Have you ever noticed that when you have a sick child everyone has a suggestion on how to help her? Yes, for the most part these people are well meaning. Still, when you hear the same advice over and over, it's enough to make you want to scream.
For instance, about a year ago, Sue Sue was sick. Sick. Sick. Sick. This culminated in a long (4+ hours) visit to the emergency room where we found out she had croup. Before I took her, on the advice of the on-call nurse, I sat in a steamy bathroom with Sue Sue. Then I took her outside in the cool air. I won't get into the science of it all, but this helps with croup. Except it didn't work this time. The next day I had to go to work. I clocked maybe four hours of sleep but knew I had to show up because in retail you don't call off the week before Christmas. People wanted to know why I looked so tired. I explained I was in the ER very late with a sick child. When they found out she had croup every stinkin' person told me I could have avoided a trip to the ER if I had just put Sue Sue in a steamy bathroom. Or taken her out in the cool air. To their credit, a few nights later when she was having problems again, those remedies did work.
Right now we have a cold/laryngitis/fever thing going through the house. Today I had two different people tell me I should take the girls out for fresh air so they'll get better faster. Yes, getting out of germ-ridden house definitely helps.... but not when your children are so exhausted they can barely muster the strength to do anything more than be on the couch.
I do appreciate advice, tips, suggestions to a degree. But when I am dealing with a sick child (or two or three or four) it's not always the best time to critique my parenting.
February 02, 2010
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8 comments:
I feel your pain. I've also had the problem with one of my daughters that has gotten pnuemonia twice and been in the hospital within 24 hours of when she first started feeling bad. I can't even count how many drs. have told me that she must have been sick for the previous couple of weeks and I just didn't notice. It's just mind boggling sometimes. Hope they're all feeling better soon.
I got a lecture from the doctor when Sue Sue had croup about how I should have taken her in earlier. I tried to explain that she wasn't that bad a few hours earlier. (Oh, and they're all coloring right now and seem in much better spirits).
Luckily I haven't gotten this much recently, possibly because I've been stuck with sick kids the past couple weeks and have only seen and spoken with a few close friends and family members who know better. I guess it's one time when being isolated helps. Sorry to hear you're dealing with it, and hope your girls feel better soon!
I guess that's a good reason to stay inside when one is sick!
It's ironic. I read this and then, within minutes, my son wakes up with a horrible barking cough. I've never heard anything like it. I had no idea what it was. It scared me to death.
Ran with him to the urgent care facility. It was croup.
I don't know how you did it with more than one.
Agghhh. Unsolicited advice is so darn exhausting. On top of a sleepless night- no fun at all. Good for you for keeping your cool and toughing it out.
Stephanie: I had a feeling what the outcome would be as soon as you said "barking cough." Croup is probably the scariest thing we've experienced... fortunately only one got it. I hope your son feels better soon.
He is doing fine now. Now that we're not both panicked (and they gave him some medicine for the swelling), he's doing fine. We'll be watching him tonight and I have the leisure of taking the day off (which I was already doing so my daughter could get her braces removed). If he has another attack tonight, I'll know better what to do now.
Still, my husband and his mother both have a history of asthma and I thought it was a horrible asthma attack, his first ever. Croup is actually a much better alternative.
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