My husband says that Jonathan and I can open an office next to the doctor. In other words, he thinks I overreact and take Jonathan to the doctor way to often. My husband says I have a subscription to the doctor. Just like one has a subscription to a magazine, or a football club. In other words, according to the man I live with, my hobby is taking Jonathan to see the doctor...
But is it? I hope not! And yet, my husband has a point, we are frequent visitors to the clinic. Jonathan has seen a child doctor many times but also an ear expert and a skin specialist in his short life. Not to mention the visit to the emergency room when he was just one month old (the only excuse I have is being a new mom and Jonathan's high fever – and the instructions common in Israel at this infant stage to bring kids to emergency when they have high fever)) and the X-ray clinic (more details later on that one). I believe parents are often feeling hopeless, because their baby is sick and when they go to the doctor all that the doctor says is “well, he is just too little to give him anything, so basically there is nothing we can do” As this is more or less that case each time we go to the doctor, I guess I can understand why my husband thinks its a waste of time to go. Not to mention that you can catch something from the other (really) sick children who frequent the clinic. And yet, I prefer to have the “its OK” stamp of approval from the medical doctor. Does that mean I am a panicking mom? (oh I hope not! I really do not want to be the panicking mom) but I prefer that a professional take a look at Jonathan now and then.
Jonathan has been having a cold and a runny nose more or less since the day he was born with virtually no pauses. Once he could hardly breath in bed at night! As he also developed a fever, I insisted the next day on taking him not only to the children's doctor but to a clinic to have him thoroughly checked (including lung X-ray) just to make sure there is no infection! After all the repeated doctor visits and being told there is nothing to do but give him salt drops and having to watch him only getting worse, I simply had enough! Feeling so hopeless can do that to a mother. The boy couldn't breath dammit! So he had an X-ray and some blood tests and they found no infection. So he continued to have a runny nose, I was no longer as worried (because of the good X-ray results) and our life returned to normal. And believe me, I tried everything I know (including tips from the doctor and my mother). I have a steam machine in his room at night, he did not sleep with the air conditioner on at all, all summer (rather a ventilator, or the heat is unbearable) I gave him salt drops in his nose and we even used the inhalation machine.
At about 6 month suddenly it all cleared up! And he was cold free for a week, for the first time in his life! Such bliss! I felt like a winner at last! And then we flew to Germany and he caught something on the plane... and so we returned with a sick child, back to square one! Baaaah!
A runny nose was a staple more or less since he was 3 months old, and I always attributed it to the fact that Jonathan goes to a daycare center and other kids means viruses...but about a month and a half ago he started coughing too! I took him to the doctor and was told there is nothing to do, as he is too little to give him antibiotics. After a month of coughing I finally got the prescription for inhalation. We did this for 4 days and his throat and lungs cleared up! But his nose was blocked and so after a three day pause we once again inhalated for three days – this was two weeks ago! The boy has a running nose since and he is also coughing again! Now tell me! What is a mother supposed to do????
To add on to this, my husband and I also got sick and had to take antibiotics in turns. So we had the added worry that Jonathan has got the infection too. The doctor said no! But he also said the usual “nothing to do” sentence. Today is Saturday and Jonathan woke up with a fever again 38.7. During the day the we gave him some medicine to lower it and it broke, but I know he went to sleep again with fever. And now comes a mother's doubt – should I take him to the doctor again? Does the combination of a running nose, a cough and fever justify that we show up in the clinic once again? (The last time we went the doctor said we should come again if it gets worse - i.e. fever) Or should I attribute his fever to new teeth that might be popping out...after all he is the right age for such things... and he has taken to munching anything quite in a frenzy lately, a clear sign for new teeth, not to mention the quantities of spit...
I guess if he has fever tomorrow morning, we will go to the doc and I might even insist on an X-ray again, as Jonathan has been coughing for more than a month now, but this means missing work, and so, I guess if he has no fever tomorrow, I will probably send him to the daycare center again...
This is a good time to stop my worrying mind and tell you, faithful reader, how adorable Jonathan is even when he is sick. I am sure that with 38.7 degrees the boy is suffering and yet he plays and eats and is in a good mood always, as if nothing is wrong. Admittedly he cries a bit more than normal when he is hungry or tired (and Jonathan hardly cries) but that is the only difference and the only indication that he is sick at all. We are blessed with a happy and peaceful (albeit active) child! Yeh! And with this optimistic note, I shall end today's blog!
PS – last week, it turned out I just has a reoccurring virus...no antibiotics for me, just lots of vitamin C.
I am worried because this is the forth time I got a cold virus in the last three months! Am I pushing too hard? Work and baby? Is it all to much for me? But what can I do but go on...and I wanted an optimistic ending! So here it is! Jonathan is after all the best thing that has happened to me and he is just soooooooooooooo cute!
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