Oct. 31, 2009 - Things Get Crazy
It's been a busy and challenging few days.
Wednesday evening:
Kevin was working outside near the chicken yard, when he noticed a very droopy chicken. More specifically, she was lying down on the grass in a quiet way that is atypical for a chicken during the day. He carried her into the coop and she perked up.
Thursday morning:
The chicken still looked unwell. She wasn't showing specific signs of illness, but she was very, very still. Mid morning, she lay down on the grass. A few minutes later, I looked out and she had fallen right over. I walked out. Yep, she was dead. Oh no! Our first chicken casualty for this batch of chickens.
Thursday afternoon:
Joseph got sick. He was very lethargic, started coughing slightly, and had a temperature of over 100. I told Kevin and he said I should take Joseph in to the pediatrician the next day.
I was reluctant to do that. He didn't look THAT sick and going to the doctor is a pain. I also have lingering issues about how doctors used to treat me like a hypochondriac because I was sick a lot as a child. Consequently, I sometimes don't take them in when I should. Well, it was a fine time to get over my issues and submit to my husband. I made the appointment.
Friday morning:
Isaac, who had been very difficult the day before, woke up with a fever of over 103 F. I felt better about taking them to the doctor as he was obviously sick. I made an appointment for him and took both boys in.
I discussed swine flue with the physician's assistant. By the time we got there, both boys were looking very perky thanks to acetimenophen. Their lungs were clear, their ears were clear. They looked great. However, I brought up our 3 yo daughter who is prone to severe asthma when she gets anything respiratory. The PA treated the situation very seriously, pulled her chart, discussed possibly scenarios, prescribed a preventative asthma medication, and sent the boys off to be tested for swine flue.
Friday afternoon:
Isaac spiked another high fever and lay around. The doctor's office called to say that the preliminary test showed that the boys were negative for swine flue. Hooray! However, they said the quick test was often wrong so they were going to run a more careful test. We figured we were safe since BOTH boys tested negative.
Saturday morning
Bad night's sleep for me, though not due to the kids. I made a mistake with the chickens when I let them out. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, so...
Yep, the chickens are OUTSIDE their enclosure. When I went into the enclosure, I didn't make sure the latch closed behind me. The door suddenly swung open and a horde of chickens escaped. Naomi, Lydia, and I spent a happy 20 minutes chasing them around in the cold wind. Several actually ventured beyond the fence, which required more chasing than usual. I got my expertise for the day.
Isaac still had a fever. I dutifully called the pediatrician to ask about the more accurate swine flue test. Surprise! Both boys were positive!
Since Miriam is at risk for serious complications from swine flue, the doctor prescribed Tamiflu for her as a preventative. So off I ran to the pharmacy to get Tamiflu.
Saturday afternoon:
Miriam and Lydia started coughing.
That brings us up to now. We have H1N1 running rampant. I am not particularly concerned. I believe we've made good plans for Miriam and the rest of us will weather it fine. It is just a challenging time. I don't like being out of routine. I don't like having sick kids. I don't like being behind on meals and cleaning and laundry. I am working on being patient with life as it is. I'm working to communicate well with Kevin and be wise about what I spend my time on.
Obviously I decided to update the blog, not a necessity. But I decided it was worth it to have a fun break.
God bless you all, and we appreciate your prayers.
Comments
Oct. 31, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by sagerats
