3 down...2 to go

we are knee deep in germs over here.  on thursday morning...colton woke up not wanting to go to school.  he said he "was tired" and "had a headache."  i told him that he'd be fine once he started moving and he was not thrilled with my lack of concern.  around 11:30, i got a call from the school nurse that he was laying down in the nurses office and was complaining of a headache.  she said his temp was 99.8...which was not considered fever and that it was my call on whether she send him back to class or i come get him.  i said that i woulds come get him...because that's not like him at all. 

after we got home, i gave him advil and he layed on the couch the rest of the day.  at 6:00, he said he felt like the room was tilting and that his head hurt really bad.  i felt of him and he felt so hot that i literally ran for the thermometer.  it read 104.4.  i blinked, thinking i had read it wrong...but it read the same.  i got cool rags and grabbed the tylenol and began rubbing him down to get the fever down.  it came down to 102 after about 15 minutes, so he didn't have to get in a cool tub.  then i began profusely apologizing for making him go to school that morning.  the poor darlin must have felt terrible.  his teacher texted me that night to check on him and informed me that the actual flu was going around.  oh no.  BUT...he had the flu vaccine, i kept telling myself.

i set my alarm for it to go off during the night so that i could check him.  he didn't run above 100 all night.  i got the other kids ready for school, and started preparing the stuff for aiden's class' valentine's party.  around 9...colton said his head was hurting again, so i took his temp.  it was 105.  this time, i didn't mess around with the rags.  he went straight in a cool tub and we piggy backed his meds to get it down fast.  he was shivering and his skin was prickly and the water felt like ice on his hot body.  i shuddered for him as i called the doctor to make an appointment. 

i arranged for my mom to come and run aiden's party for me, so that i could stay with colton.  she was a room mom for years...so she could handle this while blind folded and one hand tied behind her back!!    the fever came down to 102 after about 15 minutes in the tub...and the meds brought it down the rest of the way.  when the doctor examined him she said, "this is the flu."  i said, "but he had the flu vaccine."  to which she replied, "unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of flu even with the vaccine."  i said, "my concern is the baby.  she's only 1."  she followed that statement up with the best 16 words that i have heard in a long time..."i will give you meds for her to start now so that she won't get it."  i felt myself let out the breath that i had been holding since the night before when i first heard the word "flu" from colt's teacher.

then...she had him open his mouth.  i believe her exact words were..."WHOA!!!!  THOSE ARE SOME BIG TONSILS!!!!  with a lot of white puss on them.  well...we will swab him for both the flu and strep.  it's one or the other."  i had been praying that it was strep and not the flu.  i figured that would be the best diagnosis for everyone.  we would just have to wait and see.

after about 15 minutes, the doctor knocked on the door and walked in and said, "drum roll....................it's strep."  i let out the second breath i had been holding and she said, "that's definitely the better of the two." 

we thanked the doctor, and then thanked God. 

i am just starting to get over a nasty cold that i've been in denial about for the last 4 or 5 days.  annslee woke up in the night with a cough and goopy nose.  she has my cold.  i'm waiting for chase and aiden to come down with either the cold or the strep.  i'll take a cold for 2, please.  this morning i told chad's mom, "3 down...2 to go."