Is It THAT Time of Year Already?

It's time to unpack the ornaments, shop for gifts, reconnect with old friends, and dust off our...nebulizer?! Yes, gentlefolk, it's THAT time of year again. Pumpkin and I got our flu shots in September and our first colds the week before Halloween. Neither of us got very sick, but Pumpkin hasn't been able to shake off his cough since then. Last week, the cough turned a bit croupy (right before the weekend, I might add). The cough had calmed down considerably by Saturday morning so I didn't take him to the doctor. I decided, instead, to pick up his last refill of Donatussin from the pharmacy just in case and also to keep the humidifier running in his room.

Except for the persistent dry cough, he was doing okay and was still running around and playing with his friends and with Sunshine so I assumed he was getting better. By Wednesday night, though, the croupy cough seemed to be making a comeback so I kept him home from school the next day and called his doctor's office again (the nurseline actually). On their advice, I started his albuterol treatments, but I once again declined to take him into the office to be checked out. (More on why later)

Friday morning, Pumpkin was doing better, but by late afternoon, he suddenly started wilting. One minute, he was running around playing, the next, he'd stopped talking and could barely keep his eyes open. By the time we got home, Pumpkin was crying that he was cold so I bundled him up in a big fuzzy blanket, and he fell asleep on the sofa. I was hoping that he would feel better after getting some rest, but I called the nurseline anyway and made an appointment to take him in that afternoon at 4:30 (cutting it close!).

Pumpkin stayed asleep--through loading him and BG in the car, through dropping BG off at a friend's house, and through driving to the doctor's office. In fact, he didn't wake up until we arrived at the pediatrician's, and even then, he insisted on taking his blanket inside with him and nearly fell asleep again on my lap. By the time we got into an exam room, he was burning up with fever. He vomited after the strep test then again when we got home, and it almost seemed like he was a bit delirious at times. We got him to take some steroid tablets to help with the croupy cough, but we all had a pretty rough night that night.

Since then, his fever has gone up and down, and the croupy cough has remained consistent even during the day, which I find baffling. I'm thinking we'll probably have to return to the doctor's office tomorrow...or at least call them again to find out what the next step is. As much as I complain about how much he talks (he talks A LOT), it's distressing to me to see how quiet he is now. It's so unlike him to be this quiet. He even turned down chocolate candy! True, I was trying to use it to bribe him into taking a spoonful of honey (for the cough), but if you know Pumpkin at all, you realize how bad he must feel to turn down candy. I'm tired now. We all are. I will keep you posted.