Monday, December 13, 2010

A Pox on Our House!

Okay, well not really a "pox," but sickness has descended.  Started off with nasty, nasty colds for Steve and Samantha that never really went away.  Which then changed to a fever for the little one and a sore throat for Daddy.  Which got diagnosed yesterday at Urgent Care as strep.  And quite a serious case for him, unfortunately. 

I'm not sure how we should feel about our Wednesday night sick appointment at Samantha's pediatrician's office.  Steve wants to call and give them a mouthful.  It's a large practice, so we don't often get to see her regular doctor (who we love), and the doctors that cover the evening sick cases are truly a random luck-of-the-draw.  Wednesday night it was a visiting doctor, whose name I don't recall, from their sister office in another town.  She was nice enough, and we explained that Samantha had had a fever all day, going up to as high as 101-something.  Now, Sammi almost never gets fevers.  She's just not one of those kids.  She went through teething, including all of her molars, without so much as a whimper, a speck of drool or a spike in temperature.  She's had ear infections with no symptoms other than a whole lot of whining.  And the list goes on.  Not to say she's never had one, but just saying they're rare.  Anyway, the doctor listened to her heart, looked in her nose, ears and mouth (briefly) and declared that her throat was red, and that she must have a strain of the virus that causes hand-foot-mouth disease, and that there's nothing that can be taken for it.  She said she'd be fine in a few days.

So we left.

Samantha seemed to start to feel better, and her temperature seemed to return to normal by Thursday afternoon.  We're now questioning the battery life of our little temporal thermometer, but she definitely didn't feel hot to the touch anymore.  Steve, on the other hand, got worse and worse, barely able to get out of bed.  On Sunday he drove himself to Urgent Care and reported back that he had a particularly bad case of strep.  The doctor at the center suggested that he get Samantha in for a strep test asap, and the rest is history (incidentally, her temperature registered 100-point-something there, further leading us to believe that we may need to change some batteries...). 

I, on the other hand, tested negative and have never felt better!  LOL 

Should we be annoyed that the pediatrician's office never even mentioned strep or thought to suggest a strep test?  Wouldn't a red throat lead to some further investigation on their part?  Perhaps they would have then spotted the rash she was developing on her arms and torso (which we had not yet discovered).  I think I'm annoyed.  Not like I think medical professionals should be perfect in all diagnoses, because I'm sure they're not, but given a preschool-aged child, a red throat, a fever, and a season conducive to that sort of illness, I'd think they should have checked. 

I am very, very thankful, though, that Steve's strep drove him to visit the clinic.  He had thought it was laryngitis, as he was also losing his voice (lo and behold, the doctor said it was strep-induced laryngitis!), and were it not for the unending pain, he would have waited it out.  Samantha had seemed better and we thought that whatever she had had passed (other than the snot pouring from her nose continuously, which I'm not sure was related or not)  Strep apparently can seem to go away on its own, but actually does some pretty nasty things to the body, especially in children. 

Yes, very, very thankful...


9 comments:

Rochelle said...

Glad they got them diagnosed properly and on antibiotics. Hoping they both are feeling better in no time.

Heather said...

Having 6 children, we have seen every scenario as far as strep goes.Fever,no fever,symptoms that go away,headaches,stomach aches,the list goes on ...

Strep can go nasty quickly so treating it fast and furious makes all the difference.and it is amazing how bad one can feel and then with an antibiotic on board,things start on the upswing in no time.

Just glad you are getting it over before the holidays.I need to get my fix of Samantha happy and joyful and soaking in the season!

Unknown said...

WOwSA!! thats not fun this time of year...or anytime of year!! glad to hear they are all on the mend! on a side note.. LOVE the pix of Sammi on your header...I mean LOVE IT!! smiles

Melissa said...

Ugh! I hope everybody is healthy again soon! Claire had a high fever (up to 102.5) last weekend, and the little boy she goes to daycare with has had a fever for the past 5 days. I'm ready for everyone to be healthy again!

my family said...

ugh! no fun being sick. great comment, I know what you mean my husband is the same way, lol

Brandie said...

I would complain because they absolutely should have done a strep test when there is a fever and a red throat. I feel like my ped is extra diligent with Goldie because she can't tell us when something is wrong. I hope she is feeling better now.

Rob Monroe said...

Love the picture! Sucks that they are both sick...

Do not be too mad at the doc's office, this time. I would be clear in the future that you would like it ruled out based on history and Samantha's susceptibility to illness. This is also the season for run-of-the-mill colds or mold allergens (Abby's particular issue right now - I think) so it could have been a bit of anything.

Hope everyone mends soon, and that you don't get any of this illness!

Cathleen said...

Lilly NEVER gets a fever either. Kind of crazy right? Hope your family is back to healthy. :)

Crazy Beautiful Love said...

I hope everyone is feeling better today! :) Love the header picture.