(a glimpse into a 2 year old's brush with the Hot Zone)
Many of you people with lives will often have someone come into the office complaining that their child is recovering from a 24 hour bug. In case you have ever wondered what that looks like and why they are so miserable the next day, here is a brief breakdown of the brink and back.
The good news is that this wasn't one of those projectile vomit 'flus - you with delicate constitutions need not worry and can read on.
Saturday night- Evie cries, Daddy sleeps on the floor next to her. (The shark is lurking beneath the surface.)
Sunday morning – Evie feels a little warm, but is acting fine. Jumps all over Sunday school, picks a fight with a boy twice her age and size. Business as usual.
Sunday afternoon – No indication of what is to come
Sunday 7 pm – During a family walk, Evie falls and scrapes her knee. Loses it so completely her mother carries her home. Upon arrival, temperature is taken. 100.7 degrees, Motrin administered.
Sunday 10 pm – Evie wakes up crying, irritable – mother takes temperature – 103.5. Calls father who reluctantly turns off Entourage. Discussion ensues – Evie is taken to 24 hour care center at Kaiser to rule out ear infection, strep etc. for why the fever isn’t responding to drugs.
Sunday 11 pm – Evie enters Kaiser, fever magically drops to 100.9. Strep & ear infection ruled out.
Monday 3 am, parents awoken to crying. Temperature 104.4. Mother administers Motrin, sleeps next to a very feverish child for the remainder of the night.
Monday 8 am, friend calls. Wakes all children and parents up.
Monday 9 am, Tylenol administered, fever 103.4. Cold shower administered.
Monday 10 am, dull listless Evie, won’t eat or drink
Monday 11 am, fever 104.1, still no eating or drinking. Evie won’t move or communicate, refuses to even suck ice. Cool bath administered
Mother contemplates probability of West Nile, Encephalitis, Bacterial Meningitis.
Noon - Evie won’t eat, barely sips juice (AT FULL STRENGTH) won’t take an ice pop.
Mother calls grandmother. Grandmother relates story of 2 year old dying of bacterial meningitis recently – same symptoms.
12:30 Mother calls Kaiser
1:30 Mother calls Kaiser again
1:40 Kaiser calls mother (who clearly now is on their looney list) Evie’s fever is 103 in one year and 101.7 in the other.
Kaiser says to bring her in.
1:50 pm, Evie enters Kaiser. Fever precipitously drops upon entering the building. Pretzels are demanded and ingested. Water drunk.
2:10 Doctor examines Evie. Fever 100.9. Tells mother Evie is overdressed. Just a virus. Rules out West Nile and Meningitis.
3:30 Watching Dora, Evie’s temp is back up to 103.7. Cool bath administered.
7 pm Evie eats dinner. Broccoli and grapes. A glass of water is ingested by offering oreo cookies after sips.
10 pm Evie wakes up screaming. Fever of 100. Mother rocks her, sleeps next to her.
12:30 am Evie wakes up, demands father. Goes to sleep on mother’s side of the bed. Mother stuck on the floor all night.
Tuesday am, fever 101. Acting like a normal child (not a normal Evie) parents have a glimpse into what a normal energy two year old is like.
Tuesday pm, awakes from nap demands ice pop and a trip to the pool. Everything is blissfully back to normal?
