Sophia (hollering from the downstairs bathroom): mom, can you wipe my bottom?!
Me: yup- I'm coming--- you went poop?
Sophia: I suuuure did, and it's NOT dieWEEeeah! (I've never heard her say that word so it's probably funnier to me.)
Me: Oh yay-- it's normal poop?
Sophia: Yeah. And I did it all by myself. ??? (as opposed to....I don't know.... )
Might give you an idea of how the last several poops and days have gone. This is my second Sunday in a row skipping out on church because of her weird ailments. Mila threw up once a day for like 6 days over Easter weekend, then we had a couple of days of healthy kids. Then Sophia started this weird routine where she threw up once in the early morning... but it was mostly water and she wasn't feverish or anything... but said her stomach hurt like crazy and could barely walk. I knew it felt different than a flu or anything and ended up taking her to urgent care last Monday to find out she had a full blown Urinary Tract Infection. Sheesh! Poor girl right?
So she's on her antibiotics and seems better on that account... but now has this crazy barking cough, tons of congestion in her chest it sounds like, and like NO voice, (which made the whole diarrhea conversation even cuter in her airy little raspy tone). Her breathing sounds horrendous like there's a motor in her chest, I can hear her a room away. And when it gets bad I can hear her just struggling to get her oxygen in. It's heart-breaking.
Why does it seem like these things always happen on the weekend when you can't just call your doctor and get a little opinion over the phone without waiting in a germ-infested, disease-ridden waiting room of the urgent care. Anyone well enough versed in The Croup and Bronchitis to rule either out for me? Both seem to be able to go away on their own... but you know you always just want to know what the problem is. And I've watched a few too many "House" episodes so my mind wanders to all sorts of auto-immune disorders and other terms that I don't know the meaning of. Aren't we supposed to be past the sick season???
14 comments:
Croup cough sounds just like a seal barking. A humidifier is helpful.
Bronchitis or bronchiolitis will sound like more of a moist cough. I don't think I'd bother with Urgent Care (unless she gets worse and feverish), they're usually not all that versed in pediatrics.
Your best bet is to see if your pediatrician has a doctor on call today. Or to take her in first thing tomorrow. Why do kids always to seem to get sick when the doc is out?
There is also that trick with putting vaporub on the soles of her feet, but in my experience it doesn't work all that great. I hope she's feeling better soon.
I don't know anything about bronchitis but have you tried the Minute Clinic at CVS Pharmacy? They take most insurance's and it's way better than an urgent care if you're in a bind on the weekend. Walgreens has one, too! They're great.
Hope Sophia feels better soon.
It sounds like you need to bring her into the doctor, but it could wait until tomorrow when the doctors office re-opens. I would put the vaporub on the bottom of her feet as stated before, but put socks on after. Also, bring her into the bathroom and steam it up completely. And tonight put a humidifier in her room with vicks in it. I'm a mom and went to med school (dropped out during my internship to be a stay at home mom) so I know what youre going through! Good luck!!!
Oh no. Sounds like a TON of fun.
I love your blog. Seriously, you can WRITE. Mine is www.madi6234.blogspot.com, if you don't have it. I love you!
-Madi Barney
Lillie, I'm sorry your girls weren't/aren't feeling as chipper as normal! That breathing and oxygen thing can be so concerning as a mother! I know how you feel. But I'm sure they will be better soon! And no worse for wear. You're a great mamma!
Natalie had the croup and I didn't know at thing about it so I ended up taking her to the ER because she got so bad. One thing they told me is if she's having a hard time breathing to either 1. take her out in the cold air (most likely won't work where you live) or 2. Turn your shower on SUPER hot and have her breath the steam. Both work well. Good luck I hate sick kids.
Christin
We ended up at your ward this morning (long story) and I was looking for you, now I know where you were! Hope she feels better soon...my girls have had bronchitis A LOT! A cool air humidifier seems to make things a little better at night. Good luck!
We have the croup right now.
First steam her up in the bathroom for a good fifteen minutes. You will be hot and sweaty and annoyed, but it's totally worth it.
Then immediately take her out and have her breathe in cold air. In the winter I make my kids breathe the 15 degree outside air, but in the spring the freezer works just fine.
But the trick is you have to do both. First steam, then cool air.
Good luck.
I have no advice. but that picture of sophia is too pretty not to comment about. love it!
I hope she feels better soon, and that you are holding up okay!
ps--I was still reminscing about my trip with all the snowfall. it was so weird, because it was like spring/almost summer one day, then started snowing the next afternoon, then when we woke up the next day, it was like christmas morning winter wonderland! I had too many pictures to include everything in one post, so I saved the pretty snow pictures for another day...thanks for commenting. you're my favorite. (but no pressure of course. :) )
I don't know, but a few people in my ward have this $100 humidifer which I thought expensive until Chloe got bronchiolitis and then I made Devin rush out and get it one night when she couldn't stop coughing.
It is a miracle humidifier, no joke - cuts down colds from 2 weeks to 3 days. Only at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Ok, I guess I hit enter and it published. Anyway, tell me if you want the name of it...poor girl. No fun (although, now that I'm reading this, you've probably already taken her to the doctor and figured out what it was...hope they feel better soon!)
I don't know if you've already done something about it, but my kids always get bronchitis and croup. The most important thing is that they are getting enough oxygen. If you pull up their shirt and look at the skin by their ribs when they're breathing. Is it pulling in? That means they are struggling to breath and need to go to the doctor. The doctor will check for pnemonia (important) and possibly give and antibioitc, but the most important thing for immediate releif is a breathing treatment, which will open her brochilols so she doesn't have to struggle so hard to breath. We have a nebulizer at our house, but the doctors can loan you one until her lungs fight the infection and are less swollen.
I'd take her in. The first time this happened to my daughter it sounded like you described and she was struggling to breath, but I didn't know, it was a cough that would go away, so I thought. One day she wouldn't stop crying, so I took her in and the doctor said she was in respiratory distress and gave her a breathing treatment and told me if that didn't work we'd have to bring her to the emergency room. Thankfully it worked. In bad cases, doctors will also give steroids to decrease the swelling in their lungs. I hope that info helps.
Sorry, I forgot to say something about croup. Croup is the seal barking cough attack. It usually happens right after they've been sleeping (morning, middle of the night, after naps). It can be scary and look like their gasping for air. A shot of cold air, or a steamy bathroom during the episode will calm things down. Croup is when a part of the throat is swollen, not the lungs like bronchitis. It usually last about 3nights. The thing that has worked the best with my kids are to put a cool mist humidifier in their room at night. Give them mucinex right before bed (in bad cases every 4 hrs at night) and if they wake up. If they wake up with a barking cough spell I go into the hot steamy bathroom and stay in there for about 20 min. while I give them hot apple cider or herbal tea. The key is the thin the mucus. You could also put saline up their nose and suction it.
Really, the mucinex before bed pretty much let them sleep with out waking up in a coughing fit.
Best of luck and hopefully she's feeling better soon. :)
Well, at least it wasn't Kiwi, because that's what Jaden calls his very soft poop. I have no idea where he came up with it.
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