Sickly Days

It seems that illnesses in kids are just popping up all over the place.  I have two high school classmates who have children in the hospital due to illnesses...fevers, croup, unnamed...lots of yuck and praying for them.

Two of our own are down and out with illnesses as well.

Josiah has had a cold for a little over a week, and two nights ago he woke up at 1:30 with a barking cough.  If you've had a child with croup you know what I'm talking about.  I called Dr. B in the morning and asked the nurse if I should bring him in since he was not feverish and did not have stridor (a sucking/gasping noise that children make when they are trying to breath in air...related to the croup).  She still wanted to see him. 

She walked into the exam room and saw Ceili Rain's still yucky nose (after being on an antibiotic for a little over three days) and said she would check her again.  She got a brief history on what's been going on with her since she didn't have her chart and then checked her ears and her chest.  I knew it was rattling when she continued to listen to her for a long time.  Not only rattling but wheezing as well.  She put Ceili Rain on albuterol and said that she most likely had RSV.  Now, don't freak out.  RSV is a dangerous cold virus in young infants and children with other illnesses.  Ceili Rain is pretty healthy (ear infections aside) and was happy and bouncing.  Dr. B obviously didn't feel she was wheezing enough to need a nebulizer (which gets the medicine to the kid more quickly than the liquid...I believe)...so we're in the clear.  We just have to give her the meds every 8 hours...which means we have to wake her up. She's such a good sleeper that I don't think it'll phase her much...we shall see.  I had told Mark when her temp went up on Saturday that I thought it might be RSV, but wasn't sure.  Dr. B had put her on an antibiotic when I called on, Monday, to let them know she was still running a fever and it got over 101 (I had already talked to Dr. B on Sunday about our requirements for me to bug her again).

Josiah sounded clear, but she went ahead and put him on an antibiotic and told us to call if he got more croupy.  He sounds like he's been smoking for 20 years!  His voice is all raspy and hoarse.  He's not acting like he feels 100% either.

I'm very shocked that we have five children and this is the first time any of ours has had RSV.  We are truly blessed to have healthy babies and kids!