Sickness Everywhere!

I'm a little freaked out by all of this "flu" stuff going around. I'm obessed with hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes and I have been washing my hands non stop (I'm a little worried OCD is kicking in!). We have all been sick at our house, however we are all better. Brentley started a yucky runny nose the Friday after school started. I knew it would happen so I just dealt with it. It continued for 1 1/2 weeks gradually getting worse.

I know this is gross but do you know how impossible it is to clean this nose every morning!

And use that "snot sucker" multiple times a day! (Yes, crazy hair picture too)

After calling the doctor's office several times to see when I should get worried (they kept telling me to let it run it's course) then I called our friend that is a nurse practitioner. Brandy called her in some antibiotics. My mom had already made plans to come out that night and be with us since Paul was going to be at the fire station. Mom had picked Brentley up at my office around 2 and took her to our house. When I got home around 4:30 we took her temp and it was 102.9, she had not really eaten much that day nor had any wet diapers (maybe one). So I called Brandy back to let her know about the temperature and she said if it were hers then she was take them to the ER. She said go to Lebonheur downtown or Methodist Germantown. Thank God my mom was here or I may have lost it. We have a friend that works at Lebonheur so we packed up and headed that way. In the mean time we loaded her up with Motrin and Tylenol. We got to the ER and was greeted by a nurse giving everyone mask and hand sanitizer. Ok, so everyone in that place was so sick. We got tested for the flu and it was negative! Thank God!!!

Naturally she was happy and dancing around by the time we got seen by the doctor.
End result, double ear infections and sinus infection

Grandaddy Mark checking her ears

I learned several things with all of this. I asked the Pediatrician when we followed up two days later where I went wrong. How did we skip coming in to see him and end up at the ER? I was told by the nurses line at the Dr's office "Babies at this age can't get sinus infections."

YES THEY CAN! Even my Dr said so. There is some confusion because babies have only 1 developed sinus area at this age (around the bridge of the nose). Adults have like 4 or 5 different sinus areas. However, that 1 can get infected.

Secondly, it's common for a baby (or child) to get a little fever with the onset of a cold. However, if after day three they develop a fever or still have one from onset it's likely a secondary has set in and it needs to be treated by a Dr.

I know this post really isn't too interesting but I just thought I would share our experience and what I learned from it.

Stay healthy this flu season!