it really looks THAT bad."  So...in comes nurse for strep swab.  Again, it is LOVELY when a nurse dry heaves while swabbing your child's throat!!!  Seriously.  What was he GROWING back there?  Mushrooms???  And wonder of wonders....swab comes up NEGATIVE.  Dr. does not really believe this diagnosis...swabs again and sends it for culture...we will get results in 2 days.  On the way out, we stop and look at his swab results one more time and it was sort of like looking at a pregnancy test.  Between the dr., nurse, and myself we think there IS a faint line showing positive.  We walk away with a scrip and the knowledge that culture will tell us more in a few days, but we are covered for now. 

I walk into my house and take ONE look at my 6 year old laying on the couch and just KNOW that I am royally screwed.  She looks like h*ll!!!!!!!!  I take her temp...to the tune of 103.7.  Niiiiiiiice.  That couldn't have happened ONE HOUR EARLIER so I could have taken her to the dr. TOO?  No.  No it couldn't, because, people...let me explain...that is NOT how things roll for us!!!!!!! 

Tuesday a.m. at the CRACK of dawn I have EVERYONE up.  I take the girls in for strep swabs figuring they have all infected one another.  BOTH NEGATIVE.  Really???  So, dr. says to chalk it up as a virus and wait for culture results...if they show positive, we will treat with scrip....otherwise treat symptoms.  Funny thing?  6 year old really HAS no symptoms.  Unlike sick lil brother her throat does not hurt, gland are not swollen, stomach doesn't hurt, she WILL eat food and drink, just has high fever.

By 24 hours of antibiotic, lil man is feeling good.  Not 100%, but GOOD.  And is no longer running a fever.  6 year old, on the other hand, continues to spike a high fever EVERY DAY....sparadocially.  One minute she is 100.4.....and 30 min later over 103.  Culture results come back on Thursday...NOTHING.  NADA.  ZIP.  ZILCH.  So, I am to weather the storm with my 6 year old as viral.  By Friday, I am begging for mercy.  I haven't left the house (outside of the times that my sweet sitters have taken pity on me and let me run an errand or two)...and 6 year old is NOT showing signs of improvement.  In fact, has developed a cough.  What....the....hell?  I call and beg for meds.  The dr. leaves the decision up to me, but I figure SOMETHING in the meds broke my 2 year old's fever, so maybe it will do the same for her.  Not so much.

Saturday...24 hours after starting meds...she spikes her highest fever yet....105.2.  Good stuff.  Today she leveled off at 103.8 at one point.  But, I am just TIRED.  I feel SORRY for my kids.  My 6 year old is GOING to miss at least PART of Vacation Bible School which starts this week.  My 2 year old and 8 year old have sort of been held hostage b/c I haven't wanted to spread our germs about town (you can all thank me later).  I JUST wanted these last couple of weeks before school starts to be NORMAL.  You know?  Pool time, relaxing, having fun, shopping for school supplies together...not on lockdown.

Instead, tomorrow my 8 year old will head to VBS solo - her exact words at bedtime tonight were "I mean, when am I going to get some attention around here?!" (To be clear...she has had PLENTY of attention...just craves the spotlight ALL of the time. Drama.).  My 2 year old will be with a lovely sitter all day to get him OUT of this Lysoled arena of a house for the day.  And my 6 year old and I will head BACK to the dr.  I am expecting possible blood work (will NOT be pretty, especially since she  really doesn't FEEL bad) and possible chest x-ray.  My prayer at this point is to get my 6 year old well enough to hit VBS at least a FEW days this week....and maybe make it to the grocery?  Pipe dreams, I know.  But, I am setting low expectations in hopes of them NOT being dashed.  I mean, heaven forbid I actually HOPE for pool time...that will only DIRECTLY curse my 8 year old into GETTING this same funky endless virus.

So, if you are ever wondering why you don't hear from me.  Why doesn't Jennifer ever call?  Why doesn't she email or text?  What is she DOING?  THIS IS WHAT I AM DOING.  And I am so freaking far behind on even telling all of my friends of the plight that I have to write it in a blog so that you can know!  lol  This too shall pass....all parents know this.

Maybe we will all be well in time for the first day of school.  Hope does spring eternal. 

Happy day, all!
xoxo