Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I Need an Intervention!

A vacation?

Medication?

How about a Dr. Pepper and a nice, warm bath & we'll call it good? And maybe throw in some non-sick kids for good measure? That would really sweeten the deal for me!

Hold on! I'm gonna ramble!!! (And maybe whine) You have been warned.

Remember I was whining about being sick???

We have been sick almost constantly since mid February. I really am at my wit's end.
I tied a knot in the end of my rope weeks ago!!!



Yesterday was the first day in 2 weeks that I have felt like I was finally mostly better!
I still have a little cough~ but the fatigue seems to have finally abated!!! Yay!

The boys are still sick, though. Shane has a pretty nasty cough & they both have upper respiratory symptoms, had low grade fevers…as well as fatigue. So kinda like an Influenza but not really.

Spencer has been sick since last Monday, and he has been sick so much the last month and a half that he is failing school. So that is causing a huge amount of stress. (Mostly for me). I am trying to work with the administration & his teachers… but the end of the term is Friday. And I think this may be contributing to him being sick…I think he might be um…embellishing a little? But I was sick for 2 weeks, so who knows?

We've all 3 had similar symptoms. I was on an antibiotic for possible sinus infection and some stuff in my lungs…I was feeling better after a couple of days on the meds, but had the lingering fatigue until Monday. Seriously, was barely functioning. So, I'm thinking we have a strain of Influenza??? (Kind of wishing I had gone to medical school, ya know?) Our symptoms have been similar enough that I think we've had the same thing…but Shane & I have developed complications? Mostly I am telling myself that we've had the same virus because I have totally been freaking out about getting sick! I am a little bit of a germaphobe, but this go round I have been really having a lot of anxiety about it!

Plus~ my kids are driving me nuts because they do not wash their hands, or use hand sanitizer. I am constantly hounding them about sanitation, so they think I am CraZy! They say I have "Sick Sense" instead of "Sixth Sense". And instead of dead people... I see germs!!!! Yeah, they are hilarious, aren't they?




But seriously, if I get sick again…it might just be the thing that finally plunges me over the edge of sanity. Have I mentioned I'm having a little anxiety here????? I can't even tell you how many tubs of Clorox wipes I have gone through! (It's an embarrassing amount!) I am wiping down my house Every. Single. Day. (maybe more than once, but I'm admitting to nothing!) Maybe I am a little CraZy!!!???

Anyhoo…

I called the Doctor today to see what she recommended. She asked me to bring them in to be seen.

Shane: she's worried about the cough. Sounds a little like Whooping Cough. (cringe).
His immunizations are current, but he is due for a booster around 5th grade/10 yrs. old and immunity to Pertussis wanes around 11 yrs. old or so. Lovely. She starts him on Zithromax and wants him home from school for at least 2 days. After that he can go back as soon as he feels up to it. I am hoping the meds do the trick and he'll be feeling better sooner than later. Personally, I don't think he has Whooping Cough. But I do think he has a lung infection of some sort, just like I had. On a side note~ his best buddy has also been sick with the same symptoms, but has recovered just fine. No nasty cough for him~ lucky!

Spencer: He seems to be getting better. His respiratory symptoms have improved somewhat & then have "flat lined". She thinks he should be feeling better by Friday. If not, he gets a round of antibiotics too. She also mentioned the "M" word. As in MONO. (Cringe again). Although I think he's just suffering from the same fatigue that has had me down for 2 weeks. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.

So, I'm sure you won't be surprised that I just wanted to cry after we left the Doctor's office. I'm not dealing well with the illnesses here, people!!! And on top of that, I had to go to the store, go pick up Shane's prescription, and run a few other errands….so I didn't get my house wiped down today so I am freaking out about that!!!! Sigh. Kinda hating life right now!!!

Started Shane on the meds tonight. Doctored him up with Advil & some Triaminic, and some Mucinex (we're like a walking pharmacy around here!) I thought he had eaten recently enough that he could take the antibiotic…20 minutes later he is crying because he has a bad stomach ache and feels like he's going to throw up. LOVELY!!!

He has finally settled down and is sleeping on the office floor. Thank heavens. Tomorrow night I'll make sure he takes his meds with food and milk. He'll have a smaller dose too, so hopefully he'll be fine!!! So other than the stomach pain, love Zithromax because it's 5 days & you're done!

To top off my day~ when I was picking up the Z-pack from the pharmacy, I asked if they had any recommendations for strengthening the immune system. And I got a 7 minute lecture from the pharmacist about eating healthy and exercising regularly. He actually was quite rude. I kept my cool~ but really wanted to reach across the counter and choke him. I assume that because I'm a little pudgy & I looked like crap (Hello??? Does he have any clue what kind of day/week/month I've had???) That he figured I needed a lecture? I was so MAD! I burst in to tears as soon as I left the store. Really? Like I needed that today!!! I just wanted a recommendation for a good multi-vitamin or something!!! He really said to me: "Ya know, don't feed them McDonald's for dinner every night". Ha! We had Panda!!! So there!!! (And grabbing dinner tonight pretty much saved the little bit of sanity I'm hanging on to!) Good thing I like the pharmacy techs… Cause the pharmacist? Not. So. Much.

The good news for today is that no one else in the family has gotten sick. I'm crossing my fingers that that is a good sign!

Rick's business partner is sick though~ I told Rick that if he had the same thing we've had, to just lie to me about it! 'Cause if he got sick from us, then there is absolutely no point to hand washing/sanitizing/wiping every surface of my house down with Clorox wipes multiple times a day. Really~ I am the most anal person in the world about the sanitizing/washing/cleaning/germ thing. Just ask my kids! Honestly, I don't know how Spencer got sick from me, either. Oh man~ this stuff is just making me CraZy!!!

And…I'm done!
Thanks for coming along on my ride of insanity!

P.S. Daylight Savings Time...also driving me nuts!

And, my thoughts and prayers for the people in Japan, what a devastation for them. (And trying to not freak out about the nuclear/radiation stuff going on. I watch way too much "24").

12 comments:

  1. Valerie, I hope today both boys turn the corner and start feeling 100% better! Whooping cough and mono? That's all you needed to hear! It's hard when the kids AND mom are sick! Moms aren't supposed to slow down and get better! They're expected to take care of everyone else AND sanitize the house.

    You're entitled to a whine fest after what you've been through for the past 2 weeks! As for the pharmacist...a little (OK, a lot) overboard!

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  2. I am totally shocked by that pharmacist!!!! I can't believe you kept your cool. There is no way I would have.

    It sounds like your family has the same thing mine does. We are doing it one at a time rather than all together. I kind of wish the kids got it all at once and I got it at a different time. The mom cannot afford to be sick when the kids are sick.

    Hang in there.

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  3. So sorry to hear about all this. You have every right to be worried and to be stressed.

    Hope you can see some happy days very, very soon with no sickness.

    Hang in there!!

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  4. Hello sister!
    Sounds like you want the world to stop spinning so that you can get off :)
    I've felt that way many time.
    Not fun, and especially when it seems never ending. As for the pharmacist.... what a jerk ! And, totally un-professional!
    Hope he can sleep at night knowing that he is just one rude comment away from getting blasted in the mouth !
    Clearly, he's never watched Bambi! (you know the part where Thumper gives out some good advice :))
    My thoughts are with you and hoping that things start improving and getting better and better by the day !
    ((HUGS))

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  5. Do you want to run away with me to get away from all the sickness? Because I have begun to wonder what it is like to have good health myself.

    My prayers are with you! Hang in there...I know it has got to get better soon.

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  6. Glad I've never met a pharmacist like that one! I hope everyone gets all the way better very, very soon and you get to do something special for your sanity. :)

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  7. I don't know if this will help but working in the medical/health field for the last 10 years I have learned that many people actually WAY over Sanitize. The best way to prevent sickness it not so much to sanitize, but to avoid touching your face. Obviously if you are sick it is good to wash before coming in contact with others but seriously, sickness is spread mostly by one coming in contact and then touching their face. I can't believe what a difference it has made for me. I am in contact with sick people all the time but I am EXTRA good about not touching my face until I can wash my hands and I get sick SO much less than I used to. IT's actually good to build up immunity to germs though, so keep regular soap around the house for normal hand washing and only use antibacterial when sick. There are a few articles out there about over-sanitizing creating super bugs because people don't build up their immune systems anymore.

    That said, there are some seriously nasty bugs out there and a lot of people sick for really long periods of time. SLEEP and WATER intake are key. 3 liters a day is a good goal. It will make a HUGE difference.

    Ok I'm done :) Love you and wish you all a speedy recovery. Being so sick really really sucks!!!

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  8. So sorry you have had a tough season. I can't believe you didn't tell that pharmacist off. Sheesh!

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  9. Hey Val...always happy when you stop by for a visit. Did you wipe down your computer before commenting so as not to send your sickness my way (JUST KIDDING)

    how awful for you that your family has been dealing with this sickness for so long now. It seems there are many people out there who have kinda related the same thing....lots of illness.

    One thing I guess good about living in the country is we really aren't around people very much so germs are not getting to us as easily. The last cold I had was middle of August last year....same with hubby. Also, we have no little kids bringing home all those germs as well.

    I don't know how when you are raising kids, and working, and living a busy life to keep germs at bay.
    BUT...I want for you a comforting bubble bath, a lovely tasty piece of chocolate, some soft music...and good health.

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  10. Wow..that all sounds so bad..it is a really tough season this year for sicknesses, we have had little ones in the hospital. Get well! ;D

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  11. oy vey! sounds like you've had the sickness luck we've had....everytime it looks like we'll get a reprieve, someone ELSE in the house is sick. :( not fun. this is the worst year for illness for our family that i can remember. between the two weddings this year i wound up flat on my back for almost 4 days solid with some type of vertigo. sucked. couldn't sit up, couldn't stand up. it sucked eggs! so, hang in there. you're not alone. ::hugs::

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  12. Valerie it has been a few weeks since you posted this. I sure hope you are all feeling better!!

    Wanted to remind you that we have Book Club today - Come on over and join the discussion!

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