A Mixed Bag

This week started with James having a fever and having to go to the doctor. Normally a fever doesn't bother me too much, but this one was accompanied by big red cheeks. Every indicator said, Fifth Disease. Mom took James to the doctor who checked for strep with the in office "quick test." She said no strep and that it WAS Fifth Disease also known as Slapped Cheek disease. She said if his fever was gone the next day, that he could go to school as it was no longer contagious. However, he needed to stay indoors ad sunlight exacerbates the rash.

Tuesday, I took James to school and gave them the doctor note allowing him back to school along with a note from me asking that he stay indoors the remainder of the week. When I picked him up after school, the teacher said everything went fine.

Wednesday, I went in with the same instructions, but this time when I picked him up he was covered in head to toe dust - an indicator that he had been outside. I questioned the teacher in the room and she said she forgot and didn't have her phone outside to call someone to come get him. Let me tell you, I was hot! I repeated, "He is not supposed to be outside," several times and she just kept telling me, "We stayed in the shade." Listen folks, this is Texas where it doesn't matter if you were in the shade. Then, I found his teacher and repeated my concern, and she gave me the same song and dance.
Thursday, no surprise, James had a 101 temperature. I have taken all of my sick days off. I still have personal days, but I have been out 11 days this school year. I also had a commitment at school for an after school event, so I asked my mom if she would watch him again. She did and he stayed sick all day and the next. It was so bad that I canceled the spa day my neighbor and I had planned for Saturday, but when I got home, my mom told me to go, so I had to go through the process of booking two sets of treatments again the Saturday before MOTHER'S DAY!!

Today, when I dropped James off at mom's, I got out the flashlight and had James say AHH. It looked a lot like below. No wonder he sounded like Kermit the frog. Immediately mom took James to the urgent care at the pediatrician's office. Guess what. It WAS strep.
He is now on antibiotics and an inhaler. Mom didn't know what I had at home so she only picked up the antibiotic. When I picked James up from her house, I went to the grocery to pick up the inhaler. Outside the store they were grilling bratwurst. This would be fine except the doors to the store were left wide open and the grill smoke drifted into the store. (Did I tell you we had no groceries in the house?) The longer we stayed in the store, the worse his wheezing got. I thought he would cough up his toenails.

Fortunately we figured out what James had today instead on Sunday so we didn't have to go to the ER. The pediatrician has Saturday hours.

On the good side, my neighbor and I had a great time at the spa.

I am looking forward to a better week next week.

Happy Mother's Day everyone.