I figured it was just a cold. Babies get them, especially with big brothers and big sisters around who bring home all kinds of germs along with their school papers. Good times indeed.
All signs pointed to a particularly bad head cold until last night. Bon-Bon got cranky and felt warm. I suspected a fever but couldn't confirm that since our rectal thermometer was deliberately lost.
(I know, I know, it's totally my job to take their temperatures when they are sick. I'm a punk, though, and the rectal thermometer really freaks me out. I don't want to stick things up their butts. I don't want to stick anything up anyone's butt! One more reason I could so never be a prostitute.)
So I relied on the old fashioned method of fever detection -- lips to the temple -- and decided that my sweet girl had a fever. She was fussy, very fussy, and even Hi-5 didn't settle her down. I gave her a warm bath and off to bed she went with very little protest.
I slept through her 4:00 a.m. wake-up and -- wonder of wonders! -- Tom did not. He gave her a bottle which she didn't want. 45 minutes later, she was up again and she wanted no parts of the bottle Tom had made. My spidey sense was atinglin' because my girl ALWAYS wants to eat when she gets up at night. It's actually the only reason she has ever gotten up.
When I could not stop the wailing, I took her downstairs for a snuggle in the rocker. Many rounds of the ABCs, my go-to lullaby, (don't judge, I'm not a morning person) settled her down into a restless sleep snuggled under my chin. Just as I was drifting off...BAM!
What the hell?
What's in my mouth???
Oh, right. That's the bottle Tom fed her earlier. The one she just threw up all over my face.
A pre-dawn Similac facial.
(As it turns out, warm fluids all over my face do not make me happy. I am confident that that would be true at any time of the day, not just early in the morning. Yet another reason I'd never be able to be a prostitute. Not even if it meant making the money for Catholic school tuition. Sorry, kids. It's the dirty public school for you!)
We cleaned off and I got her back to sleep in her crib. At this point, I was thinking ear infection. Isn't that the main reason kids wake up screaming?
9:00 a.m. sharp, the ped's office opens and I call for an appointment. The doctor on duty immediately confirmed that Bon's right ear is badly infected, poor love. Then he moved on to listening to her chest.
And his hands stilled.
And his brow furrowed.
And my heart began to race.
And my palms began to sweat.
What? Why are you looking so serious? WHAT IS IT???
He heard a crackle in her chest which he didn't like. AT ALL. Very serious. Before I knew it, he'd whipped off his stethoscope and put them in my ears. (ARGH, mingled ear wax!!!)
Unlike my kids' ultrasounds where I totally pretended to see what the tech was pointing out on the screen when I really had no idea what was going on, I immediately heard what was causing the doctor to look so grave. It totally did sound like a crackle which is not something you want to hear inside your baby's body.
So, he said that we needed to get The Bon on Augmentin right away to clear up her chest. As he wrote the prescription, he casually mentioned that they "are seeing 2 or 3 cases a day of pneumonia. This isn't an isolated case at all."
Wait a minute.
Hold the phone.
PNEUMONIA?
My baby has PNEUMONIA???
And you tell me this without suggesting I sit down first???
You throw it out there like we're discussing the weather???
Oh. My. God.
Thankfully, we caught it early and it's only impacting her right lung. Tonight is critical because according to Dr. D, "the pneumonia is fighting to take over and get worse and the meds won't be doing much for the first 24 hours." We're to bring her IMMEDIATELY if she can't breathe, turns blue, has pulling around her ribs or several other scary scenarios.
God in heaven, what if I hadn't taken her in? I almost didn't because a.) everything I read says that docs take a wait-and-see approach with ear infections these days b/c of antibiotic resistance issues and b.) I'm such a hypochondriac that I always think I'm making things up so I don't want to waste anyone's time, and c.) I hate risking that she'll pick up something worse while we're in the waiting room full of sick kids whose parents have not taught them to COUGH INTO THE CROOK OF THEIR ELBOWS RATHER THAN OUT INTO THE AIR IN FRONT OF THEM. Seriously, major pet peeve of mine. Ugh.
I told Dr. D. that I almost didn't bring her in. He said that I would have had to bring her to the hospital by evening if we hadn't come in this morning.
That gave me chills.
Some famous person died recently of complications of pneumonia. I read it in Entertainment Weekly earlier today. (What? I can't read when my kid is sick? She was laying on me and I could totally feel her breathing.)
Anyway...
Died.
Pneumonia.
Those were pretty much the words that jumped out at me so maybe you can forgive me for not remembering the decedent's name.
Hopefully, The Bon will have a peaceful night and wake up feeling much better tomorrow. No more of that collapsing on me like her bones melted nonsense b/c that scares the snot out of me.
Oh Bonnie Girl, get better soon, my love. We miss your sweet smile so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment