Just going to do some "charting" on jackson as a record of what's been going on so I can remember when I need to. Jackson has been sick for at least 2 weeks now. What started as a cold (oct 23), turned into croup(with 103 fevers, then pneumonia. The first week we started breathing treatments with xopenex and pulmicort. Fever broke saturday oct 30th. Jackson was in pretty good spirits that sunday, although still had his cough, so we let him trick or treat. That first week of illness jackson missed 4 1/2 days of school. Monday,Nov. 1st Jackson went to school and came home with a new fever. Cough still persisting, around the clock breathing treatments through the night, and sleeping a lot. By wednesday the 3rd, he wasn't seeming any better so we went to the pediatrician. She said his lungs sounded like he had bronchial pneumonia and sent us home with Cefprozil prescription. First dose wednesday afternoon of Cefprozil and Jackson starts throwing up. Thursday morning of course he is still home from school with me. Feeling slightly better and eating a little, I give him his next 2 doses of antibiotic. He complains of general itching especially in his hands and feet. We try baths, lotion, and benadryl and he gets some relief. Friday morning jackson wakes up itching his head and noted hives on the back of his neck. Called ped office, back to the doctor friday afternoon. Dr. Deeny is there, not Seymour, his regular MD. Told her the whole story. She says he still needs to be covered for the pneumonia. Gives him a shot of Rocephin in the back side. That was TONS of fun! She says he needs 3 doses and to come back in the morning for dose 2. Friday night, more itching, give benadryl. Start wondering about hives and itching and ask about cefprozil and rocephin being in the same family of drugs. I work friday night the 5th. My hubby takes jackson back to MD on saturday morning so I can sleep. I remind him to tell the doctor about the itching and he brings benadryl with him. Now a third doctor is there this day and John gives the whole story again. Asks about drug reaction and says he brought benadryl. They give him the second rocephin shot and watch him for 30 min. He seems fine although, remember, he's been preloaded with benadryl. Comes home, sleeps all afternoon, still getting breathing treatments but has now been fever free for 3 days. By this point I'm sleep deprived, exhausted, and just wanting my baby to feel better. Little brother has now started coughing and we've started breathing treatments with him. Sunday morning, Nov 7th, the real fun begins. Jackson wakes up at 7 and complains of itching. His hands and feet were especially itchy and notably red. Within 15 minutes of being awake I give him 12.5mg benadryl and he starts crying saying the itching is bad. His hands started to look swollen and I get the mommy gut feeling that this is going no where good. I run to get dressed and tell john to give more benadryl. 10 min pass and jackson is now crying, screaming, sobbing, jumping around the house, freaking out that something is wrong...as only a 6 year old can do! I pull his shirt up to check on him and he is now covered in hives. I grab his epipen (he is severly allergic to eggs) and tell my hubby we are going to the ER. He calls ahead and they are waiting for us. The hives are now up his neck, on his chin, his entire body covered, his hands swollen, feet swollen, fingers look like white sausages. We go straight to the back, his O2 sats were great. Gets a big dose of steroids and starts to feel better. We are home by 12:30 and I tuck my exhausted child into bed at 1:30. He sleeps til we wake him up at 6pm to try to eat some dinner. The ER doc says his right lower lobe still sounds like pneumonia and switched him to Zithromax and Augmentin to cover that. NOTE: JACKSON IS NOW KNOWN TO BE ALLERGIC TO CEPHALOSPORINS. I am nervous about starting 2 new ones but do anyway to treat the pneumonia. Sunday night gets more breathing treatments and 2nd doses of the augmentin and zithromax (first dose in ER where he threw up from trying to swallow the adult version horse pills). (insert "poor baby" knowing he is my sensory processing disorder, picky eater kid). Monday morning wake up and REPEAT SUNDAY MORNING ALL OVER AGAIN!! Although this time, it only takes 5 minutes for the hives to spread everywhere. We luckily now have the prednisone so he gets that and more benadryl. I pack both boys up and head straight to the pediatrician to be there for when they open. (you may now insert the tired mom who is now crying because i just can't take much more) note: the after hours call receptionist is a moron and there is no nurse or MD on call between 7am and 8am when the office opens. good to know. We then sit in the waiting room for an HOUR! really? allergic reaction and we wait an HOUR??!! The steroids and benadryl kicked in and by the time we saw the doctor the hives had subsided and now I was just stuck in the room with 2 brothers who were not getting along. We get sent for a chest XRAYrocephin in his body and may continue to react and break out in hives for the next few days!" Wow, that would have been great to know earlier. thanks. So today is Tuesday, Nov. 9th. Jackson went to school loaded up on benadryl and prednisone. I will go to school at lunch and redose him and check on him. He wanted to present his social studies fair project on George Washington...oh yeah, forgot to mention that with his 9 days out of school we have been trying to keep up with make up work, reports, and projects in between naps, breathing treatments and trips to the ER! This morning little brother Logan had a cough and snot, no fever. Sent him to school against my better judgement though and am sitting here avoiding the 2 weeks worth of house work that needs to be done, feeling like a bad mom for sending my boys to school. and there ya have it, the last 2 weeks at the marble household. lovely. oh, did i leave out the wed trip to the doctor with my hubby? another post maybe. sigh.
