A quick but hearty thanks to everyone who sent Levi well wishes this past week! After he spiked a fever two nights in a row and I had to make an after hours call to his pediatrician, we arrived at the office bright and early on Wednesday for a walk-in appointment. Another doctor in the practice diagnosed Levi with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). He then asked if Levi could use a third grandfather. Even when he’s pitifully sick, my baby guy can still be quite the charmer.
According to our two-color pamphlet parting gift: RSV infection is common and often mistaken for a cold, but in rare cases, the virus can cause pneumonia and other lung diseases. By age two, most children have been infected with RSV infection already. (In fact, the toddler sons of two of my friends were recently diagnosed with RSV.) A quick lab test from a nose swab can determine if your child has RSV. Because it’s a virus, however, there are no antibiotics for it.
Levi seems to be in the homestretch with just a runny nose and a slight cough. I’m feeling much better, too. Didn’t know I was sick? I tweeted about it. After Levi went to the pediatrician, I took myself to Urgent Care for strep test. Negative.
Thursday morning my throat felt better but I was completely congested and honking into tissues like an old man. Naturally, I had to be on the phone for work literally all day. By closing time my sore throat had returned, ones of my eyes was literally swollen shut, and my poor nose was tender from all of the blowing. I looked like a monster — or the loser of a fight. On Friday I had to take a sick day because I woke up with a fever. I slept on and off the entire day, forcing myself to drink a mug of chicken broth whenever I was awake.
And just as I started to feel better on Saturday, JB came down with a fever and had to spend the day in bed. Although he made it out of bed, he was a mess all day today, too.
Here’s hoping for a healthy birthday week ahead!
PS: I’ll be posting Levi’s 8 month photo on Monday. Stay tuned!
{image via Katie Daisy}
Gah! Get well soon, friends! I’m glad Levi seems to be recovering. I hope your birthday week is sick-free!
Thank you! It’s always something over here!
I’m glad you all are feeling better! RJ was tested for RSV last month. Luckily he didn’t have it but he was pretty sick. He was wheezing and his doctor checked his oxygen output. It was normal, but she gave him an albuterol treatment with a nebulizer in the office. She also sent us home with a nebulizer and albuterol to help with his breathing.She told me it would get worse before it got better and she was right. The next more he woke up and it was hard for him to catch his breath. Thank goodness for that nebulizer.
Ugh, how heartbreaking it is when they are coughing so violently that they can’t catch their breath? The worst! Glad the nebulizer helped RJ.