Bug Juice Please

It was a long weekend. Long as in sick kid long. Nothing is worse as a parent when you feel totally helpless in alleviating your child's discomfort and wondering what the hell is wrong with them. And, if you are like me, you research all of the possibilities out and self diagnose. And because of that diagnosis, it took the little man and I to the hospital yesterday.

Kaelen had been complaining of a sore throat four days prior but it was mostly at night when he tried to sleep as he was distracted throughout the day with playing. Friday night was bad, with him waking up every couple of hours crying. Saturday was a total write off: he couldn't talk, wouldn't eat and cried every couple of minutes. The night was even worse; he was awake for most of the night moaning and whimpering. Yesterday morning came about and the left side of his neck was swollen as was his jaw. Neither Tylenol nor Advil were bringing him any measures of comfort so that had me very concerned. So concerned that I even resorted to giving him Tylenol 3 left over from his surgery a month ago, which didn't provide him a measure of comfort either. Nothing seemed to be cutting through the pain to help him out. Everything from the mumps to strep throat to post surgery infection for his adenoids came to mind and I was at a loss to how to help him.

Thankfully, I trusted my Mommy instinct and took him into the hospital. I was pretty sure that all he had was strep throat, but in the back of my mind what I couldn't discount was the swelling was about nor why Tylenol 3 wasn't helping him. After 4 hours of waiting in a hospital bed, we got our answer: not only did he have strep, he also had tonsillitis and an abscess on his left tonsil. $70 later, with a bottle full of "bug juice", the proper dosage for the Tylenol 3 and Advil, we headed home in hopes that we could avoid surgery to drain that abscess.

With a solid sleep that had eluded him for the past four days, Kaelen woke up to his normal, exuberant self this morning. He is still sore and he still can't talk very well, but he is eating and wanting to play. He will only take the "bug juice" and doesn't want any pain relievers. And the best news? At this point, the "bug juice" looks like it is working it's magic and the abscess has receded and on it's way of disappearing, meaning no draining necessary. Whew!

Now, only if I can have good news like this come Wednesday for a nervous appointment that he has. I haven't mentioned it to many because I don't want to be told not to worry, nor that "it is likely nothing". And, I am NOT thinking worst case scenario either, but nevertheless I am nervous. Back in February, we discovered a large lump on Kaelen's "dewy" and after a thorough examination by our family doctor, we have been referred to a specialist to try and figure out what exactly that lump is. Our family doctor wasn't sure and felt that we couldn't ignore it and should be proactive to rule all "bad things" out. Chances are that it is nothing, perhaps fatty tissues or something, but I am still nervous and have that sunken pit in my stomach for some reason. Until then though, give me a break if I seem a little distracted, m'kay?