Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Overreaction?

You tell me:


Tonight we took another visit to Urgent Care. Declan was fevery (102.2) starting in the afternoon, so I gave him some Tylenol and put him down for a nap. I figured he's probably teething, shouldn't get too bad. He woke up about 3 and he was about the same temp. He was pretty much his normal self, a little less active, but still playful. I put on The Emperor's New Groove, brought out the futon and we just chilled and watched the movie. Around 5 I took his temp again and it was 103.5. He's not been eating well this week, as in he doesn't want to try new things, and was very particular about what he would eat: strawberries and applesauce. I tried to give him some peaches (which he usually loves) for dinner and he wouldn't even eat that. He didn't even want some water to drink. At this point, all he wanted to do was cuddle. I gave him more Tylenol and called the advice nurse. I can never remember at what temp you want to go to the doc, so I figured a nurse could help.


Oh what an ordeal! Like I said, all Declan wanted to do was cuddle and be held. But to get him the Tylenol, I had to set him down.....which sent him into hysterics. His emotions just went downhill from there. Usually when he wants to be held, he'll follow us around crying with his hands in the air. Today he just sat where I put him and cried and cried and cried. And then when I finally picked him up, he was still so upset, he wouldn't calm down. So while I'm on the phone with the nurse, he's wailing in my ear. I (guiltily) set him in his crib so I could distance myself and hear the nurse, but that just made it worse. Even I was almost crying at that point! And then the nurse was asking me if he could stand on his own: yup. Could he use his arms: um, let me see...yeah, I think. Can he swallow: well, he won't, but I think he can. Is there a lot of saliva: yes, he's crying hysterically. Well this is important, I need to know if he can swallow: uh.....yeah, I think he's fine! How the heck can I tell all this when he's so upset?! Does he have a runny nose: yeah, but he's been crying A LOT. In the end she said this: "Keep giving him Tylenol and see if his temp goes down, but let me see if I can get you an appointment tonight, and if not you should go to Urgent Care." Uh....ok.

So off we went. Trevor was home by then, having gone by Target to get puffs, the only thing I KNEW Declan would eat...which he did when we got to the Dr. On the way there, Trevor sat in the back with him and he completely perked up and was practically chatty. He still wouldn't have any water, but he was not the inconsolable boy that he had previously been. This is where I started to worry that we were overreacting.

We had a bit of a wait at the doctor's since we had no appointment, in fact Declan was almost asleep when we were called back around 8-ish. His bedtime is about 7:30 or so, we couldn't blame him for being so sleepy. His temp was WAAAAAAAY down when we had arrived, 100.2. And the doc said it was probably just a virus, nothing they could do anything for, not worth testing for, just give him Tylenol, and let his body fight it off. He was nicer than that, but that was the gist.

We got home around 9, and of course D had fallen asleep on the way home. But he still needed his milk. And more Tylenol. (I'm going to by stock in it, I think you all should too!) So we gave him the meds and handed him his milk....which he only halfway drank. He was just too tired! I think he was asleep before we even laid him in his crib. Poor baby!

The bummer part of this whole ordeal (besides Declan's ridiculously high fever and him feeling completely miserable) was this: he's is back down to 20lbs. And that's with clothes on. And a SUPER full diaper. Our poor baby boy just can't seem to keep his weight from fluctuating....he must get it from his Mom! :) I know he hasn't been eating well the last few days, and he hadn't had dinner, but still, it worries us! Hey, is it ok to feed a baby straight fat? :)

All I have to say is he better get some teeth from all this!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Piglet flu is a real pain. Maybe his immune system is still working on standing by itself.

geetabean said...

It might have been an overaction, but I think it's always better to be safe than sorry, and with the first baby there are a lot more unknowns that seem really scary! I always like to have that peace of mind that a doctor can give you, but more often than not I discover that the doctors don't have any better idea of what is going on than you do....probably less since you live with Declan and know him completely. One thing I always try and remember when there is a fever involved is that it's GOOD for babies to have a fever. As much as it freaks us Mama's out, fever is the body's way of fighting off virus/infection. If we pump too much meds into them to get rid of the fever then we're taking away their defenses. I would give him luke warm baths, dress him in cool jammies, and offer him straight pedyalite (often times they WILL drink that rather than water because it's sugary, and it will help to keep them hydrated) they also make pedyalte freezer pops, or you could make your own if you have the popsicle making things (they sell them at target) Try and keep the fever below 103, but anything lower than that should be safe for him and helpful for his virus. Just my 2 cents! :) Maddie gets a LOT of fevers! Oh, and about the food issue.....just think about when you are sick.....eating is the last thing that you wanna do! He will be fine with next to nothing to eat for a few days (surprising huh?) as long as you keep him hydrated. His appetite probably won't be back to normal for a while. Offer foods, but don't stress either of you out of he doesn't want it. I'm glad he seems to be feeling better.....take a deep breath! :)

geetabean said...

Wow, that was longer than I was intending! lol Hopefully I don't come across as bossy, cause I'm not trying to be! We've just been through lot's of sickness and every little bit of wisdom that I can get from other Mama's is vital, so I'm passing knowledge along! Call if you want to chat/vent/cry. :)

HeidiC said...

Addressing the weight fluctuation....and size: as long as D is eating, peeing, pooping,playing and reaching his developmental milestones weight really isn't an issue. My pediatrician always told me that the height/weight charts were designed for US babies and that in no other country would my babies be considered "skinny". For the record my "skinny" baby that weighed in at 19lbs at 1 year has managed to gain another 200lbs in the last 17years.....

Melissa said...

Awe, poor baby! I'm sure he'll feel better soon, you too!