22.11.12

Not as we planned

Sometimes we have days that don't exactly go as we planned.  This was one of those days.  As a matter of fact, this is one of those weeks.  Instead of turkey and dressing on this Thanksgiving Day, saltine crackers and sprite were on the menu.  My favorite boy is sick.  Very sick.  He spent the entire day on the sofa watching movies and napping.

Mason had been running a low grade fever off and on since Sunday.  He complained of a headache, but he didn't have any other symptoms.  He seemed fine Monday morning so he went fishing in Cocodrie with PawPaw.  On Tuesday he wasn't feeling good and laid down in the boat most of the morning so they came home that afternoon.  He was running fever again but wasn't complaining of anything else.  I could tell by looking at him that he was tired and definitely not feeling well.  He ate supper, went to bed and woke up seemingly fine yesterday morning.  He ate breakfast.  It was a lazy day in pajamas.  I spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing for today's meal.  After lunch, we noticed that things were really quiet upstairs.  Hannah Kate went to check on Mason and told me he was laying down in his bed.  At that point, I knew something was REALLY wrong.  He never does that!

So I went upstairs.  He was burning up hot and began crying and complaining of a stomach ache.  The last time he had these symptoms simultaneously, it was strep throat.  Knowing that's going around, that's what I suspected.  I nursed Ellie quickly and then took him to the urgent care clinic.  He was very weak and could not walk without my help.  Once inside, the nurse took him temperature. It had topped 104.  The doctor came in, asked a few questions and then told me he was going to test Mason for the flu.  The test was positive.  Because Mason had been running fever periodically since Sunday, we weren't sure when the virus actually started.  For tamiflu to be effective, it has to be taken within the first 48 hours, and we were probably outside that window.  The doctor didn't think it would do us much good, but he gave me a prescription for it anyway.  He also said we needed to monitor him closely to get the fever back down.

When we finally got home, I gave Mason his medicine and quickly began disinfecting everything with Lysol and Clorox, hoping and praying it wasn't too late.  Hoping and praying, too, that no one else, especially Ellie, gets this horrible sickness.  I also began pushing fluids to keep him hydrated.  I helped him into bed and checked on him periodically, but he was still complaining of a severe stomach ache.  He eventually was not able to keep any of the medication or fluids down.  Everything came up.  I have never seen him so sick, and it just broke my heart.

Our morning started out much like last night ended.  The medication and fluids just wouldn't stay down.  But his fever was down considerably so that was encouraging.  After talking with a couple of my nurse friends, I gave him a few sips of Sprite later in the morning.  That stayed down so we did it again.  And then again.  And then I gave him a couple of saltine crackers.  At day's end, he'd managed to keep down two cans of Sprite and half a sleeve of saltine crackers.  I could tell he was feeling better because he was getting rather chatty.  But he was still pretty pitiful.  

He came to me at 7:30 and said he was ready for bed.  I changed his sheets one more time and put him down, but his fever was going back up again.  Prior to that, I thought he was really on the mend, but now I'm not sure.

So, needless to say, he missed out on the Thanksgiving festivities at MawMaw's today.  Seth and Hannah Kate went while the rest of us stayed here.  I just hate so badly that this is how he's having to spend his Thanksgiving break.  I was so looking forward to this time, and it was so needed.  I'd almost rather him be sick during school and have to miss a few days than be sick during his break!  And he's missing out on fun times with Avery and Beau, too, and Abbie.

I guess this is a Thanksgiving I'll not soon forget!  Even though it definitely has not turned out like I'd envisioned, I have so very much to be thankful for!  Besides my favorite boy, here are my best girls this evening after bath time.

GIVING THANKS | Day 22: I am thankful for the blessing of good health.  I am thankful for the doctors and nurses who care for my children when they are sick, which is quite rare.  I am thankful I know the GREAT PHYSICIAN, and I am trusting him for completing healing and restoration of health, strength and energy for my Mason and quickly!  I am thankful for my family, my little family inside these "four walls" and my entended families.  While I sure did miss spending time with them today, I know that what I was doing was far more important.  The only thing I would change is that I sure wish it could've been me laying on that sofa all day instead of him!

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING,

and into His courts with PRAISE.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For THE LORD IS GOOD;

His mercy is everlasting,

and His truth endures to all generations.

~Psalm 100