Ick. Barrett got pinkeye. Oozing, yellow, goopy-turned-crusty, matted pinkeye. And tonsilitis. But of course, there’s more to the story…
As Adam and I made our departure to Ames last weekend to watch Nebraska barely claim victory over Iowa State, Barrett headed to Grandma and Grandpa Brehms for a weekend full of camping and cousins. I was happy for Barrett to have the opportunity to go camping and for me, to not. This is not to say I will never go camping with him {and yes, I’ve been camping before} but that I was pleased as punch to have him experience the great outdoors without me in tow.
Post a fairly standard naptime on Saturday, Adam talked with Kathy {aka Grandma B}.
Barrett’s got some goop in his eye… and it’s kind of swollen, Kathy explained to Adam.
Though the “list” has changed a little since teething has become less of a nuisance, we run down the list just the same. The list of go-to questions parents create when their child is a bit off. Did he run into something that caused trauma to the eye? Is the eye bloodshot? Has he suddenly developed allergies? If so, what has he touched, smelled, ingested or thought about over the last 24 hours? Is he runny nosey? Does he have a cough? If so, is it empty or productive? Is he eating normally {as normally as Barrett eats}? Is he being fussy, irrational, whiny, annoying {yes, sometimes children are annoying}, or otherwise out of whack?
Nope, nope, nope and more nopes. All of the i’s dotted and t’s crossed.
The next day the eye is goopier, yellower, mattier and of course, took it’s mixed handbag of hot messes on over to the other eye.
And the next … worse. By this point, both eyes look as if you’ve stuck your finger up your nose and smeared sludgy, mucousy snot all up in your lids and lashes. Eating is declining. Napping is less than desirable. All in all, the Barrett Quality Assurance Department is failing.
I called the doctor’s ofice after work on Monday and we were able to squeeze in at 6 {have I mentioned lately how much I love Village Pointe Peds?}.
Pinkeye… check. Both eyes…check. After assuring me that this is not because he is a dirty child or someone put poop in his eye {fair questions, I say}, Dr. Belin continued the exam. Ears… good. Chest … sounds clear. Throat … ohmygoodness. Jackpot. Pus-pocketed, raw, firetruck red tonsils. She labels it atrocious and as a technicality, swabs his throat {aka tortures him into a hysteric frenzy} to check for Strep. As usual, Barrett’s Strep test comes back negative and the diagnosis is tonsilitis {for the third time in two months}. Ugh.
Next steps … lots of ibuprofen, water and for the gobbledy goop in his eye, drops … 4 times a day. Oh the joys.
A few thoughts from the parental trenches:
- Okay. Pinkeye is not uncommon. In fact, apparently grubby little carrier monkey children are passing it down the chute week after week this time of year. But I am here to tell you, clearly whoever developed the antibiotic drops to cure this ailment has never had a child, never hung out with a child and perhaps never even laid eyes on a child in their entire life. Because no person, in their right mind, would invent something that necessitates restraining a child with your legs while holding an eye open with one hand and squeeze a bottle into a very defined target with the other as your child turns as red as Rudolph’s nose and thrashes about. If nothing else, perhaps this will better-prepare me for my future as a member of Cirque.
- When illness befalls your child and the only real thing to make it better is time and night after night without truly restful sleep {for all involved parties}, I truly believe that insurance should cover a night nurse. This is not to say I don’t love Barrett but rather night after night without truly good sleep only leads to no-good-very-bad-days {okay, at least moments} for the members of the Brehm household. I know that I often am dramatic about sleep but I’m here to tell you, it’s not drama. It’s real. I don’t do well without sleep and I’m not above admitting it. I’d rather be a dear mother than mommy dearest so for me, sleep is seriously vital.
- When I call our daycare {and I must mention, expensive daycare} to let them know that my child will not be attending due to pinkeye and they relay to me that as soon as we have the drops in hand {after the doctor explicitly stated pinkeye is highly contagious for 24 hours following the start of antibiotics} he can return, is it really out of line for me to think “Hmmm… I wonder where he got it”.
- I don’t know much about your child but I’ve learned that when it comes to Mr. B one thing leads to another. A scratchy sore throat is always followed by a cough, followed by a stuffy nose, resulting in copious amounts of moaning throughout the twilight hours.
If anyone has any tricks or treats to help combat tonsilitis, throw them my way. I’ll be your friend for life. As for the mucousy monster that once took over Barrett’s baby browns, it appears to be clearing up quite well and we are on day 5 of 7 for devil drops. This week has seemed longer than short and patience has been wearing a little bit thin. And though our little B’s been full of bugs, ultimately, In placing the blame for this week, in my mind, the eyes have it.
You might also like
