When Both Ends Are the Short End of the Stick

There was a time, in a galaxy far, far away, when I felt like I was hovering over Rachael waiting for something to go wrong (Jen, I think the term is "Helicopter Mother", LOL). I think it's a side effect of having a neurologically abnormal child as your firstborn: you expect the next one to be the same.

At some point, however, I decided that Rachael was A-okay, and quit worrying. I think it was around the time she turned a year old. And seriously, I worry about nothing with her, and figure everything these days is just "normal".

Fast forward to now...

The kids have been sick for 3 or 4 weeks. And I mean sick. And not good sick, I mean sick-sick, fully-sick, like that rapper guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxQwJ_bJUXA

(I'll let you link to the video, it has some... what I don't consider totally appropriate family viewing content, but it's quite, quite entertaining)

(but I digress...)

Abby has napped virtually every day the past three weeks (she gave up naps over a year ago), has been miserable, runny nose, fevers, the whole shbang. After a week or two of that, I finally took her to the walk-in clinic, figuring she had a sinus infection again (she's had two others already this winter). The doctor agreed and prescribed antibiotics. They haven't helped.

Rachael has completed not one but two courses of increasingly stronger antibiotics trying to clear an ear infection. Plus the cough, the restlessness, the cough, the runny nose.

Finally I threw in the towel and made an appointment with Dr. E, the pediatrician. He gave both girls a good look-over, hemmed and hawed, wrote some stuff down, and said, "Okay, now we talk."

My experience has been this can't be good.

Abby has a cold (duh), but most likely also has the flu and/or RSV, and just needs time. I can live with that, and suspected as much. She's sick-sick, but will get better all on her own.

Rachael, on the other hand....

*sigh*

Her ear infection is still not gone, and needs another 2-3 weeks of antibiotics to try and clear it up. Yuck.

She probably has RSV too. Double yuck.

"Oh, and I'm writing her a script for an inhaler, because I think she has asthma."

Whaaaaa????

Then, a little light went on....

That's what that wheezing (which I decided was nothing to worry about when Rachael magically became "normal" to me at a year old) has been all about!

For months!

Boy, do I feel like a crappy mom!