Hello.
I have been pretty much home bound the last 9 days, the Son had been sick and venturing beyond is just a waste of time with a 5 year old that swings from a loving sweetie, to a kicking grumpy kaiju (also known as Monster in the movie Pacific Rim).
Here is our past one week and two days in case you were wondering.
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Day 1
Coughs with slight fever at the end of the day. Hmm let’s see what meds we have in the cabinet. Some Actifed? Dimetapp? Some Panadol for the fever? The Son protests at the foul tasting ones, ok I suppose he doesn’t really need it at this point. Our nights of interrupted sleep begins.
Day 3
Cough is not letting up, Fever spiked up to 38. Let’s see, the doctor said anything beyond 38.5 we should give Ibuprofen? Phenexpect would help him sleep? Fever lets up at times, yayhay signs of recovery!? Appetite is hugely diminished, energy level: normal.
Day 4
Hardly eating, energy level: normal (by normal 5 year old standard), Low by boundless energy bunny standard. Night time, we decided to bring him to a GP since it’s the only one available on a weekend night. Let’s pick the ones we are covered for with insurance? Ok, here’s the nearest one. Popped in the nearest clinic got our antibiotics, felt much more relieved. Yeah let’s nuke those buggers!
Day 6
Morning, still erratic temperature, we went to his paediatrician, X-ray showed gunk in lungs. Doctor Linqi suspected pneumonia. A blood test was required. Took a Q number. When his turn came, we spent twenty minutes trying to convince the Son a blood test is much less painful than his last fall. Screams and cries.
No blood test for him.
We were told that his antibiotics were the wrong dosage. At his weight it should almost be doubled of what he was taking. He was prescribed another short dose of stronger antibiotic, increased dose of Augmentin. Phexpect and Actifed were both prescribed.
Day 8
Day 8 of struggling with the amount of TV time he is having and terrible tasting medicines. Day 8 of multiple debates on whether soaks in the bathtub spikes the fever. Day 8 of “You can’t have any more chocolate, it’s making you ill” even when he was not eating. Written notes of “you hate me” and “I hate mama”, “Ya? Well I don’t care if you die!” Apologies. Both ways.
Day 8, after bouts of extreme crankiness, vomit on the bedsheets, two nights of camping on the bedroom floor. Hot and room temperature water sips in the middle of the nights. Dinosaur egg excavating activity. Twenty books. Ipad games. All sorts of yogurt drinks. Looking up recipes and cooking bone broth and of course short escapades to the mall for sanity.
Day 8 evening, he finally finished his bowl of noodles without expelling on either ends, I swear there were tears in my eyes.
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Today, just before mosquito hour, we brought him to the park for a short walk. We looked at the odd pitcher plants and listened out for the belching frogs. We admired the pink stemmed tapiocas and smelled the lemon basil and mugwort. He balanced on his two wheeled bike that he’s grown way too big for and wrote me a note that says, “For Mama: I will help you.”
He’s going back to school tomorrow. As I type this at 430 am in the morning, I realised the times I had forgotten about the swell in my belly.
There’s another one coming??
Haha, Nadim and I are doing it all over again.
We can’t wait.