My poor sick girl

As I said earlier in the week, Hannah is sick.  It started with bacterial conjunctivitis, but that cleared up pretty much after the first application of eyedrops.  But then the fever and coughing set in.

Each morning, she would seem ok, playing and giggling, even eating breakfast.  I didn’t take her anywhere because I wanted her to get some rest and not exert herself too much.  She doesn’t usually have naps anymore, but she has been this week.  And when she wakes up, she looks miserable, is burning up, and doesn’t want to do anything but lay on the couch.

I have been taking her temperature every few hours, even in the mornings when she is happy and doesn’t seem sickly.  She hasn’t had a normal 36.8 degrees since Saturday, but in the mornings she is has been around 37.  Not too bad.  I can see her getting uncomfortable in her sleep and tossing around, and when she wakes up in the afternoon, her temperature has been 40 degrees.  The other day it got up to 40.5, which is so scary.

We had the night doctor out again 2 nights ago when her fever was 40.5 and Panadol and Nurofen were only taking it down to 38.  He said her chest and lungs sounded clear, but when she coughed he said she sounded like it could be an upper respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics.

“It could still be a virus, but with her fevers and the sound of her cough, it could definitely be an infection.”

The next morning, she seemed quite well again.  I thought she was getting better.  Until the afternoon when the fever set back in and she looked miserable.

Daniel keeping his poor sick sister company on the couch whilst watching cartoons (Daniel is sporting his sleepy face)

Last night she woke up in the middle of the night to pee.  We were woken by the bathroom light and extractor fan followed by screaming.

“MOMMY, THERE’S A COCKROACH IN THE BATHROOM!” Hannah was crying hysterically whilst freaking out, her pull up around her ankles (she only wears them at night).

A quick touch of her forehead proved she was burning up yet again.  The other nights she wasn’t feverish after she fell asleep.  I even set my alarm each night to check on her.

Another 40 degree fever.  Aaron and I were both up by then.  Cough, cough.  She sounded horrible.  And then she made the noise.  The noise the precedes the vomit.  That horrible half gagging, stuff-is-coming-up-from-the-stomach noise.  Even in the middle of the night, I am lighting fast if there is vomit involved.  We all know how much I hate vomit.  I got a bowl so fast Usain Bolt would have been left in my dust.  Vomit is Aaron’s to deal with though, so he got to hold up the bowl whilst Hannah vomited in it.

I made her drink some gatorade and take some Nurofen.

“When I’m sick, I sleep on the couch,” she told me.  I suppose because when Aaron or I am sick, that’s what we do, so that we don’t infect the other one.

She didn’t want to be alone, so I slept on the couch too.  She slept on her little fold out couch on the floor, I slept on the couch couch.  I stayed up for 45 minutes to make sure her fever went down before I went back to sleep.

This morning was the best morning she’s had since Saturday.  She stayed home from pre-school with me since she had been so sick over night, but she ate 3 pancakes for breakfast, was playing, dancing, singing, jumping around, and very happy in general.  I thought she was getting better for sure.

Until this afternoon, when again her fever set in.  39.5 degrees.  I gave her some Nurofen and took her straight to my usual doctor.  He listened to her chest giving me that usual quizzical look, trying to remember if her heart murmur is known, or not.  “Yeah, she has a heart murmur.”  I already know, it’s fine.  He wasn’t my usual doctor, but my usual doctors dad, my usual doctor is on vacation.  That’s what they told me anyway.

He put the stethoscope on her back and a concerned look crossed his face.  “She has an infection at the bottom of her left lung.” He told me.  Or something to that effect.  Maybe he said chest.  I’m not sure, but she has an infection there somewhere and now has to take stronger antibiotics because the ones she was on wouldn’t do anything to the bacteria that are colonising in her lung. Or chest.  Or whatever.

We went to the chemist to get her prescription and popped into the real estate agent to get the keys to our house (OUR HOUSE!!) while we waited.  Yeah, we got the keys today.  But we didn’t get to go there because Hannah’s health is more important.  The new house is going to have to take a back seat to our poor little sick girl.

If she isn’t improving by Saturday, I have to take her for a chest x-ray, which I already have a referral for, and if she is improving, I just have to take her back to the doctor on Tuesday.

Poor Hannah, I really hope she starts getting better.  She is looking very pale and is losing weight.  It’s horrible to see, but must be even worse to feel.

Sorry if there are spelling mistakes or if any sentences don’t make sense.  I usually read back over my posts, but it’s 9:05, and I’m tired, so I’m just going to go to bed instead.

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When rules go too far

Hannah and I made some delicious healthy chocolate muffins as a snack for her to bring to preschool.  Nuts aren’t allowed at preschool (due to allergies suffered by some kids), so I left out the pecans and put in some raspberries instead. Did I mention that they are super healthy? Yogurt, banana, oats, chia seeds, stevia, cocoa powder. Nothing bad. Not full of sugar.

When I picked Hannah up from preschool, I got her clear lunch box out of the fridge and noticed something, besides the vegetables that she didn’t eat, inside. When I opened the lid, I found her mini chocolate muffin in a little brown bag that said “I’m no longer pre-school food.”

ECOlunchbox Three-in-One

Um…what?

I held up the bag, found the nearest employee and said “this is a healthy muffin. There isn’t any sugar in it, and it’s full of healthy ingredients. I made them.”

She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Do they have chocolate in them?”

“They have cocoa powder in them. Cocoa isn’t bad for you.” True story. Cocoa is really healthy, it’s the fats and sugars they put with the cocoa in chocolate bars that makes it not so good.

“Well, anything with chocolate in it is not allowed.”

So I could put a sugary, unhealthy vanilla cupcake in Hannah’s lunch, but she’s not allowed to have a healthy chocolate muffin. Because it has cocoa in it. No exceptions, no negotiations. I don’t think they know much about nutrition, so it’s blanket rules for everyone.

Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad, but that was right after I was told they didn’t give Hannah her milk today.

Hannah has a rash on her bottom that resembles big angry pimples. The doctor said it’s a bacterial infection and gave her some antibiotics. She isn’t exactly jumping with glee at medicine time though, so I hide it in her drinks. I put the antibiotics in her milk and then disguised the taste with sustagen (a chocolate powder with vitamins, minerals, and protein. Used in hospitals for patients who aren’t getting enough nutrients).

Ensure Bottles, Chocolate, 8-Ounces, 16 Count Bottles

Yeah, chocolate. 

“We don’t allow flavoured milk.” I was told when I dropped her off. And fair enough, I get that. Not that Sustagen is the same as just chocolate flavoured milk, but I see the point. Too many kids are drinking unhealthy sugary drinks instead of good old milk.

I told them why the milk had sustagen in it only to be told that usually I would need to bring in the antibiotics bottle so they could see Hannah’s name on it and the dosage needed. And then if I wanted it in Hannah’s milk, they’d have to watch me do it, or do it themselves. In addition to signing a form stating what she is taking, how much, at what time, etc.

“But we’ll let her have it this time.” They told me. Because I’m new and I didn’t know. No worries. There are some dodgies out there who get medicine for one kid and then give half of it to another. Fair enough. I know they are just looking out for the kids.

When I picked her up though, I was told she wasn’t allowed her milk because it had antibiotics in it and they hadn’t seen the bottle. “Yeah, I was told this morning that she could have it this time, but next time I’d need to bring the bottle.”

“Oh, sorry about that. She was pretty upset that she couldn’t have her milk”

I was pretty cranky. “Of course she was, she always has milk before quiet time, and she knew I packed milk for her.”  She looked at me all surprised. “I should have been told. I live just down the road, I would have come back with the bottle.”

Seriously, who are they to decide that my child needs to miss a dose of antibiotics without informing me? Are they trying to create superbugs?

Hannah’s preschool is good. She loves it. She is happy. She has a great time. But ugh, the ridiculous rules. Sigh. I’m still annoyed about the muffins. We made them especially to bring there! AND THEY ARE HEALTHY!!!!

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Copyright 2012 Sheri Thomson