Whew

What a week! I know my posts have been extremely minimal lately, but we had a tough week. I'm pretty happy that I managed to post for my gratitude challenge at all. I'll fill you in on some of our excitement.

How it all began... Ariel had a fever and was tapping her head last Wednesday. I figured she might have another ear ache, so into the doctor we went on Thursday morning (doctor one). One ear was infected the other had lots of fluid. Off to Walgreens for our amoxicillan. We had a busy weekend planned with grandparents and great-grandparents and church friends. I was hoping the antibiotic would work quickly and she would still be able to have fun. Well, it kinda worked that way.

Friday night, we headed to the Outer Banks to spend the weekend at the beach before the annual "pig pickin'" (no actual pig...we joked a little about false advertising, it was seriously good barbeque nonetheless) at Son Rise. Ariel really wasn't herself all weekend. I believe she made the best of it (for a 19 month old), but she was clearly still sick. As the weekend wore on, she started coughing worse than normal and had a constant runny nose. She was still tapping her head too. No more fever though. We treated with tylenol and lots of hugs (and tissues).

Uncle Joey and three of his kids showed up Saturday night to add to our fun. We spent some time at the beach, we geocached, we ate ice cream, we learned sign language, we ate great meals. It really was a wonderful weekend. Monday afternoon we headed home. I figured we might be heading back to the doctor soon though to see if Ariel wasn't responding to the antibiotics for some reason.

Tuesday morning, Ariel had a check up in Va with a cranio-facial specialist (doctor two). Her soft spot is still noticeably open, so we need to start keeping track of it. The specialist didn't seem concerned. He said she still in the range for normal, she has no other symptoms that warn of a bigger problem, and her head development seems fine. We will keep checking with a physical exam every three months. Honestly, Jason and I both feel like the opening has grown smaller in the time since the first doctor noticed it was still open. We aren't too concerned.

However, while were there Ariel coughed...and coughed and coughed till the nurses were concerned. They asked if we wanted to see their pediatrician while we were there. I agreed because I didn't really understand what they were asking or why at the time. I foolishly assumed she was giving me a choice in which doctor I wanted to see from their group. It didn't make sense...of course we wanted the pediatrician, right? Whoops. We got to see two doctors at the appointment: the specialist and the pediatrician....we will receive two bills: one for no real problem and one saying see your doctor. I'll explain. I said yes, so they sent the pediatrician in (doctor three), he thinks he hears some wheezing, but not enough for emergency breathing treatments and suggests I take her to her pediatrician when we go home. Seriously. A doctor came in and told me I needed to take my daughter to see a doctor later that day (like I was already planning to do, mind you). Sigh. I should have asked more questions or just said no thank you.

Anyhow, finally we leave...Ariel was SSSOOOO ready to get out of that room. We eat lunch with Gram and drive home. I let her take her nap. Then off we go to the pediatrician (doctor four). We get there at 3:30. The doctor has a hard time listening to Ariel, but eventually agrees that she hears wheezing. We're getting a breathing treatment.

Mommy moment. I never had asthma. I didn't have many friends with it and I have never seen anyone get a breathing treatment. I didn't even know what that meant to be honest. I'd never seen a nebulizer. I was a little concerned. This was all very new to me.

The staff didn't seemed bothered by it though. The doctor says breathing treatment and walks out. A nurse comes in and sets up the machine very quickly and puts the mask on Ariel without a word. I quickly ask how she thinks Ariel will handle it. She semi-smiles and says nothing. She says I'll be back in 10 minutes, turns, and leaves. I think "hmm apparently this is no big deal around here." Before I finish that thought Ariel is screaming and pulling the mask off. I put it back on and hold it firmly on her face with my hand. I try to pick her up into my lap. I use my arms to pin her arms down and my other hand to keep her from pulling the tube off the mask. I try to talk soothingly, but I'm not feeling very soothed myself so I'm pretty sure I wasn't very successful. She keeps crying and flailing and turning her head and squirming to get away from me. I'm thinking...10 minutes of this??!! I know the nurses' station is literally two feet from the door to our room, so they can't possibly not hear her. Surely, someone will come back in to see if we are okay. Nope.

Physically this is tiring because I'm restraining her. Mentally I don't even know if I'm doing it all correctly. Did I put the tube back in correctly when she pulled it out? Is she still getting enough medicine if she pulls the mask of 15 times during the 10 minutes? Does it still work if she is screaming and crying rather than calmly breathing? How long has it been? Emotionally I'm exhausted. We've already seen two doctors today and driven two hours at least. I don't know what all this means at all. Do I have to do this at home too? Is this just the beginning? Why do I feel like someone should be assisting me, but clearly the staff here does not?  How can I calm her down? Why can't I calm her down? Mommies calm their babies down. That's what we do, right? I'm on the verge of tears. That's not going to help. I stop them (thankfully). I start singing. I don't even know what, but it helped. For the final 30 seconds, she was calm. Then the nurse walked in took the mask off and left. Like it was nothing. It was nothing for her. I'll be okay if she isn't our nurse anymore. It was five o'clock. I guess she needed to get home?

The doctor comes in says it is bronchiolitis. We need to change antibiotics. She looks at Ariel's ears and says they look fine (she "wasn't impressed by them"). We need to take the nebulizer home and give Ariel breathing treatments at morning and night and as needed till the cough is gone. This doctor wasn't bad. She was nice and she tried to explain things, but looking back I was too worn down to ask all the right questions by the end of it all. They loaded me up with all my equipment, my baby, and my bag and sent me off to pay. I was beyond exhausted. It was not easy getting to the car, but we made it.

Jason met me at the house. Thankfully. We went out to dinner and picked up our new prescriptions. Ariel did her first at home treatment with daddy. It was fun learning to set up the nebulizer myself, since noone had time for that at the office. Oh well. She fell asleep this time. She had a long day too.

Wednesday. Easy day. Everything seemed better. Less coughing. Two breathing treatments. Second dose of new antibiotics. Good day. I started feeling a little sick in the evening. I figured I was getting Ariel's cold that started all her issues. Life.

Thursday things got fun again. Hardly any coughing all day. That's the good thing. On the bad side, Ariel woke up with red bumps on her belly and chest. They looked like mosquito bites. I show Jason and he agrees. They were a little red to have gotten the night before. I call Lindsey...but we still think bug bites. Maybe there is something in the sand box. We go to Jason's work. The bumps seem to be getting worse. She clearly has an allergy to whatever bit her. I call the doctor and make sure she can have benadryl with her new antibiotic. Yeppers. She takes her benadryl, we eat lunch, and off to nap land.

While she napped, I got more concerned. That reaction is really weird looking. Maybe I should call the doctor, it might be the new antibiotic. Sick hours are over so the can't see us and she isn't bad enough for the ER, so she instructs me to give more benadryl and a dose of the antibiotic in the morning before bringing her in. This is apparently to "verify" that it is the cause. At first she seemed certain it was bugs, but as we talked more she was concerned it was a reaction. Ariel was never bothered by the bumps at all. She was fine. Completely fine. She looked crazy, but she was fine.

Friday morning, we followed the nurse's instructions even though it seemed ridiculous to cause more reaction in her already upset body, but Jason and I agreed. Plus we were at the doctor's office less than 5 minutes after I gave it to her just in case. She is covered with red rings and huge red areas where the rings and bumps have merged from behind her knees up to her forehead. A  new doctor (doctor five) looks at her for two seconds and says classic drug reaction. Sorry you gave her more this morning...it's gonna get worse today then slowly get better. Give her benadryl as needed.

I talked to this doctor for 15 minutes or maybe more. I wanted to ask all my questions this time. I asked about her prior "allergy induced" cough, her ears, her lungs, her breathing treatments, why this reaction was different, what I needed to watch for, other possible causes, etc. He was very kind and patient and took lots of notes. It was a good visit. Her ears looked good, her lungs sounded good, her skin, well it would get better eventually.

It did get worse so we were comforted that we really knew the cause. It is almost all better now. Ariel is back to herself. I got sicker as the days progressed. It was a bad, bad head cold. I can't remember a cold this bad. I understand now why Ariel was so uncomfortable over the weekend and tapping her head. It hurt with head congestion. I'm getting better now too.

This week's lessons:
1. It is hard being a mommy to a sick toddler when you are sick, too.
2. My husband is amazing. He came home early Friday and cooked delicious spaghetti and meatballs and took care of everything, even the cleaning, while I was sick.
3. I'll do my best not to visit the pediatrician at the end of the day ever again.
4. Try not to see 5 different doctors for 5 different "reasons" for one kid in the same week. Try.
4. When anyone asks if you want to see the pediatrician, ask more questions. DO NOT just say yes without thinking even if you are hold a squirming, unhappy toddler in the middle of a hospital hallway surrounded by strangers.
5. It is nice and helpful to have an extra adult at doctor's appointments with a toddler (not required, definitely convenient).
6. When any medical professional asks us if Ariel has any drug allergies, the answer is "why yes, she's allergic to azithromycin."