Saturday, October 24, 2009

The good (mommy), the bad (mommy), and the H1N1.

I put he youngest to bed at 9:00 last night. I had my feet up and was really looking forward to a few heavenly hours to myself. Then, at 9:15 I heard the heavy-sigh inducing, personality-splitting sound of her feet creaking down the stairs. Bad mommy reared her ugly head and snipped at her, "What's going on?" My daughter said "Mommy, my chest hurts." Now she really does have H1N1, but she's also a complete hypochondriac, so while bad mommy wanted to say 'Oh for heaven's sake! Just go to SLEEP!', good mommy said "Come lie down on the couch and let's see what we can do about it..."

Two hours of nonstop chest pain and several chats with the on-call doctor later, good mommy got in the car and took her to the ER...


Everyone in the ER had masks on - receptionists, nurses, kids, parents - everyone.











Friday night at Children's Hospital smack in the middle of an H1N1 epidemic. Good times. Every room was full. The hallways echoed with the sound of crying children. We were there for hours.

Anyway, it turns out that people's immune systems are fighting the H1N1 virus so hard that it leaves other parts of them undefended, and doctors are seeing lots of opportunistic secondary infections. So my little hypochondriac actually had an inflammation and infection of her chest wall. Just before we left the hospital (at 4 am) they gave her a dose of antibiotics. By the time we got home, her chest had stopped hurting.

Good mommy and bad mommy were both glad they'd taken her to the ER were very grateful for the miracle of antibiotics. And bad mommy was reminded that just because someone's a hypochondriac, it doesn't mean they're not really sick. She's learned her lesson. And now that a third child is getting a cough, bad mommy will no doubt have to learn it again. Bad mommy hates learning lessons.

14 comments:

jason said...

Even hypochondriacs get the flu.
There's a song in there somewhere. :)

But I'm just hoping she's back healthy again soon!

It really is getting scary out there.

Unknown said...

Yikes! Get well, all of you!

yellowdoggranny said...

my hypochondriac daughter was the best at faking illnesss..she had asthma and would run around the bed till she couldn't breath and then could stay home. when i figured that out she came to me one morning..staring at a dot right above my head and said mommie..i cant see, i think im blind...
i said unless your eyes are bleeding your going to school..
glad your little one is better..give her a big hug from texas.

Willym said...

Give your little hypochondriac a hug from Rome. And even lets work on that song that song Jason suggested - I like that!

ayeM8y said...

Oh honey, hang in there and keep yourself well at the same time. I came down with what I thought was a really bad cold a few weeks ago with severe chest pain and congestion. Now I think maybe I had a weak strain of H1N1 as the congestion just hasn’t ever gone away and I where a hazmat suit everywhere I go to protect the innocent.

I hope the kiddies feel more like themselves soon and drive you crazy in other ways.

Susan said...

Ugh, us bad moms hate lessons like that (but in hindsight are grateful it wasn't worse). I'm taking the kids to get their H1N1 vaccinations on Tuesday, but am worried it's too late now that there's a confirmed case in their school. And, as one teacher said, "ya know, if one has it, probably 30 others do, too."

I hope you all get better soon.

Claire M. Johnson said...

Which reminds me of my horrible mother story when daughter got such a bad ear infection I was up for three days straight feeding her milk with an eye dropped. When she complained her feet hurt, I snapped at her that her feet were fine. Ignored repeated whining until I actually LOOKED at her feet. Which were so covered in hellacious welts that they looked like Minnie Mouse feet. An allergic immune reaction to the high fever. Need to say, I can so relate.

Elizabeth said...

All - thanks for the good wishes. One daughter is FINALLY going back to school tomorrow. We'll see if the youngest manages or not. She may just be too pooped out.

Jason and willym - I'm working on that song as we (figuratively) speak!

ayem8y - It's everywhere here. Cover you mouth, wash your hands, and cross your fingers (all at the same time).

Susan and Claire - Oh, we ALL have our bad mommy moments (days, weeks....).

a thousand shades of twilight said...

Poor kid! Hugs from Australia too! As a fellow hypochondriac, I have learned that that fleetingly enjoyable moment of grim vindication is far outweighed by the shock of actually being sick.
Seriously, hope you all get well and stay well soon!
xxx

sageweb said...

wow just catching up..hope everyone is getting better. They say it is easy to catch and easy to get rid of if you have the right meds..so what a good Mommy you are for being on top of things.

Doralong said...

Sounds like the past two weeks at work! Too many sick patients and not enough room at the inn. Hopefully she's on the mend and you're still upright!

ANd don't care what anyone says- all Mommies have both of those voices. We have to or we'd go nuts otherwise.

L said...

oh you are too funny. bad mommy hates learning lessons. at least good/bad mommy got some awesome pictures in the process. that picture of her on the bed is priceless...poor, nerdy, sick bunny.

Elizabeth said...

1000 shades - "that fleetingly enjoyable moment of grim vindication" is such a good line that I may even have to credit you with it when I steal it!!!! (Am working on novel rewrite now and wondering if I can fit it in e.g.
"The marquee on the Castro theater blossomed into neon. It read, A Star is Born 1 2 & 3. She hurried toward it and, in a fleetingly enjoyable moment of grim vindication...."
I'll tinker with it.

sage - I think we're heading out of the woods now, at last!!!!!

Dora - Yikes! Were medical workers able to get the vaccine before the general population? I hope so for your sake. And as for the mom thing, yeah, Sybil here!

L - I think bad mommy took the pictures, while good mommy was shocked at her opportunism and callousness!

more cowbell said...

Bad mommy can be a bitch, sure, but the little heathens made me that way. I mean her. Made her that way. Hypothetically.

The flu is a bitch too -- especially when it hits mom, which should totally be illegal and punishable by law. Hope everyone continues to mend.