Last Sunday (12/12) Alexander came down with a nasty upper respiratory infection with a low grade fever. It seemed to spread quickly throughout the house, and Wednesday I brought him to the doctor. Since his fever was continuing and his cold was worsening, we thought he should be seen. The doctor confirmed that, yes, he was very sick, but also that he had swelling in his right ear and behind his right eye. It seemed like a viral infection had turned bacterial, as well, and typically at this point a doctor would prescribe an antibiotic and send you on your merry way. This is where our journey must differ from the norm, and here we sit 9 days later with a sick toddler and over a week of work missed.
Because of Alexander's GI history, there is great concern with prescribing him antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. As his doctor put it, "I don't want to give him an antibiotic for a few days, and have him sick for the next 3 months because of it." While I have always known that antibiotics can cause some GI upset, we never thought about how the treatment of common illnesses could upset Alex's system. Aside from little colds, this is only the second time Alexander has been sick with an infection in 21 months.
Today we went back to the doctor. His sinus infection seems to have dissipated a bit (the eye swelling has gone down), but his ear has gotten worse. It seems to be more uncomfortable than painful. He gave us a script for Zithromax (a 5 day antibiotic) to have in the event his fever jumped up to 101 or his ear seemed to be terribly painful. We are not to fill it at this time - he said it's about 50/50 if we'll need to use it. If we do, he must go on probiotics at the same time, and continue them for about 2 weeks after the antibiotic is done. We are really hoping to not need it. His GI system has continued to be mostly calm on the dairy-free diet with the Prevacid. We do NOT want to upset it in any way! So for now, it is just fluids, rest, and Tylenol for any pain management.
Interestingly enough, he said that the infection may cause his ear to perforate, but that it would be a good thing for Alex. It would drain the infection and heal on its own. It's so weird how so many things that would appear "bad" are actually good, and the things that seem "good" can be so bad for him.
Thanks to everyone who's been checking in. And a big "Thank you!" to my wonderful coworkers (you know who you are) who have been so understanding and kind during my absence. Alexander also sends his love to his playmates he's been missing. I told him we were going to the doctor this morning and he said, "Sylvie?! Lou?! Cazowine?!" [Sylvia, Liam, Caroline]. He can't wait to come play again!
Merry Christmas to those who observe and a very Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!
