Cubby got sick yesterday. He started with diarrhea, went to lost appetite, and finished up at fever. We had a stay-at-home day making the most of our new GIANT beanbag (only it isn’t beans and the kids adore the sensory experience) thing. So there was too much TV and movies, with a little bit of drawing and writing practice, but mostly a comfortable day at home.
Then comes nightfall, and the illness kicked up a notch, as they are wont to do. He was sick all over our bed, and the diarrhea became worse. The fever got higher today. It would abate when we gave him medicine, but then pick up again as it wore off. The highest it got was 102.7. In the week, we’d have been straight to the clinic, but at the weekend it gets trickier. He didn’t appear dehydrated, but the diarrhea was more frequent, and he was definitely more miserable.
In the late afternoon, I changed his diaper and found blood and mucous. Oops, should have done a warning earlier in this post, shouldn’t I? I really hope you’re not reading this over breakfast. Sorry. Anyway, with that, the four of us were winging it to the ER/Casualty whatever you want to call it. Last time I went there was with Pudding, and it had been a pretty bad experience. Spectrummy Daddy pointed out the peanuts(!) scattered on the floor, and I wasn’t hoping for much better on this occasion.
But this time it was better. They did chide me for only having a GP and not a pediatrician. But I just took it, without pointing out that our GP knows more about allergies and anaphylaxis than anyone in that nut-infested clinic, and that we did have a pediatrician based in this very hospital, but he died and you didn’t tell us and when we called for an appointment the replacement had too many patients so we had to go elsewhere. To the GP.
I also didn’t, having learned my lesson the last time, try to tell them about Cubby’s sensory issues, or his hyperactivity, how he could have ADHD, or he might have a dash of Asperger’s. I kept mum, if you will. This was much better. He was just a three year-old having a very bad weekend, and we were just his average family looking for some help. They found us a room quickly, and the doctor came not much longer after that.
The doctor examined Cubby, who only resisted slightly (progress!). He decided Cubby was not dehydrated, and the bloody stools were a result of too much diarrhea, probably caused by an infection. He wrote a prescription, and we were free to go.
Not much of a story, eh? Well, for me the big story here is what I’m not mentioning. Have you noticed I haven’t spoken of Pudding? Pudding, who can’t stand to be cooped up in the house for two days, coped. And Pudding, who hates the hospital, came along without a peep. And Pudding, who used to crawl all over the floor and put everything she found in her mouth, sat in her chair and didn’t even notice the peanuts on the floor. Pudding, who finds waiting rooms too much, waited. Pudding, who finds the examination room a sensory nightmare, sat in her chair and drew Hello Kitty.
So, while it wasn’t the best weekend, it shows the leaps and bounds our girl has been making lately. Not just in things she can can now do, but also in the things she no longer does. Today could have been a hundred times worse. Today I saw how things are getting better. Now we only need to hope the same for poor Cubby.
