Sick Toddler: A Vent and Summary

Let me start out this update on Ethan's illness with some background:

Since I started back in class last September, our play date calendar has gone from 2-5 a week to 2-5 a semester. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) Between my class schedule and when Ethan was still taking two naps, there just weren't many opportunities; and 2) Toddlers are Petri dishes, and when Ethan gets sick, I miss class I can ill-afford to miss. Even with our semi-reclusive behavior last semester, I missed several classes taking care of a sick toddler, so I'm not going to add to his exposure unnecessarily. The main exception to this rule is Le Leche League, but even that has a stipulation. I always go to the monthly meeting that's just at our church and usually consists of the 3-4 regulars I've gotten to know over the past 20 months. However, I rarely go to the supplementary meetings two weeks later because they're usually at public kids centers and thus teeming with germs and other kids (I know I sound a bit Howard-Hughes-esque at this point, but it's seriously just about not having to miss class unnecessarily and getting more behind than I usually am).

This past month, I decided to make an exception since the supplementary meeting was just at one of the member's houses, and I only expected 2-3 other moms and kids to come. When I walked in, the host warned me that her daughter was a bit congested, but she was 90% sure it was just teething. Well, one look at the kid, and it's obvious she's sick. So I'm not sure if the mom was just that unaware or just didn't want to cancel the meeting. So I was stuck with a decision: Leave and risk looking like a jerk or stay and risk Ethan getting sick. I decided to brave it and just made sure to wash Ethan's hands 3-4 times in the 1.5 hours we were there. That was on Tuesday morning, and on Friday evening, I was thinking to myself that we'd dodged a bullet with Ethan not getting sick, but I decided not to say anything aloud so I wouldn't jinx it.

Apparently it didn't matter because when Ethan cuddled up to nurse on Saturday morning, it was obvious he was burning up. His fever rose steadily over the day, barely lowering with alternating Advil and Tylenol, and by bedtime, he was up to a new record: 104.2. If he hadn't been acting fairly normally all day, other than some obvious congestion and taking two 2.5 hour naps, I would have panicked, but instead I gave him another dose of medicine and gave him a bath. He splashed happily in the bath, emerged somewhat cooler, and threw a water balloon out the window before bed, so I eventually went to sleep convinced he was OK. Amazingly, he slept all night and awoke without a fever, but by that afternoon, it was back.

His fever came and went on Sunday and Monday before finally breaking for good late Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, the congestion really started to take hold of him, and he started with his first real cough ever. I had hoped Tuesday would be the worst of it, but then Wednesday happened. Even having had three days of fever, Wednesday was the first day Ethan really acted sick, and he was miserable! He was so congested he could barely breathe, and he kept coughing to the point of choking. I didn't even try to put him down for a nap, but even on my chest he began cough-choking awake after just an hour. It was a long, hard day. And I began wondering if this might not be RSV instead of just a simple cold since this was MUCH more severe than any cold he's had in the past. Plus, the incubation period matches that of RSV perfectly.

Thankfully, today has been better. He rallied some last night, and today he's been back in good spirits. He's still congested, but his nose finally stopped actively running this afternoon, and his cough is at least better than yesterday. He even slept a solid 2 hours this afternoon without stirring, a first since he got sick. So I'm very hopeful that he's finally on the mend, just in time for Grandmama and Grandpapa to come tomorrow!

So what have we learned? First of all, if someone is inconsiderate enough to still have a play date when their child is obviously sick, I'm not going to worry about appearing rude by leaving. That may sound harsh, but this entire illness could have been avoided if the play date had been cancelled. Secondly, I'm definitely sticking to my severely-limited-play-dates-during-school rule because, while I thankfully didn't miss any class since it was spring break, I would have missed a week with this illness alone. As it was, I was unable to catch up on any of the work I'd hoped to do this week since Ethan required all of my attention, even during naps.

I'm grateful that this is probably the sickest Ethan has ever been, but no one likes to see their child with a 104+ degree temperature. On the bright side, I know exactly where he picked up this bug since it has followed the same trajectory as her daughter's illness, so I don't have to feel guilty that I didn't wipe off a booster seat or something and exposed him. I just hope the other toddler at the play date has avoided this illness, and I hope the host learns a lesson about sharing her kids germs!