On Saturday morning, our girl started with a low grade fever again. With a little tylenol, she was back to her happy self so we decided to pass on the urgent saturday morning doctor's visit.... and by 5pm we (and by "we" I mean "I") were regretting our decision. By then, her eyes were red and tearing, her nose was snotting green like crazy, and her fever was up to 101.7. My prediction: secondary ear and sinus infection from the cold she's had the past two weeks.
With no Sunday office hours at the pediatrician, we had to stick it out until Monday. Saturday night Cassidy did pretty well, with only one wake up and long stretches of sleep. Sunday she was lethargic, wanting only to sleep in our laps or with us holding her.
She had trouble nursing starting Saturday night because of the congestion, and then on Sunday couldn't eat solids either because her mouth hurt. We regressed back to bottles (we were down to 2 bottles a day and using sippy cups) to get her to take fluids.
Sunday night was miserable. She woke up just about every hour, cried inconsolably while awake not wanting to be held, but cried harder when we put her down. Mommy cried hysterically right along with her as she flailed on the ground and in our arms. Daddy stepped up and took her to the opposite end of the house so I could compose myself. The only good thing about this was that the screaming seemed to loosen up her congestion enough that she could nurse a bit.
Her fever finally let up overnight on Sunday, though we continued giving her tylenol for the pain so the fever really didn't have much chance to show. On Monday, she seemed a little better, but I called the pediatrian first thing and got an appointment for 11am. When I walked in to the office, I nearly turned around and walked out. The "Sick Waiting Room" was full ... as in, only a chair or two left, with people coughing and kids laying down or resting their heads on their parents lap or shoulder.
Now I'll be the first to admit I'm a total germ-phobe, especially since the whole hospitalization from infection thing. A "well visit" in the healthy waiting room brings anxiety and massive amounts of hand sanitizing along with Cassidy staying in her stroller and touching as little as possible. I nearly choked when Jeff let her play with the toy table at the last visit, which she promptly licked. Aaacckkk! A visit involving the "sick room" makes me stressed and afraid to breath. I usually sit in a corner as far away from everyone as possible, trying to inhale as little as possible, and coating my hands in sanitizer after touching the doors or chairs. Monday's visit brought me close to a panic attack. I looked through the window into that room and decided right then that there was NO WAY I was walking in there, let alone sitting in there for what is usually at least an hour for a last minute appointment on a Monday. Nope. No way. Not a chance. So I paced the 20 foot area outside the reception window with Cassidy in her sling for 45 minutes, striking up the occasional conversation with the receptionist while alternately strategically positioning us at opposite ends of the hallway from the sick room whenever the door opened and opposite the exit door where the "sick ones" were leaving the office. (Yes, I know, Cassidy is sick. But I was 99 % sure it was bacterial and not contagious ... and NOT the flu).
We finally made it in to see the doc, who apologized for the wait (as usual -- at least she knows) and made the expected diagnosis ... secondary bacterial sinus and ear (both ears) infection, along with a bit of wheezing in her chest (big surpise there). So we got the prescription for antibiotics, instructions to increase breathing treatments to 3 or 4 times a day, and come back in a week if things aren't better.
I stayed home Monday and Jeff left work at 3 so I could go into the lab for a couple hours to get some experiments going. Same thing today. Cassidy's still not running a fever, and has had her second dose of antibiotics this evening. She's almost back to normal (aside from the congestion), just more irritable and clingy than usual. So the plan is for daycare tomorrow. And please, please sleep for tonight!
With no Sunday office hours at the pediatrician, we had to stick it out until Monday. Saturday night Cassidy did pretty well, with only one wake up and long stretches of sleep. Sunday she was lethargic, wanting only to sleep in our laps or with us holding her.
She had trouble nursing starting Saturday night because of the congestion, and then on Sunday couldn't eat solids either because her mouth hurt. We regressed back to bottles (we were down to 2 bottles a day and using sippy cups) to get her to take fluids.
Sunday night was miserable. She woke up just about every hour, cried inconsolably while awake not wanting to be held, but cried harder when we put her down. Mommy cried hysterically right along with her as she flailed on the ground and in our arms. Daddy stepped up and took her to the opposite end of the house so I could compose myself. The only good thing about this was that the screaming seemed to loosen up her congestion enough that she could nurse a bit.
Her fever finally let up overnight on Sunday, though we continued giving her tylenol for the pain so the fever really didn't have much chance to show. On Monday, she seemed a little better, but I called the pediatrian first thing and got an appointment for 11am. When I walked in to the office, I nearly turned around and walked out. The "Sick Waiting Room" was full ... as in, only a chair or two left, with people coughing and kids laying down or resting their heads on their parents lap or shoulder.
Now I'll be the first to admit I'm a total germ-phobe, especially since the whole hospitalization from infection thing. A "well visit" in the healthy waiting room brings anxiety and massive amounts of hand sanitizing along with Cassidy staying in her stroller and touching as little as possible. I nearly choked when Jeff let her play with the toy table at the last visit, which she promptly licked. Aaacckkk! A visit involving the "sick room" makes me stressed and afraid to breath. I usually sit in a corner as far away from everyone as possible, trying to inhale as little as possible, and coating my hands in sanitizer after touching the doors or chairs. Monday's visit brought me close to a panic attack. I looked through the window into that room and decided right then that there was NO WAY I was walking in there, let alone sitting in there for what is usually at least an hour for a last minute appointment on a Monday. Nope. No way. Not a chance. So I paced the 20 foot area outside the reception window with Cassidy in her sling for 45 minutes, striking up the occasional conversation with the receptionist while alternately strategically positioning us at opposite ends of the hallway from the sick room whenever the door opened and opposite the exit door where the "sick ones" were leaving the office. (Yes, I know, Cassidy is sick. But I was 99 % sure it was bacterial and not contagious ... and NOT the flu).
We finally made it in to see the doc, who apologized for the wait (as usual -- at least she knows) and made the expected diagnosis ... secondary bacterial sinus and ear (both ears) infection, along with a bit of wheezing in her chest (big surpise there). So we got the prescription for antibiotics, instructions to increase breathing treatments to 3 or 4 times a day, and come back in a week if things aren't better.
I stayed home Monday and Jeff left work at 3 so I could go into the lab for a couple hours to get some experiments going. Same thing today. Cassidy's still not running a fever, and has had her second dose of antibiotics this evening. She's almost back to normal (aside from the congestion), just more irritable and clingy than usual. So the plan is for daycare tomorrow. And please, please sleep for tonight!
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