January 26, 2008
At War
For the past three weeks, Dawson and I have been suffering bronchitis or pneumonia, or sinusitis, or maybe it’s just a very bad cold. At this point it doesn’t even matter.
I missed a week of work, we went to the doctor and got medicine, and for five days we were feeling better. Then, last Monday, it was as though we were sick all over again, only this time it was worse.
I called the family doctor and told him our new symptoms and he prescribed two more weeks of antibiotics. I have to take amoxicillin horse pills, Dawson has to have a half-teaspoon of Augmentin three times daily.
As I type this, Dawson is throwing himself into the wall because he DOES NOT WANT TO HAVE DA YUCKY MED-SIN!
No matter what I do or how I try to coerce him into swallowing this junk, he won’t budge.
I’ve resorted to sitting on top of him, as gently as possible of course, with his arms pinned under my thighs and prying his mouth open to force the milky-white, shitty-tasting medicine down his throat. Bubblegum flavored, my ass. And half the time he spits up what I put in.
I can’t do this anymore. I’m in tears because I feel like I’m torturing my precious child. But I know that we have to do this to get rid of the crap that’s taking over our bodies.
I’m crying because my mind is wandering. Maybe I should have never put my child in daycare and then he wouldn’t have brought home this nasty illness and we wouldn’t be suffering so miserably. Maybe I should quit my job and put my son into a protective bubble so he never gets sick again.
It could be that I’m delirious from the pills and the Tylenol sinus relief tablets. Or maybe the fact that my nose is running, my face hurts, my ears are plugged and I can’t hear a thing is what is wearing me down. Right now I feel like the shittiest mom on the planet and it sucks. This is one battle I hope to never fight again.
*Updated - After tricking Dawson into take his medicine, we settled on the sofa to watch t.v. only to discover the cable not working. He cried, I cried, and then we bundled up — snow pants and all — and went outside. The cold air felt so damn good. My nose unplugged, but my left ear is still stuffed with something. No one can talk to me on that side or I won’t hear them.
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January 26th, 2008 at 3:22 pm, mammacheryl Says:
Oh honey! — Can you call the walk-in clinic and tell them what is happening? Maybe they’ll have some ideas for you on either how to get him to swallow the damn stuff or an alternative prescription. — Ben is terrific about taking medicines, but even he had a hard time with augmentin. — Unless you plan on staying home with him and NEVER going out to the stores or to play groups or to playgrounds, quitting your job won’t solve everything. Ben still gets sick. Why? Because I’m a sucker (and a good mommy) and I let him play with other children once in a while. I get boring pretty darn quick. — I hope you feel better soon. Luv ya.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:24 pm, Dana Says:
Actually, I tricked him a few minutes ago. I put 1/2 teaspoon of the meds in the dropper, followed with 1/2 teaspoon milk (since their the same color). I’m probably not supposed to do that, but it was a hell of a lot easier.
January 27th, 2008 at 10:41 pm, Leslie Says:
Oh, Dana! You’re not at fault for the sickness. Everyone gets sick! I’m glad you found a way to help him get the medicine down. I hope you’re all better soon!
January 28th, 2008 at 12:27 pm, biodtl Says:
Every working mom goes through that, but you know what? He’d get sick even if you were home. If not in day care, then from the kid next door or the grocery cart or the guy at the mall who sneezed or the bathroom door at church. It happens and it is certainly not your fault. But I know how you feel.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:31 pm, Ultrasound Equipment Says:
There is more reason to comment than ever before! Great post! I searched for a while to find the right answer to my questions!
December 31st, 2008 at 9:04 pm, The Dana Files » Reflections of The Year That Used to Be Says:
[...] January I was in football mode — it was all Green Bay Packers all the time. And I was sick. A lot. It was [...]