Saturday, November 22, 2008
Antibiotics All Around
When we started our family I expected the big budget busters to be diapers...maybe food. Surprisingly, those expenditures have really been absorbed easily into our budget. The real surprise has been doctor's bills. Before Addison, Kyle and I really didn't go to the doctor except for yearly check ups. Our medical bills were really nothing. In fact, we didn't even have a section for medical expenses in our monthly budget. Now, all that has changed. It's not that Addison is super unhealthy, she just seems to catch EVERYTHING!! I am probably to blame. Lord knows I am exposed to every germ in the world at school. If I think about it too much, I quickly become a huge germaphobe. Anyway, last winter I felt like I was taking Addison to the doctor a couple of times a month. Several times her sickness was declared a virus, so I pretty much took my copay $$ and flushed down the toilet. So this year, I've been trying hard to not take Addison to the doctor at the drop of a hat. A couple of weeks ago she started coughing...no other symptoms, just a cough when she was down for a nap or asleep. I watched it a few days, then called the doctor when it persisted. The doctor said it was probably just drainage and didn't require a visit. Well, a week later she still had the cough and was starting to have a runny nose. I kept telling myself...it's just drainage...it's a cold, she'll be fine. A few days later, Kyle started to cough...a few days after that, I started to cough. Finally, this morning, I couldn't handle anymore coughing. I sent Kyle and Addison to the doctor. His verdict: we all 3 have bronchitis...antibiotics all around. Now I feel like a terrible mother for letting my poor daughter walk around with bronchitis for 2 1/2 weeks. Tell me, experienced mothers, how do you know when to take your kiddo to the doctor?? I don't want (and can't afford) to be the mom who takes her child in at the first sniffle. But, I also don't want to be the mom who lets her child walk around with bronchitis for 2 weeks infecting the rest of the free world!!!
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2 comments:
Hey Girl,
Don't think you are a bad mom. Addison probably didn't have the bronchitis from the start. That most likely developed over some time. Most of the time our kids are sick with a virus. I usually don't go to the Doctor until some is miserable. What I mean by that is temeperture that lasts for more than three days. Diarrhea that lasts for more than 48 hours. Or vomiting that lasts for more than 24 hours. If there is ear pain or white puss pockets in the back of the throat I usually go ahead and go. Otherwise I tough it out at home with some added snuggles on the couch and movie watching. I focus on getting my kiddos to drink. I am not so concerned about eating. Most colds take 7-10 days to run their course. The only thing I usually treat with medicine at home is fevers. Otherwise I let them cough to get rid of the yuck in their lungs. The only exception is if they are having trouble sleeping than I might give them something right before bed. My advice might be extreme but I have never been a champion of medicine. I believe God designed our bodies with a great ability to fight infections. So please take what you want from this and forget the rest. Snuggle down this weekend and enjoy a good movie while you all get better. Take care
Nikki R
This is funny b/c I'm sitting here trying to decide if I need to run to the hospital tonight with Char. What was a runny nose all day has turned into not being able to breathe well. I've done this a million times with B (b/c he has asthma) but it doesn't get any easier. And of course it's a Sat night!
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