Fun Night at the ER

[Luissa]

So my son has had a fever for three days, went away today and then came back strong. He was at 104.4 when I took him into the ER, just say we didn't have to wait to get a room.
He ended up having a ear infection and probably the swine flu, so I am thinking he just had the regular flu two weeks ago or something else. I could have tested him tonight but there was no real point.
The ER looked like one of the movies where everyone has the plague, everyone was wearing masks plus the place was packed. We were lucky, got seen right away, they got his fever down, gave him a prescription and we were able to leave. Luckly now he is sleeping but I probably won't sleep much tonight.

 

[Article 15]

We're gonna have to see proof that this is actually true otherwise this is getting moved to Echo's Rep Ho Zone.




j/k

I hope the boy is alright!

 

[Xenophon]

So my son has had a fever for three days, went away today and then came back strong. He was at 104.4 when I took him into the ER, just say we didn't have to wait to get a room.
He ended up having a ear infection and probably the swine flu, so I am thinking he just had the regular flu two weeks ago or something else. I could have tested him tonight but there was no real point.
The ER looked like one of the movies where everyone has the plague, everyone was wearing masks plus the place was packed. We were lucky, got seen right away, they got his fever down, gave him a prescription and we were able to leave. Luckly now he is sleeping but I probably won't sleep much tonight.

Sorry to hear that kiddo, hope the kid feels better soon.

 

[Luissa]

Once they got his fever down and he actually took a popsicle, he was doing much better. He wouldn't drink or eat anything for the last three days. He was just sick two weeks ago, so he has lost 6lbs in three weeks.
Hopefully after this he is done being sick for awhile. Knock on wood!

 

[eots]

probably a compromised immune system from vaccines

 

[Luissa]

he started day care a month, he has hardly been sick until now.

 

[trams]

Hope your boy is alright. Good thoughts for you and him.

 

[Luissa]

thanks!

 

[strollingbones]

he will now catch it all..daycare sucks like that....

hope he is fit as a fiddle....soon

 

[Annie]

he will now catch it all..daycare sucks like that....

hope he is fit as a fiddle....soon

Yep. Then it starts all over again in kindergarten with new exposures.

Hope the child is running around today.

 

[Luissa]

He is still feeling pretty crappy, didn't eat much this morning, drank alittle milk, and had part of a popsicle.

 

[rightwinger]

Its rough being a parent sometimes

Guess we have all done the ER thing at some time, but it doesn't make things any easier

 

[Mr. H.]

Is this his first ear infection? My boys were plagued with them repeatedly. The oldest needed tubes inserted in his ears. Good luck!

 

[AllieBaba]

Would you have had to pay to have him tested for swine flu? If not, I would advise you should have him tested. Then you wouldn't have to worry about vaccinating it for him, and all the pos tests get counted so we get an accurate reading of the scope of the issue.

Flu is hard on babies, and ear infections are the worst. 104.4 is a really high fever...if my kids ran 100, I gave them a day, then we were either to the clinic during the weekdays (fucking state health care) but I didn't give a shit if we had to go to the ER if it happened on a weekend and my babies were sick. No matter how crappy the ER dr acted about it (and they can be assholes, some of them really resent welfare mothers bringing their kids in on the weekends. I once had an asshole tell me "Oh, an emergency rash". Well I brought my daughter in because she had a horrible rash that developed suddenly, and her cousin had meningitis. One of the symptoms of meningitis is a rash. Apparently not the kind my daughter had, but who give a shit?)

BTW...get your doc to prescribe you some otic ear solution..just a sec, I'll go get it...Aurodex Otic Sol. If you call your pediatrician and ask for it, they'll probably go ahead and prescribe it so you have it on hand.

For those nights when they have achy ears but aren't necessarily running a high fever, it will get you through the night and relieve ears when they can't sleep. I think it has lidocaine in it. It isn't a cure, it's just a pain reliever until you can get it treated. I wouldn't use it for more than a night or a night and morning, until you can get the antibiotics you need. I was given the script when I took my kids (who NEVER complained about ears but were just fussy and when I finally took them in had raging infections in both ears after a relatively minor cold) to relieve the pain until the meds took care of the underlying infection.

Anyway, hope your baby feels better, it's tough being a mom all around. Wait till they hit their teens and you start looking older with every passing day. I used to wonder, "Why is it that after 35 women start looking so OLD?" I found out. Every mom day after your boy turns 11 is like 10 years in human years. (You know, like 1 year in human years is 7 in dog years?)

 

[AllieBaba]

Also...fussy babies, even at night, especially if running a fever, even a slight one...a slightly warm (to you...never cold, and always at least 5-10 degrees lower than THEIR body temperature, I usually used water just slightly warm to my wrist...but if your kid is running a temp of 103 a slightly warm, to you, bath will do...so long as it's a couple of degrees lower than their body temp) a bath works wonders. It distracts them because they enjoy the bath, and it will bring down the temp without sending them into seizures (hence no cold baths). Also makes them sleepy. I can't tell you how many times I ran a bath for a fussy, sick baby in the middle of the night or in the evening because they felt icky and were fussy and running a temp, and just sat by them while they were in the tub for as long as they were willing to stay....and it really does help. Sometimes they don't want to go in, but once they're in they don't want to come out. So I left them as long as they wanted to stay, ran more water to warm it up a little when it cooled, and it works miracles.

But the rule was...no submersion of the head. I wouldn't let them put their ears in the water, just in case it was an ear infection (and it almost always is) because that just makes it worse. Water gets in there and gets stuck behind wax balls or swollen aural tubes and creates a bigger problem later.

 

[AllieBaba]

More mom stuff...babies w/ear infections don't always indicate. They don't always pull at their ears, they don't always complain of ear pain (neither of my younger kids ever did) and so it's really hard to tell.

I had ear infections all my childhood. I never indicated I had an ear infection, until I was much older (say 9) and would say, "Hey, my ears hurt". I was sick a few days and my mom actually called the ambulance for me (I'm assuming there was no car available to her, dad probably had it at work) because I'd become lethargic and unresponsive, I was about 3-4. At the hospital, it was determined I had a raging, long-term ear infection which had actually perforated my ear drum. Mom says I never cried a bit, hadn't touched my ears, she had no idea. She wasn't a nurse then, she didn't get her license until years later, but she was accustomed to working with animals, adults and kids and wasn't exactly oblivious to the symptoms of ailments. She was appalled and felt guilty because she missed it.

 

[AllieBaba]

Oh...and another mom tip...

Croupy babies...you know when they get that barking cough? It can kill because it's indicative of bronchial tubes closing up. If it's cold and moist outside, take your kid (wrapped in a blanket) outside. It stops that shit in its tracks.

Cold steam is best, but if you don't have a humidifier, and you need to take care of it fast, close your bathroom door, run the shower, hot water only, as hard and fast as it will go, run the sink hot water too, and take your kid in there and sit with him in there and let him breathe the steam. If it's really bad, hold him right over the spot where the steam is the thickest.

You can save a kid that way.

 

[Luissa]

More mom stuff...babies w/ear infections don't always indicate. They don't always pull at their ears, they don't always complain of ear pain (neither of my younger kids ever did) and so it's really hard to tell.

I had ear infections all my childhood. I never indicated I had an ear infection, until I was much older (say 9) and would say, "Hey, my ears hurt". I was sick a few days and my mom actually called the ambulance for me (I'm assuming there was no car available to her, dad probably had it at work) because I'd become lethargic and unresponsive, I was about 3-4. At the hospital, it was determined I had a raging, long-term ear infection which had actually perforated my ear drum. Mom says I never cried a bit, hadn't touched my ears, she had no idea. She wasn't a nurse then, she didn't get her license until years later, but she was accustomed to working with animals, adults and kids and wasn't exactly oblivious to the symptoms of ailments. She was appalled and felt guilty because she missed it.

My son never pulled at his ear, I never even thought it was an ear infection but the doctor said it was a bad one. His ear was very red and inflamed, I just hope it doesn't burst.
A few years ago actually right before I got pregnant with him I had a ear infection come on suddenly and became very painful fast and my ear drum burst within three days and I couldn't hear out of that ear for a month.

Right now he is laying on the floor where it is cooler and doesn't want to do anything which is very strange for him an almost two year old boy. Even last year when he had croup he still wanted to play some. I hope he gets better soon.

 

[RodISHI]

The only time either of my children got really sick was when they were little had let them go one day to a daycare center. Son picked up some terrible viral infection there. No more daycare after that. If you can try to find a private sitter that does not have tons of children there for him if you can.

They did not get sick again until kindergarten. Then it was mumps and chickenpox. We rarely had flu at our house until they hit the teen stage.