Is This Ever Going To End?

That thought has crossed my mind a lot over the past few days. Rhea made it all the way until 4:00 on Friday before the inevitable happened and she got sick at school. That night, she once again got sick in her crib and our morning was filled with the same frantic cleaning routine as the morning before.

We made yet another visit to the doctor who could tell us everything looks OK, but couldn't tell us if this vomiting spell was related to the Teflex or to a stomach bug, which is now going around. The only good news was that after a check of Rhea's ears, we learned that the fluid is almost gone and she would not need any more antibiotics. I wanted to cry or fling myself at the doctor to thank her because this has been such an awful experience and the thought of trying another drug and dealing with another bad reaction almost pushed me over the edge.

The doctor did tell us that for sure, Rhea is allergic to amoxicillin and should never be given that again. The rash, which we can still see some remnants of, should clear soon. The challenge in the future will be finding an antibiotic that she can tolerate. Apparently, and I am not a doctor, they have a good alternative for adults who are allergic to penicillin and amoxicillin, but the options are not as great for babies and young children. So, if she gets another ear infection, we will have to try everything but an antibiotic to see if that will help and will only go to an antibiotic if we have to. We will also try Teflex again to see if she has another reaction. I dread that day already and hope it is a long time away.

Of course, we couldn't escape all of this sickness without a diaper rash and a red, ugly, painful rash appeared on Saturday morning. We changed her as often as we could and loaded her up with Desitin, but Saturday night she woke up around midnight screaming, we assume as a result of the diaper rash, and the only thing that would comfort her was to lay with me, so we spent the night on the couch together. Rhea slept pretty well and I managed a little bit of sleep as well.

Sunday was a quiet day and a recovery day and as I type this now, we have made it through 3 nights without her getting sick and 2 days without seeing the painful diaper rash. Maybe the end is finally in sight.

Not that Rhea has been bothered too much. With the exception of Saturday night, she has slept pretty well and has eaten like usual, in other words non-stop. She has been playful and happy and active and had a good day at school yesterday. Maybe tomorrow I can actually post about something other than sickness...