Despite the earlier Silent Sunday entry, which wouldn’t give any clues, Beastie is still feeling very much poorly. Since yesterday he has been a bit clingy and running temperatures but today he has had many ups and downs. We have been alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen to keep his temperature at bay. Usually it’s not long after the medicine has been given that he is almost back to his normal self, he does love his medicine (not that I dish it out that often) and I do love the placebo effect it has almost instantly, taking his mind off the general feeling of being unwell.
What I don’t like today is how he is not coping very well with it. My little boy is usually such a toughie and takes most ailments in his stride but it’s not the case today. We had one episode when he was only a few months old where we had to go to our (not so local – don’t get me started!) Accident and Emergency with him as he couldn’t stop vomiting and appeared unresponsive at one point. It was a truly terrifying moment and not an evening I would want to repeat again, despite him bouncing back to his normal self at around 4 am and taking a strange liking to rehydration powder (Dioralyte). We needn’t have worried about getting the Dioralyte down him, he couldn’t get enough.
The thing is with kids, you can never be too careful and you need to trust your gut instincts. I find naturally I tend not to panic and this is more likely because I am a nurse, I don’t know everything (far from it) and certainly not when it comes to paediatric nursing but it’s instilled in me not to panic and I prefer to handle situations calmly. This is easier said that done with your own child but I do always look for the signs that suggest things may be ok rather than seeking all the signs of danger. I think the majority of parents would take their child down to the doctors at the drop of a hat for piece of mind with most illnesses, especially with their first child. However, we all know that we also need to be practical and not react to the slightest temperature change, irritability, loss of appetite and skin blemishes, when most symptoms clear up within a few days. It’s just those few days are not much fun. Thankfully I suppose at least there is NHS Direct for parents to ring whenever they feel the need to and I suppose it does help stop a few unnecessary and lengthly visits to A & E. However when we rang them on the occasion we went to A & E, the nurse on the phone did get a few wires crossed with my husband and instilled panic in him. We didn’t require an ambulance but then again I reiterate it’s a good service and better to err on the side of caution than to not.
With my radar extra sensitive at the moment it has made me think back to the conference on Meningitis that a few Mummy and Daddy Bloggers recently attended and I saw quite a few tweets with the hashtag #Meningitis. I have read the posts from the bloggers that attended and kindly shared the information, emphasising how crucial it is that we are all aware of what symptoms to look out for. There is a petition to sign to introduce a vaccine for meningitis and septicaemia. I think this is a crucial step that needs to be taken and you can take a look and sign up here if you want to support the campaign.
Back to Beastie, I can fully sympathise with his tongue ulcer. I have suffered with some terrible ones in the past. They are the epitome of misery, let alone for a two year old boy to deal with. That knawing pain that can sometimes be relentless can keep you awake at night from the sheer pain, unfortunately with tongue ulcers because of where they are positioned, they are also really hard to apply anything to to relieve the pain. To see him wincing in pain when he tries to eat is horrible, having said that he certainly has a go. I wonder where he gets that from?
As I finish this post, Beastie is once again on the floor playing with his cars and keeping himself busy. I am sure it won’t be long until he takes a downward turn and starts to feel horrid again. This is the bit that really worries me as my sensible thoughts fight with the what ifs? I shall see how he is tomorrow and go from there, after all a call to the doctors doesn’t hurt…
Oh Bless him- it is horrible when they are poorly. I must admit to panicking in the past but I do believe you can never be too careful. I guess it is just one of the negative aspects of being a parent- the constant worry when they are ill.
I hope he gets better soon. I can sympathise with mouth ulcers, they really are horrible.
x
Oh, I hope he’s better soon, poor little lad. When they’re so tiny like this, it’s hard to help them isn’t it?
I’ve only ever had positive experiences of NHS Direct; when The Boy was unconscious and vomitting at 3 weeks old, I was so doped on painkillers that I didn’t realise the severity of the situation. Luckily, the woman at the other realised I was being incompetent and within 3 minutes there was a first-response paramedic at the door, followed three minutes later by an ambulance.
You do feel helpless don’t you? I do think NHS Direct are invaluable, like you say sometimes we don’t always spot things ourselves especially if under the weather.
We are off to the docs soon as he has more symptoms so I will keep you all posted. At least when kids are concerned doctors see you pretty quickly!
It really is awful when they are poorly. We are really lucky and have a call in centre until 9pm here so if we think they are ill, we can run down there, although only I have ever been there when i had a sickness bug and was admitted to hospital overnight with dehydration! Typical! I really need to get a good thermometer, I worry about temperatures. I hope he is feeling better now. x
Aaaahh poor little beastie, hope he feels better soon. It’s horrible when our little ones aren’t well and you can’t make them better. Will sign up for petition too xx