I have not blogged in a couple of weeks because, well, I've been busy taking care of two endlessly sick kids. And, I am exhausted.
It's no fun when one of them gets sick because the healthy child suffers from it, too. They can't go out to play because everyone must stay put and stay warm. And, it is certainly no fun for the parent-in-charge (a.k.a. "designated nurse") when both kids are sick at the same time. Tons of whining, tons of tears, tons of runny noses, tons of coughing, tons of constant clinging to mommy's leg.
Furthermore, it is certainly no fun when the kids are sick for THREE SOLID WEEKS, get a break for two weeks, and then both of them and your husband get hit by H1N1.
That has been our life the past month. And, I am tired, weary, worn out to say the least.
We thought were were "in the clear" the week of Halloween. The kids had just gotten over a variety of lovely, germy illnesses, such as: Fifths Disease, laryngitis, croup, and bronchitis. We rejoiced the first week of November when we were granted yet another sickness-free week.
And, then it started. The horrible week of H1N1 that flooded our house faster than I had time to prepare for it.
It began with Mia having severe joint pain last Saturday night. We thought she was having another JRA flare. She woke up through the night, crying and in pain. The next morning, she started to cough. Later on that evening, a fever and severe headache jumped on board the bandwagon. My poor daughter was miserable. I took her to the doctor the next day because all four symptoms had not gone away. They called me back as soon as I got home with the news - she had strep and H1N1. Good grief!!
So, I put on my "game face" and began to disinfect the house once again. I "Lysoled" every nook, every corner of the house. I wiped everything down with Clorox wipes. I bleached toys. I did numerous loads of laundry. But, I was not fast enough.
The next day, our son became ill with the same symptoms as his sister. Surprise, surprise.
So, my husband took him to the doctor's (who we've seen way too much in the last month) and he, too, tested positive for strep and the next day, H1N1. But, JJ's battle was a bit more challenging as he has had a high fever since Tuesday. At one point, it was so high (103.5) that he was shaking. And, my husband and I were both very concerned. We put him in a cool bath to bring the temp down and it did...to 102.5. I've never seen him so miserable.
Then Wednesday arrived. And, I realized we were not out of the woods yet when my husband, who NEVER GETS SICK, came downstairs complaining of a headache and a fever.
Great. Three down...and the cheese stands alone.
So, with a container of Lysol in-hand, I magically transformed into "Nurse Dana." The days began to blur together as I spent every free moment nursing my family back to health. Jay and Mia were the easy ones to care for. Jay just required tons of sleep and fluids. Mia required sleep, fluids, meals in bed (at her request) and loads of Christmas movies. Too exhausted and achy to get up and play, she pretty much stayed in bed.
JJ was a bit harder. You just can't quarantine a two-year-old boy to his room. It is impossible. And, you can't say "no" when your screaming, feverish son wants to be held. Thankfully, he slept most of the day, for extended periods of time, which allowed me more time to continue disinfecting the "war zone."
Amazingly, I have managed to steer clear of this rapid illness. Thank God!! But, last night the exhaustion finally set in with a sore throat to boot. Ugh.
So, where did we pick up H1N1, you might ask? I keep asking myself the same question. Granted, I do have a child in preschool, so it could have been from there. Or, it could have been from the little kiddie shopping cart at Trader Joes's that my daughter pushed around the store the day she came down with joint pain. Who knows. What I do know is it came on fast and hard.
Our kids were on the list to get vaccinated...but, the list is long and they had not been called yet. However, because of all of this, Mia got moved up on the list because she is considered "high risk" for swine flu because she has JRA. Her immune system is already at a weakened state, making her more susceptible to getting the flu....or getting it again. Yes, parents, swine flu CAN strike twice!
All this to say, "Parents, KEEP YOUR KIDS HOME IF THEY ARE SICK!!!" I don't care if websites say they are "okay" after 24 hours. Keep them HOME!! Ere on the side of caution! Be smart, people! Get vaccinated!!! There are too many people out there who are spreading this virus because they are not being responsible. They are taking their kids out to public places (I know because I have seen you at my grocery store and pharmacy with your coughing children!) and putting healthy people at risk.
That certainly won't be me or my family. We will stay put until this fight is over. I am hoping that will be soon.
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