The gift that keeps on giving.

A nasty virus - the gift that keeps on giving. M2 came down with it first; a dry cough one day followed by congestion and then a wet cough that persisted for days. P5 was the second victim, symptoms following the same progression a few days later. With two kiddos coughing and wet sneezing near my face, I was kind of doomed. Last week I came down with the virus that is one of the more annoying types of colds - the one that causes both sinus and chest congestion. I've managed to stay pretty healthy this winter and haven't really been sick since the Thanksgiving plague that hit our family. This cold sucks, because as an asthmatic I have to be so so careful with chest colds. I really think that the gluten free/dairy free eating plan I've been on has helped me with this illness because while I do feel my asthma symptoms slightly creeping in, they're not nearly as bad as usual with this kind of sickness. The mental effect of not being able to run for the past week has been the hardest part! Especially since we've had some beautiful early spring weather that really has me wanting to run outside.

Last Tuesday morning, M2 woke up and declared that her ear hurt. I put a call in to the pediatrician who had an opening 20 minutes out (we live 10 minutes away) and I was able to get her to the doctor, confirm that yes it was an ear infection, get her antibiotic at the pharmacy, and get her to preschool on time. It's 180 degrees different when they're older and able to communicate their pain! Five days later, P5 had a rough night where he woke up repeatedly crying and fussing. He wasn't complaining of pain, but he also isn't at the stage where he can communicate that something hurts. By Sunday afternoon he had a fever and was unable to nap because of his pain. The nurse hotline for our insurance sent a doctor over for a house call (it's actually cheaper for the insurance company to pay for this than for us to go into an ER during off hours). I cannot express how grateful I am for this service. Spending weekend hours waiting in a public waiting room is never fun - especially with a toddler in tow. Being sick myself this weekend, it was a huge blessing to wait with my crying sick boy at home for the doctor to come check him out here. As it turns out, the poor little guy had a double ear infection - one side was so bad his ear drum was bulging. By Monday after a few doses of antibiotic were in his system, he was back to his usual happy self.

One thing that P5's OT has been concerned about is his excessive drooling. Initially he was labeled as having "low oral threshold" which I've learned is fairly common for kids on the spectrum and/or with sensory processing issues. Recently his OT suggested that we get his tonsils/adenoids looked at since some kids who have a lot of drool, don't sleep through the night, and snore have enlarged tonsils that can be making it harder for them to swallow and breath at night. I took P5 to the ENT doctor today and it was confirmed that yes - he has enlarged tonsils. They recommended getting them removed, and apparently it's an easier recovery for children under 5 than for older kids and adults. I'm a little nervous about him having surgery, but I also really want him to be able to swallow and breath better. He occasionally will sleep through the night, but only a few times per month - most nights he wakes 1-2 times and when he is sleeping he is quite restless moving around a lot.

I'm glad to say that we are on the mend and should hopefully all be well and ready to celebrate a lovely Easter weekend, and hopefully this is the last bad cold we have for awhile!