March Madness

And we are not talking about basketball here people. We are talking sickness - knock you down, ruin your vacation, stop your world sickness.

Let's start at the beginning.

B missed a week back in February with some strep throat/flu combo. You can read about that here if you don't recall the story. So I was happy and amazed that Lu didn't pick it up. He has always been the sicker of my 2 kids and usually catches everything that gets thrown our direction. This year has been exceptional and except for one day for my aunt's funeral, he has had perfect attendance. This is pretty much unheard of for us!

Can you see where this is headed??

Enter March. My current least favorite month ever. Sweet Lu goes to spend Saturday night with a friend in a neighboring town - about 20 miles away. G, B and me wake up Sunday morning (March 1st) and get ready for early church. I have to admit it is kind of nice to only have one kid to get ready. I am so excited to be at church - we are just beginning a new Lenten Sermon Series and our Sunday School class is starting a new study as well. This is going to be a good day! Well, about 8:30 my phone rings - yes, in church - but luckily I have it on vibrate. It's Lu's friend's mother. Everything is great she reports except Lu is not really eating and not playing just laying around watching t.v. This certainly doesn't sound like him....she takes his temp and sure enough it is 101. I go back and tell the news to G and take off to pick up Lu. I get to him and he looks bad. I call the pediatrician's office and get an appointment for the afternoon. He has the flu. We qualify for the inhaled medicine which was wonderful. I must work on Monday as it is TAKS week so G stays home. Lu is great and able to return to school on Tuesday. Whew! We sure dodged a bullet on that one. Or did we?? Fast forward to Friday, March 6th. I am running errands all over town. My parents are driving in to keep the boys because G and I are going to San Antonio for a 4 day get-away! So excited. I have my nails done, get a cool new shirt to wear out Saturday night, buy food for home and snacks for the hotel room.......then at 2:30 the school nurse calls to say that Lu threw up at school and is running a temp of 103.1. Are you kidding me?? Pick up Lu, take him straight to the doctor. Not sure what it is - could be the stomach virus, could be appendicitis, could be pneumonia......we decide to go home and let him get some rest and treat it like the stomach virus since that is most likely what it is. My parents arrive and we feel certain our San Antonio trip is just delayed for a few hours. These stomach things never last very long, right? WRONG! He just keeps getting worse and worse. I cannot get his temp to come down, he won't eat anything, he is throwing up about twice a day.....so G leave for San Antonio on Sunday with out me (he had to get to a conference he was attending) and I take Lu back to the doctor. Doctor #2 says this can last up to 10 days - he is fine, blah,blah,blah. I know he is not fine, but bring him back home and start praying. I have never seen Lu so sick for so long. I was truly scared and felt like we were headed for the hospital. I finally take him to see our pediatrician on Tuesday morning. He immediately does a CBC and send us to the hospital for x- rays. It IS pneumonia as Doctor #1 said it could be. Yeah! We have a diagnosis. He had to get 4 shots over 2 days and he has to take antibiotics for 10 days We have to go back for another x-ray in 2 weeks to make sure it has cleared up. He is weak and has been laying in the bed for 7 days now, but his temperature is NORMAL and he is getting his appetite back. Praise the Lord - he is doing so much better now!!