Almost inevitably O is now sick (and Al too, but mildly). Exact same symptoms as E (high fevers, cough), so it looks like it has a long incubation period. Doctor is fairly sure it’s whooping cough (Australia is in the middle of an outbreak), so despite sleepless nights and disruption of normal life, all I can think is: I’m so grateful for modern medicine.
Another one bites the dust
E had high fevers for 9 DAYS, she lost weight, and had a nasty cough that kept her up at night, AND SHE WAS VACCINATED. Once she took the correct antibiotic medication she was better in two days (except the cough lingers). Now O is following the same trajectory.
Imagine how sick they would have been without vaccinations or antibiotics. Even paracetamol to bring down their fevers is so helpful. I honestly believe they would be fighting for their lives right now if it wasn’t for these medical advances. So although the weeks of illness are not easy, I’m just so grateful I’m not facing the possible death of my child right now,
Anyway, luckily I am working from home today anyway, and I only have two (internal) Zoom meetings today, so I have the flexibility to look after O. Plenty of screen time will be on the agenda for him. He will start on antibiotics today, and hopefully by the end of the weekend he will be much better. By then the ENTIRE family will have had some version of this so let’s hope that this is the end of illness for a while! (So I can get back to normal blog posts that aren’t on this topic!)
I try - not always successfully - to keep this in mind every single time I visit a doctor. It truly is amazing what modern medicine can do and, not that long ago, NONE of these helps existed. Antibiotics! Understanding of the importance of hygiene! Vaccines! Fever reducers. So many things my kids have had over the years could easily have ended in death in another generation which is both sobering, but also a source of much gratitude on my part. I cannot imagine having a sick child and no option for trying to treat that sickness. It breaks my heart that in many places of the world, this is still a relevant experience.
Sending best wishes for quick healing…