So I really did intend to post pictures. However the last couple of days have not been pretty, so I haven't gotten to it.
Tuesday morning at 1:30, the flu caught Paul.
He woke up with a terrible fever and body aches. At first I was more worried about pneumonia because he had said earlier the his chest hurt when he coughed and his armpit hurt. I was really worried and probably would have taken him to the hospital that very night but Tim is out of town and there was no one to watch the other two.
So I dosed him with Motrin and Tylenol and took him to bed with me and we passed a very fitful night.
Yesterday morning he seemed much better and had no fever and said his chest no longer hurt. I was suspicious though because he had no appetite. Awhile later he said "uh-oh, it hurts again!" Then he just went downhill and the fever came back like gang-busters.
Tylenol wasn't even touching it and Motrin was making him sick! So I took him to the doc at 3:45 and he was tested and sure enough has a rip-roaring case of Influenza A! Nice to have a letter to attach to tha
t.
So the good Doctor suggested that the other boys have a flu shot, which they were less than enthusiastic about but took very bravely. John looked up at the word "shot" and said "Paul needs a shot?" and I looked at him and said, "not Paul". It took a minute to sink in.
I am rather less than confidant that there was much point in the vaccines. They have already been exposed and the theory is that if they have the vaccine their bodies will start arming themselves with antibodies and the course of the flu will be shortened. That's the theory. Of course the disclaimer is that the vaccine doesn't take a effect for a couple of weeks and the incubation period for the flu is somewhat shorter. Oh well. I did ask pointedly about preservatives in the vaccine and was informed that it is preservative free.
So the next issue was how to make Paul feel better and recover quickly. Time was, we were told to take them home and give them plenty of fluids and Tylenol and make sure they got lots of rest. Well now we have a new weapon in the arsenal: TAMIFLU. It's like the best thing since the stinger missile, only more expensive.
So Doctor Ebreo says that I should go get this med and give it to Paul twice a day and it will shorten the course of the virus. In theory. Not a word about rest and fluids, but I assumed that he probably figured I already knew that.
So off we go, toting little sick Paul along to the pharmacy. Not much chance to rest there eh? We get there and the poor little guy is sitting in a chair crying "I can't take any more of this". It was so sad. Even the pharmacist felt awful for him but there was nothing to do for it because I couldn't very well ask anyone to watch him while I went.
So I got the Stinger Missile of meds and grabbed one of those nifty new Temporal Scan Thermometers, since he has had an awful fever and it seems so much easier to just press something to his forehead. I asked the pharmacist which one she recommended, the cheaper one or the more expensive, name brand. She said "Oh, get the cheaper one." The Tamiflu was 105.00 before insurance. Our cut was 35.00. the Thermometer was 35.00 as well and I also bought some pedialyte to help him stay hydrated. We used to use flat 7-up, about 75% cheaper, that.
So armed with the latest in Flu-fighting weaponry, we took our sick little puppy home. He did actually get sick outside the Pharmacy, and I just felt horrible for having to take him there at all.
I gave him some pedialyte. That stayed down and then he wanted a little bit of granola bar, so he had half of one and then I thought we'd better get started on the Tamiflu so I gave him the first dose since he had just had something to eat. It stayed down about half an hour, then it came up along with all that precious fluid and his Tylenol, which he needed. I didn't dare give him anymore so he just had to have Motrin, which doesn't work as well.
Oh yes, the nifty thermometer does NOT work. So Paul had to go all night with me sticking the old one under his tongue. Gee, just the way we used to.
He slept a bit better and I didn't give him much Tylenol because the OLD thermometer said 102.5 and that's probably a good temp to burn up all those bugs. Gee, God did think of a few ways to beat the local baddies didn't He? You'd think He knew more than Medical Science or something.
OK, being the good mother that I am, I thought that first thing this morning we'd better get back on track with the anti-viral: TAMIFLU.
Going to make him better today!
The sad thing is, last night when he took it, he kept telling me that he just knew he'd feel better in the morning.
So we give him something to buffer his stomach with. He didn't want anything to eat, but he ate anyway. He's such a little trooper.
Then I gave him the med and he went back to bed for awhile. Pretty soon he called me because his stomach hurt really bad. He was crying and saying he thought he was going to throw up. He was right. So that was 20% of the wonderdrug, down the toilet.
So, I put in a call to the doc, gave him some more pedialyte, told him to rest and asked Nina to go trade in my new gadget for a better one, and some 7-up.
The new gadget works like a charm, the 7-up works as well as the pedialyte, of course without the 'lytes, but heck, if you can't keep it down the electrolytes aren't doing you a bit of good.
he is just lying in bed saying that he is never going to feel better! Poor little guy. He is having the most tragic moment that he remembers.
So we will forge ahead into the week with 7-Up, rest and mommy-time. I think he's going to be surprised. He IS going to feel better. Probably about the time I start to wonder if I'M ever going to feel better!
Watch for updates. I'll post what the doc says about the wonderdrug and whether anyone else succumbs to this nasty critter.
