I knew as soon as Grant had a tickle in his nose that we were in for it. Even though he's been diligent washing his hands and using Purell, it was hard for him to avoid it when co-workers came into work while ill. (Yes, having a Masters degree doesn't automatically mean there's a lick of common sense.)
The first part of last week I was preparing - cleaning, catching up on laundry, stocking up on food and medicine - waiting for one of us to go down. John, the poor baby, was the first to feel poorly. Grant was electrofishing at night on Wednesday, and John developed a fever in the middle of the night. Thursday evening, I called the Dr. after he threw up. She said it was most likely the H1N1 virus since it's running rampant through the community. The pediatrician recommended giving him a dose of Tylenol and a dose of Motrin at the same time to break the fever and make him feel a little better. I didn't know you could do this - she said the Tylenol is processed through the liver and the Motrin through the kidneys so it won't overdose him, but not to do it all of the time. It did the trick. He slept pretty well.
Sam woke up Friday with a low fever in the middle of the night, but it didn't slow him down much. Saturday was a different story. He came out of bed in the morning burning up. His fever was 104.2. I immediately gave him the Tylenol/Motrin combo, and we put him in the tub. Grant had to hold his head up because he was so wiped out. Thankfully, the fever broke within an hour. He was pretty pooped the rest of the day, but never had such a high fever. By Sunday he was much better, and Monday was back to his busy self.
The last bit of drama was on Sunday when I took John into the immediate care clinic because I was concerned about dehydration. He wouldn't eat. He was so congested that it was hard for him to nurse, but he wouldn't even take milk through a dropper. The Dr. said he was slightly dehydrated, and showed me how to really get the boogs out with the aspirator. I had been cleaning out his nose, but obviously didn't get up in there quite enough! So, between the saline solution, aspirator and continued boiling water on the stove, he gradually cleared up to where he could nurse. Finally, on Tuesday his fever went away for good.
It's been a heck of a week, but I'm happy the boys are on the mend. I'm also very grateful I didn't catch it. I have no idea why since I'm chronically sleep deprived and running on fumes, except for the supplements that I call my voodoo meds. (I was ready to sacrifice a chicken, if necessary!)
My naturopathic doctor friend, Deb Oleynik, recommended a product called Oscillococcinum. It's a homeopathic remedy commonly used in Europe, and I picked up a couple of boxes at Smith's grocery store. I gave some to Sam, but think I might have been too late in starting it. I took it for three days. While I had a screaming headache and occasional chills, if that was it for me, I'm happy! By the third day, I felt fine. Exhausted from staying up with sick kids, but otherwise fine. I'm going to buy another box to have on hand, plus I"m continuing to take the elderberry extract and vitamins, including increased amounts of Vitamin D. I truly hope this is it for being sick this year, but I'm ready in case it isn't!
