Sick again.....but I'm hoping that all of this winter's illnesses will mean less next winter. C'mon, Immune Systems!! Woohoo! Maybe they just needed a little encouragement??? Did you know that a temp in the upper 103s is only considered a moderate fever? I learned a lot about fevers from a phone conversation with a very nice nurse practitioner yesterday. Flora kinda freaked me out last night when her fever was up near 104 degrees. She was clutching her pillow and yelling "Whoa!" like the room was spinning or something. Maybe it was spinning for her.....but, in true kid fashion, she was over it quickly and is fever-free and chipper this morning. I was glad to learn from the nice nurse practitioner that the medical world has decided that fevers are not as evil and dangerous as they were once thought to be. I've always wondered about the practice of forcibly breaking a fever since it is obviously the body's method of combating viruses, but no one ever told me not to. I've always let the fever run for a while before giving medicine but always felt like I should keep that practice a secret -- like I was doing something that other people wouldn't approve of. I was glad to learn that doctors agree with my methods and I no longer need to feel ashamed about not immediately treating a fever. It only makes sense that fevers are beneficial -- I mean God designed our bodies to fight illnesses and infections with fevers so why not let the body do its thing?
Ok, now that I've said so much about fevers I feel like I should add the rest of the information I learned from the nice nurse practitioner yesterday -- 1. If you are really concerned about your child's condition you should always take him/her to the doctor whether the temp is 98 or 104 degrees; 2. A child with a temp of 105 degrees should be seen by a doctor because there is a greater chance that a bacterial infection is the cause and antibiotics could quickly kick it; 3. A fever caused by a virus will typically last 72 hours and a moderate fever that lasts longer than that should be evaluated by a doctor; and, 4. I'm not a doctor, or a nurse, or qualified in any way to give medical advice! (The nice nurse practitioner didn't say that last part.) When in doubt, call the doctor or nurse.
In other news.....
Today I attempted to do a toy rotation while all the kids were awake. It went much smoother than I even hoped! They were so distracted by the "new" toys that they didn't even notice me packing up all their old ones!
Flora woke up coughing and feverish last night and rejected the water and honey and juice I offered her. When I finally asked her what she wanted to make her feel better, she said, "I just want you." "You just want me to what?" I asked. "I just want YOU, Mommy," she replied. Of course, I got my pillow and blanket and slept in her bed all night. This is trickier than it sounds since Timber still nurses during the night. Poor Chris had to come get me every time Timber woke up so I could go feed him and then return to Flora's room. And Scout woke up in the night with a fever.....maybe I should say poor me instead of poor Chris! Although he is the one who really needed his sleep since he is preaching today.
Oh, wow! I just realized that it is almost noon! I haven't set the kitchen clocks yet for Daylight Savings Time so I thought it was only 10:45am. I guess I'd better get these kids some food!
There is an end in sight with this particular illness! Hoping and praying that this will be our last for a long long long long long long looooooooong time!
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