I am not one to run to the doctor for a cold. Or a stomach virus. Or even a fever, unless it's lasted for more than two days. And even then, I call first and ask what's been going around, comparing symptoms to see if this sickness warrants a visit (and a co-pay) or just another day on the couch with tylenol and fluids.
Lucky for us, we rarely get sick. My kids see the pediatrician once a year, for check-ups. Believe me, I'm not bragging here, just rejoicing the fact that this time has finally arrived (Isabel had ear infections for the first year of her life, kid you not).
When the kids do get sick, however, the guessing game begins. (All you moms out there know what I'm talking about.) They have a slight fever, aren't eating well, fall asleep in the middle of the day, complain of a bellyache and a headache and a sore throat. With that list of symptoms, the nurse in me instantly thinks "strep throat". I want to order amoxicillin and get on with it. Unfortunately, it's Saturday night. No doctors' office open til Monday. The question: do you go to Urgent Care, or worse...the ER? Do you wait it out til Monday? Is it just a virus, or the real deal? What I wouldn't give for a rapid strep test kit at home, let me tell you.
Gabe is my allergy sufferer. Pollen is at an all-time high in our area. That would explain the sore throat and headache, but the stomachache and fever? Notsomuch. I'm waiting til he wakes this morning to decide what to do. If he still has a fever, this would be day 3, and we're going to the doctor...
What do you do in these situations? Does it seem like your kids always get sick on the weekend? Doesn't it suck to drag a sick baby to the doctor, pay the copay, and have them tell you it's just a virus?
sigh. Maybe I should just become a nurse practitioner, then I could get the strep test kit and order the right medicine!
6 comments:
Sweetie, I obsess about this all the time. I HATE going to the doctor just to be told that its nothing but you just don't know. Jeff says that I am silly for all the obsessing that I do. He says they are there and it is there job to look over the kids. I agree with you, 3 days of a fever means its time to see the doctor.
I am right there with you - especially because of the allergies. And we are all suffering right now. The kids sound like 5 pack a day smokers :-) But we haven't had fevers - so I think that Gabe's allergies have turned into something else.
If there's a fever or real sleep trouble, I take them in and, luckily, our pediatrician has weekend office hours.
If it's cough-related, I always assume (possibly wrongly) that there's nothing they can do.
I say go ahead and become a nurse practitioner because it would be nice to be able to do strep tests from home!
My sister dream of a drive-thru for ear checks!
I'm always second guessing whether it's worth a trip to the ped. -- seems 9 out of 10 times they pronounce it virus. This week, we've been struggling with what we thought was just allergy issues that were manifesting in O's eyes (and nose). Now it seems it may have been pink eye all along! Yuck.
Now that the kids are older, I'm less of a panic mama.
BUT, if Gabe goes 48 hours without relief, I'd be calling doctor bombay.
We're going through heck here with allergies too.
Ended up taking Thomas to the doctor last week just because no meds are helping and his eyes are swelling - no pink eye (my main concern) just nasty allergies that are kicking the poor kids arse.
I'll say a prayer for Gabe.
I generally wait a day or two, even with a fever. Even then, Sophie's ped is really good about not bringing us in unless they honestly feel like there might be something serious. Maybe I'm too casual about it, but I've just jumped the gun so many times, only to have them tell me there was nothing they could do, so I wasted the time and money for nothing.
As a lifelong allergy sufferer myself, I'm betting much of his troubles are related to the allergies.
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