The phone call came Tuesday morning, while I was sitting in the dentist chair. Barbara the Happy Hygenist was halfway through my cleaning when my purse started to sing…
I choose my ringtone based on length – it gives me time to locate the phone, which is almost never in a convenient location.
We finished the Scrape-and-Polish (nothing else necessary!) and I checked to see if the caller had left a message.
It was Angel’s school. “She’s coughing really bad – you need to come get her.” Uh-oh…
She’d had a little cough, and a little runny nose for a few days. No fever (not any of the times I took her temp, anyway), eating normally, and Happy as a Clam…The cough had seemed to be getting better on Monday, but it came back…with a vengeance.
I went to pick her up at school. Sure enough, she was coughing something awful. Her teacher called her over, coat and backpack in-hand, to get ready to go home, while the other kids lined up to go to the gym. Angel looked from me to her waiting coat and back again, confused…
Then it dawned on her…her eyes flew open, as wide as they go, and she wailed, “NOOOOO! I WANT TO STAY AT SCHOOOOOOOOOL!” and began to sob…
Fun stuff. I took her, now wailing AND coughing, to the car, and we headed home. By 2 pm, we were at the doctor’s office….
Diagnosis: minor ear infection…and pnuemonia.
Wait, what? Seriously? Without the ropy, green snotty nose, or a real fever, or even a bad attitude? How does that even happen?
Needless to say, I felt like a complete idiot…
We’re on Day Three of the antibiotic, and well on the way to recovery. The coughing is subsiding, and so is the runny nose.
And she’s still Happy as a Clam…
Glad she’s recovering – these viruses can be pretty nasty. I love the picture of the pumpkins Marie! I’ve never seen them in such a state of dignified decomposure!
The small ones are the gourds that popped up in the compost pile last summer, and we used them for fall decorations. We should have more this summer – if the mice didn’t eat all the seeds!
Love the pumpkin decomposing pic. Fabulous.
Thanks, Connie. The Little One had great fun throwing them down there last fall, and the small critters have eaten well on them all winter…
I like that she is recovering.
Thanks – so are we…
So glad you left a comment – you have a lovely blog!
Oh, isn’t it so scary when they’re sick? So glad to hear Angel is on the mend.
I wasn’t a ‘run to the doctor for everything’ Mom with my kids – even 20 years ago with Navy doctors, there was too much ‘just give them an antibiotic and go’ attitude. But it’s tough when none of the classic signs of a real infection are there…I felt pretty dumb. She’s doing great – but she’s the first kid I’ve ever seen who DIDN’T like the taste of Amoxicillin…
I hate when the kiddos are sick. I know what you mean about not knowing they are sick. When they are running around and happy, how can they be so sick?? Sounds like she’s on the mend. On a side note, I’m a dental hygienist and it made me smile when you called yours the Happy Hygienist! If you do this job, you either love it or hate it. Sounds like she loves it. I have been in dentistry for 31 years–so I guess I love it too.
She’s been doing it at least that long, and has the perfect ‘touch’. The other girl in the office is very young, and she hasn’t got it – she really hurts! I’m glad you found a career you love – it makes all the difference in the world.
The little one is improving rapidly – she didn’t wake up ONCE last night!
Thank goodness for the Happy As A Clam if she had to have pneumonia. Hope she heals quickly, and without losing Clam Status
On Mar 14, 2013 7:08 AM, “My Little Corner of Rhode Island” wrote:
> ** > gardenfreshtomatoes posted: ” The phone call came Tuesday > morning, while I was sitting in the dentist chair. Barbara the Happy > Hygenist was halfway through my cleaning when my purse started to sing… I > choose my ringtone based on length – it gives me time to locate the phone, > “
Other than a wall-eyed fit she threw at the bookstore (didn’t want to stay put – well within normal parameters
) she’s still holding steady!
Glad to hear she’s recovering so quickly. I remember being astounded at how quickly a cold can turn into something more serious. Way back when he was a child, Youngest Son woke up in the morning with a sore throat. I had a look, thought “strep” and called the doc’s office and made an appointment for that morning. As I was driving him over, I noticed he was developing a rash. By the time we got to see the doc, the rash had gotten worse and the poor guy had a fever. Turned out to be scarlet fever. All I could think of was, “Wait! How did that happen?? He just woke up sick a few hours ago!” It’s amazing we survive parenting with all the scares kids put us through. lol! Your pussy willow is ahead of ours. It’s lovely.
I was shocked – and that’s putting it mildly!
We survive, and so do they…and they thrive.
(And the willow photo is a bit deceptive – only the ones in the very tops of the trees are that far along!)
Poor Angel – but good to hear she’s ignoring the symptoms and keen to carry on as normal. Hope she’s fully recovered and back to school soon.
She stayed home yesterday – I let her sleep in – but she should be good-to-go on Tuesday!
(She’s just going twice a week now…)
It amazes me how fast these things can hit and develop in a child. It’s even more amazing that they can get over it so quickly. Having had pneumonia, I can tell you I never felt better after a couple days. I’m glad she is, though, and hope she’ll be back at 100% by the weekend. Someone has to help you mind the seedlings.
I had multiple bouts in my late-teens. Thinking back, I remember one in particular where I didn’t feel bad at all, other than a cough, but turned out to be running a fever of 103! I wound up missing the second half of my dissection in Human Physiology…When I got back to school, and ran into one of my lab partners (a sweet but gullible girl) she said our teacher had told them I had “Some strange, unheard-of disease”. When I confronted Doc later, asking why he told poor Sylvia that, he said, “No one gets pnuemonia anymore…”
I loved that guy…
Oh, I have so been there. I know exactly how you feel. And it’s not pleasant. I decided a long time ago not to be the paranoid mom, so, even though Lucy has asthma, I thought she was ok and didn’t want to go to the dr. AGAIN…but then did…and yes, pneumonia, but at least she didn’t have to be hospitalized. IDIOT!!! Ugh. I guess it’s good to know we’re not alone in our less-than-steller parenting decisions!!
I never wanted to be That Mom, who ran her kids to the doctor at the first sniffle, demanding antibiotics – Lord Knows, there are enough of them! – but I HATE the thought that I waited too long on this one…
In middle school, one of my daughter’s friends hurt her arm. Being a Drama Queen (much like my own kid) her mother didn’t take her in until three days later. Turned out to be a hairline fracture. We had some big discussions about Crying Wolf after that!
Glad to know you are there for her and she is on the mend
.
Sick or not, she’s been a little fireball…Your granddaughter is about the same age, isn’t she?
Oh, gosh! I’m glad you got her to the Doctor! And I’m glad she is now doing much better.
I do want you to know I am enjoying my night camera immensely. Thanks for being the inspiration!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
She is better – finally sleeping all night again!
Glad you like the cameras so much. The winter’s storms were rough on mine, but we should be back up and running before long!
The gift in all this is “Happy as a clam” except when she had to come home. One forgets how quickly they get very sick!! Your kids were so rarely sick!! Thinking about all of you!!
She’s rarely sick. Other than her initial checkup with this doctor back in July, she hasn’t been seen there!
She’s much better now…
Poor thing. Being sick isn’t any fun at all.
For anyone in the house…
She’s getting better quickly, though!
Oh good.
Oh bless her…wishing you all a speedy recovery
Thanks, Tanya. Now that the cough isn’t waking her (and everone else in the house!) in the night, it’ll go much faster…
Don’t worry walking pneumonia is just that. We keep on going.. don’t sweat it. Kids bounce back fast. Sounds like she will be just fine. Take care and rest. BAM
BOUNCING is exactly the right word
She’s doing fine now – only kid I’ve ever known who hated the taste of Amoxicillin, though…
I tried three times yesterday to leave you a comment on the new site, and got an error message each time…Justwanted you to know I haven’t abandoned you – and I’ll keep trying!
They seem to throw the pneumonia label out very easily now, when we were kids if you got pneumonia you were admitted to hospital, even pleurisy scared us to death. But yes, the wee ones can get sick fast and thankfully they get well fast too. I know we hate to use them but antibiotics really are literal life savers. Thank goodness she has you for a G’Mom. She is in the best of hands.. Have the M&M in your hand, right by her mouth, get ready, set, GO, she takes her meds, you pop the M&M in as fast as you can like a game.. my kids always hated that stuff! Stay warm.. c
She’s gotten used to it now, but still wants a drink right after…Niko, who wound up with a bad ear infection more than a month ago, is still asking his Mama if he can have more Pink Medicine…
We’d BE warm today – ok, warmER, if this bloody awful wind would stop. Hope you’re having a good one
Awww Marie don’t be too hard on yourself – I have many memories of my mum and friends happily ignoring ailments only to find out later they were serious- like broken arms or in my case a major kidney infection
And their outrageous laughter at their mistakes!
Hope the patient is on the mend, and I just love it that she loves school so much x
Well, it’s good to know it’s an international thing…As Mom to two Drama Queen daughters – who was once one herself – there were several instances where things went too long. Then we had to go over the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, all over again.
The Little One is back to her old firecracker self, and will go back to school on Tuesday.
Not a minute too soon
That’s good news Marie. Take care of yourself too my friend
Your comments keep going to Spam, Claire…not sure why.
Chica has been saying the same. Maybe it’ sbecause I’m currently in France… but having said that I’m not sure how that would affect things
Who knows…it’s all a mystery to me!
I remember my daughter getting that when she was a baby, she seemed fine, the only reason we knew something was wrong was because she was whistling when she breathed. I loved her reaction at having to leave school, don’t you wish they always had that enthusiasm. I hope she is on the mend.
She got through it just fine – and so did we.
The school thing was classic – her teacher’s mouth was hanging open. “I never expected THAT reaction!” she said.
I can in Briony’s first year of school she got gastro and was vomiting and when I told her she couldn’t go to school she was so upset.