Welcome to our side of the fence: Saturday 2/13/10

To say this has been a REALLY rough week is a TOTAL understatement. REALLY. This has been one of the most challenging weeks we've had in quite awhile. I keep telling myself that life is full of ups and downs, happy and sad times, scary and joyful times, etc. I also try to tell myself that GOD doesn't give you more than you can handle. Well, I'm almost to my breaking point and ready for some relief...SOON!   It all started on sunday 1/24/10 with a runny nose for Brianna. Then the same for Jacob a few days later. Might I add, this was almost one week after Brianna had started school after her winter break. Then both B & J got eye infections so Jack and I had to take them to the pediatrician. Not only did they have eye infections (the doctor said B looked like she had been in a fight hers was so bad), but B also had another sinus infection and J had an ear infection (a first for J). 4 days after J had been taking his antibiotic, he still had a fever and wasn't responding to the antibiotic. The doctor put him on a stronger one that finally did the trick (or so we thought). I had to call the doctor yesterday because ONE DAY after finishing his antibiotic, he had a slight fever again, had green & yellow discharge coming from his nose and just wasn't acting right. SO I had to bring him in to the doctor AGAIN, friday (2/12/10), to make sure he wasn't getting what his sister had (I'll explain that in a minute). The doctor said that if an antibiotic is working correctly, you SHOULD be feeling better within 3 days of taking it. Well, today we're on day 3 with J so I'll let ya know how we're doing...lol.

Now...for Brianna. This poor girl has had a rough 3 weeks. No sooner did she get over her sinus infection and eye infection she got sick again...REALLY sick. One day after being off her antibiotics, she started with a fever AGAIN and wasn't acting like herself. We thought she was just tired because she hadn't been sleeping very well due to a really bad cough. After 2 days of acting lethargic and not eating much of anything, I called her doctor wednesday. I was told to bring her in IMMEDIATELY. I had to leave work to get her to bring her back to the doctor. I was nearly knocked on the floor to my knees when her pediatrician told me she had an ear infection AND pneumonia! MY POOR BABY!!! I couldn't understand how she could've gotten this if she had just finished a 10 day course of antibiotic. He said most likely, she caught this when her antibiotics were almost finished and needed to be continued in order to kill the bacteria and germs making her sick.   Her pediatrican put her on a nebulizer treatment to open up her lungs to get rid of the "gunk" and so the medicine can kill the germs. All was going good...or so we thought.  Wednesday night, Brianna got her 2nd nebulizer treatment and her first dose of zithromax. The nebulizer treatments are doing her wonders! Her doctor noticed a HUGE difference with just one treatment! I guess you wouldn't feel well if you can't breathe! When I called my mother in law thursday, to check on Brianna, she said Brianna had red splotches and hives EVERYWHERE. R U KIDDING ME??? I called the doctor again to tell him she had an allergic reaction to the Z-Pack.  She had to be put on another antibiotic, actually the same one she had just come off of.   Brianna had to be given Benadryl every 6 hours to control the itching and hives. She's still itching today, but is doing better than yesterday.  She's taking all of her medicine like a champ and is a pro at doing her nebulizer treatments. She is such an amazing little girl! She's been through so much just since she's started school this past fall. I want to keep her in a bubble to keep her safe and healthy. I know that's not practical, but it absolutely breaks my heart to see my kids sick. I should look on the bright side...she's helping me boost her little brother's immune system at the same time too...lol.   Fortunately for him, the doctor said friday his lungs were clear and he wasn't wheezing. He just has another cold. UGH!   I also found out that at Brianna's school, there have been a few kids sick with pneumonia. I was so ticked off when I found this out! I think this is something they should've shared with parents. Just a generic letter stating that a few children have come down with pneumonia. I'm NOT a happy momma!!

If all that wasn't enough, thursday night Jack came home from work telling me he wasn't feeling well. He had a slight fever and was cold all night and achy. He still went to work feeling under the weather friday. I had the doctor call in a Z-pack for him too. The last thing I need is to have him get pneumonia. He said today he's still feeling bad. I can definately tell when he's not at his "best" because he's not his jovial self. He's been pretty crabby today. HELP! I'm surrounded by sickos! Calgon...take me AWAY!!! Preferably to some place warmer with NO SNOW!!

                                 Two of my sickos

The other sicko (Jacob). Jack wasn't happy I was taking his picture...can ya tell?

Jack was cold so he put on his hoodie sweatshirt and put up his hood!

Brianna doing her nebulizer treatment. She worked up the courage to put the elastic band around her head so she doesn't have to hold it. This was a very scary thing for her in the beginning.