Monday, January 3, 2011

sick

It's that time of year again and everyone in this apartment seems to be sick again. All three kiddos have been coughing and have had runny noses for over a week now. M was really cranky all week so Thursday we finally went to the doctor who thought it was viral. Turns out he has an ear infection, because Friday morning, there was lots of nasty junk leaking out of his left ear. Can you say punctued ear drum? Since he has been on antibiotics (administering said anti biotics is a real struggle that ideally involves two people, one person to hold him down, one to pour the stuff down his throat) he has been feeling much better and best of all, no more leaking.
Then as soon as M felt better, A started up. She woke up in the middle of the night Saturday night complaining that her ear hurts. I am usually a pretty compassionate person but 4 am is not my best time, especially when a child is screaming in my ear and won't listen to any reasonable requests, among them a plea not to wake her other siblings. On Sunday she seemed to be feeling better but Sunday night featured lots of crying and not enough sleep for us again. I took another trip to the doctor today who said everything looks clear.  I am hoping there will be no middle of the night wake-ups for me tonight.
It's funny because I have been trying to set up a play-date for A with a specific girl in her class that she likes. The mom, who is pregnant, is very concerned about germs and doesn't want her daughter coming to our house because my kids might get her daughter sick. She would prefer A comes to play by them, where there are less germs (I am still unsure why she thinks her apartment is less germy than mine, but have decided not to argue about it)
 While I do understand her concern, I also understand that winter is sick-season and children tend to pass things on to each other. If there are 20 children in her class, someone is bound to be sick and possibly even to pass that on to another child or two. Unfortunately this is how it works, unless you are planning to keep your child in a bubble.
The truth is that now that we have seemed to weathered the latest round of stuffy noses and coughs, I am hoping  that we will get a small reprieve for a little while. Maybe that bubble is not such a bad idea after all.
How do you keep yourself and your kids healthy during the winter season?

4 comments:

  1. We don't. Which is why all 4 of us are sick with the flue since Shabbos. Sunday was my first day of work and I was debating between going sick and possibly passing it on, or staying home. I decided to go, spent the next 6 hours wearing my coat, shivering and washing my hands like a maniac. Anyway sure enough, the next day people started complaining of a sore throat and my TL asked me to stay home. Anyone have an overnight cure for the flue?

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  2. Ive just been reading an article on how to boost immunity in both adults and children It says eat plenty of foods with vtamin c Take a mutivitamin each day Stay away from sugary foods and white flour foods eat whole wheat foods get plenty of rest and exercise and get a flu shot stay out of busy places as much as possible airports trains wash your hands alotEat alot of blueberries and strawberries and grapefruit

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  3. Also eat alot of protein lean chicken turkey fish Low fat cottage cheese Yogurt without artificial fruit eggs oranges and orange juice are great also Hope the kids stay well this winter

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  4. was also gonna say, We don't! up until this late fall, i'd always say: thank G-d my kids rarely get sick. well, no more... it's been brutal-- every one of us has been sick at least once, and not "just" a cold... but colds are pretty bad in and of themselves... i'm hoping hoping hoping we are done with this for a long time...

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