Rollercoaster

This week has brought to mind the image of a rollercoaster on multiple occasions. Primarily because the treatment and management of Henry's cellulitis has felt like an emotional rollercoaster. He has seemed fine one minute, then he would spike another fever or show some other symptom and my concern would also spike. Up and down, up and down. Thus, three visits to the doctor's office in five business days. I'm very thankful that the doctor and everyone else in the the office was incredibly supportive. At no point did I feel like I was being regarded as paranoid, or overprotective, or any of the other negative labels commonly associated with first-time moms. Instead, the doctor with whom I have primarily dealt repeatedly stressed the fact that I should call if I had even the slightest concern. I valued her concern, but part of me also wonders if her heightened response to Henry's condition might have fueled my own worries. Then again, when you're talking about a condition that is accompanied by terms like "flesh eating virus," "gangrene," "meningitis," and "...can spread easily to the blood, lymph nodes, and brain," well, it seems like the worry is justified. Those terms came from the internet, by the way, not from the doctor. I should know better by now, but the internet, bastion of all you ever want to learn, can be such a seductive tool.

Anyhow...our rollercoaster ride led us all the way to the Pediatic ER this morning. Another fever, another call to the doctor, another waiting room. And here's where that fun rollercoaster analogy really took off. Because, if you think about it, the Peds ER is a lot like Disneyland. Without the fun. How could a sane person make such a statement? First of all, my sanity may be questionable after four (yes, four!) hours in the ER and three visits to the doctor earlier this week. But as I sat, waiting for one thing after another, constantly thinking this is it, finally! only to be further strung along, I thought about the lines at Disneyland. The lines where you wait and wait, and you think you're finally there! You finally made it to the end of the line and the beginning of the ride, only to find...oh, another room with a winding snake of a line. At least that's how I remember the lines at amusement parks like Disney. I had been on this ER ride before, so I remembered that the first time they call you from the waiting area, is not it. The first time you're called, you only have your vitals taken, and are then pushed back into the now even more crowded waiting area. The second call from the waiting area brings you to the real deal. Your own little cell in the ER. That's where the tantalizing thought that we were close to being seen by a doctor began to creep in. That's also where the crankies really began to creep in for Henry. Not unlike rollercoaster-bound kids in a fun park, no doubt. Long story (four hours long) short, Henry cried, Henry napped briefly, Henry played on the bed, Henry cried. We were eventually seen by two nurses, a resident, and another doctor before being told we were free to go...oh wait, just kidding! After seeing the final doctor we needed to wait for the paperwork to be done. This is when I really thought we were going to lose our minds. 30 minutes later, the paperwork was done.

The good news is, Henry's fine. The trip to the ER was mostly precautionary, since facial cellulitis is something to be watched carefully, especially with continued fever. The ER docs concurred that the infection is responding well to the antibiotics, the fever was likely related to an additional viral issue (yes! another illness! way to multitask, Henry!), and to just follow up as needed. I have high hopes that I will not see another doctor for Henry until his one year appointment. In just a few weeks!

Here's a pic of the big boy earlier this week.
And here he is being tricked into taking his revolting antibiotic. As per the doctor's suggestion, I mixed it with some frozen grape juice concentrate to mask the flavor. I then pretended to eat it, ignoring the noxious fumes that still issued from the antibiotic. Henry was not fooled for long, but look how happy he is to take his medicine here. You can also see how much better his face looked when this picture was taken on Thursday. It looks even better now, too.