Ah, so much for my optimistic outlook on Monday.
Jamie has been home sick from school all week (and also missed 3 days last week). Last week was just a CFS flare-up, but he woke up Sunday morning with chest congestion and a cough. The poor kid has been in bad shape all week - flat on his back on the couch with congestion and fever, plus all the CFS crash symptoms. He broke down in tears Sunday night and told us the aches were the worst he remembers since 6th grade (i.e. 3 years ago, before Florinef).
I took him to the doctor's today. She said it's not quite to the point of bronchitis yet, and she prescribed an inhaler to open up his bronchial passages to try to prevent infection. Hopefully, that will work.
Meanwhile, Craig and I have had what I think of as "sympathy symptoms," those CFS symptoms that come up when there's a virus around that you don't actually catch but it stimulates your immune system and makes you feel sick. Craig's managing OK - he's had a sore throat off and on for 2 days but has still been able to go to school and play.
As for me, I started out the week excited that my Lyme herx wasn't too bad and ready to attack a long to-do list. By 9 am on Tuesday, I realized I needed to put the laptop away completely and lie down. Since Jamie was on the couch, I made myself a nest of beanbag chairs on the floor and have been lying there reading most of the week. Thank goodness for books.
Obviously, since I'm back on the computer for a bit, I'm starting to improve a little, and Ken gets home from his business trip tonight, so things are looking up. Now we just have to get Jamie back on his feet.
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Sending good thoughts and prayers in your direction. I hope Jamie is up and about soon.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your little son; having had 4 super-healthy children, I have no idea how much it would hurt me to know they were sick or ailing with something.
ReplyDeleteHaving been a sickly child, I remember the nights my mother had to sit with me (fortunately she was super-healthy too).
From a kid's point of view, it's always that 'being on the couch' while the rest of the kids 'have fun'...and yes, I learned to read when I was 3 years old because all I had was books and magazines that my dad subscribed to.
I learned about cars at an early age simply because I read Popular Mechanics; looking at old magazines and cutting out pictures - pasting them on paper - all while feeling so frail and left out.
I guess the good thing for me was I ended up skipping two grades in school because of my reading and math skills; having practiced all of this when I was 3 and 4 years old.
So, you can always tell your little guy to work with his creative mind and hands; I bet he'll find a future benefit when he gets older, and have good memories of the times you've spent with him.
Indeed, thank goodness for books. Keep on keeping on . . . hope it all improves for you soon.
ReplyDeleteAw, I'm sorry nobody's feeling their best this week, and hope that everyone feels better soon!
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