Friday, January 2, 2009

Step right up, spin the wheel...

I swear sometimes it feels like taking a kid to the doctor's office is like spinning the Great, Big Wheel o' Diseases.......


This time around, the wheel landed on RSV. Yee-ha. The good news is that as of today, Kiddo's lungs are clear, so there's no sign of pneumonia or bronchial infection. We have to keep an eye - or more accurately, an ear - on her and if we think her breathing is getting worse, wheezy or if the cough worsens, we have to bring her back. Otherwise, treatment doesn't include any wonder drugs, since it is a virus and all, but rather the good old Mentholated Rainforest. Hubby is scrubbing out the humidifier and I bought more of the Vicks pads for the vaporizer, and Kiddo is steaming in the shower even as I type...

Oh, so the weird doctors' office closing thing? I had made an appointment at the Urgent Care center, but the only one of the centers that was seeing peds patients was the one across town in a rather rough neighborhood. I wasn't thrilled about that but wanted Kiddo to be seen, so I was going to suck it up and take her. Just as we were leaving the house, the phone rang. I almost didn't answer but thank goodness I did, because it was Kiddo's pediatrician's office saying they'd reopened and could see her in half an hour. Woo! When we got there, I asked the receptionist why they had closed. "Mercury spill" was her answer. Before I could ask for further details, another woman behind the counter shot the receptionist a warning look, as if they weren't supposed to be spilling the details about the spill. So, who knows? Perhaps a sphygmonometer burst or something (don't those still have mercury in them?)...
At any rate, we wound up getting to see Kiddo's actual pediatrician so that was all good. I think I survived the brainwashing effects of the various hold musics at the various medical offices - I was on hold for aeons both to make and then cancel the Urgent Care appointment and I swear there are subliminal messages broadcast in the Muzak...

Anyhow, we've spun the wheel and gotten our diagnoses o' the day. As long as it doesn't evolve into any chest infection, Kiddo should be back to 100% in short order. Of course, with RSV being as crazy contagious as it is, Kiddo could very easily pick it up again at school next week... The doctor said that as long as she is fever free and feeling all right, she can go as early as Monday. We shall see (is it wrong that my fingers are a little bit crossed in the hope that she'll be fine by then?)...!

And that's the update from the Mentholated Rainforest here in the snowy, frozen expanse of upstate New York! We may be stuck here in our patheticicity (thanks Texan Mama!) but at least we have a George Clooney DVD courtesy of the local Redbox machine to watch tonight! (Burn After Reading - totally wanted to see it in the theater, of course never had the chance, and way excited to be watching it tonight. I'm even caffeinating just in case so I can stay awake!)


14 comments:

Unknown said...

aw, at least now you know and i hope kiddo recuperates quickly!! and i hope you feel better, too! :)

Unknown said...

goodness I hope everyone is better soon!

Paige said...

Hope she feels better soon!

Debbie said...

Oh, a little mercury spill, was that all? How funny. Hope the RSV is gone soon and you don't get a turn at that wheel the rest of the year.

Unknown said...

WEll.. good that you know what it is... poor baby and poor Mommy.

Cristin said...

We've had a steady stream of boogers here for almost a week... no coughing yet, fingers crossed... I hate sick season...

Hope everyone's healthy soon!

Happy New Year!

Vickie said...

Mercury spill, kind of scary.

Both my little ones had RSV about 2 years ago. The then two year old was showng improvement, but the baby had to do breathing treatments. She was wheezing, it was a little scary. I had to go to the doctors every other day, so they can check her lungs. Wowzer!

I hope kiddo recovers fast.

I like your wheel of disease. Did you make it. Pretty creative.

Jennifer said...

Oh no--I hope she's all better soon!! My Pickle had RSV plus pneumonia when she was 2 mos. old--good times!!

Givinya De Elba said...

"Patheticicity"? Wow. We thought, over at Operation Skinny Cow, that it might be "patheticity" but then we decided maybe "pathetistablishmentarianism" and then went the whole hog with "antidis" on the front of that ...

The Rantings of a Drama Queen's Mum said...

Hi. I'm visiting from SITS. I went to my 20 year hs reunion in Nov. I was surprised that all the girls looked really good & I didn't even recognize the guys.

Leah said...

stopping by from SITS - hope that your little one is much better soon!

WheresMyAngels said...

I'm so wanting to know about that spill! Sounds interesting!

Ash said...

Poor Kiddo. Poor Mama!! So glad they could get you in. Mercury, eh? You might want to go with bottle water for a couple of days ;-).

Oldest had RSV at 3 months. Landed in the hospital for 3 days.

Good times.

Ash said...

P.S. that wheel is awesome!