While I hoped it wouldn't happen, I was pretty sure it would. This nasty, seriously terrible virus went right through our house. On day #1, it took Michael down. Just for the record, this particular virus lasts around 6 days. 4 straight days of high high fever, vomiting and cha chas for 3/4 days, and significant weight loss as a result. For instance, when this virus started Michael weighted 52 lbs. By the end of his illness, he lost just over 6 lbs. That is more than 10% of his total body weight! It was so hard to watch them suffer but like the trooper he is, he got through it!
To complicate the way our family dealt Virus Poop Shoot 2008, Damien had to fly to Denver the morning after Mother's Day. At that point, only Michael was sick and we were still holding out hope that it wouldn't infect the other two kids. Damien was going to be gone until Thursday night and I had complete confidence that I could handle the troops! One thing I was really looking forward to was that Jill and my sweet nephew Kyle were flying into town to stay with me for the week. I had let her know that Michael was sick but we decided to go ahead and have her come down anyway. This might have been a decision we both regretted later- but for the time being, we were rolling along with the plan.
Jill and Kyle arrived and Michael was feeling a lot better. Still sick, but showing some signs of improvement. We went on a walk that night (it was a gorgeous 95 degree day) and then settled in for the night. It wouldn't be long for things to get more dramatic. At 4:00 a.m. Matthew threw up and then continued to do so until about 9:30 a.m. I had to tell Jill the news that this illness was not only isolated to Michael and that things were going to be really nasty for the next few days. By noon, Matthew was fevering at a steady 104 degrees and nothing I did brought it down. The only thing that seemed to knock it down a few degrees was the tepid bath. He hated it! I got him comfy and we went to bed. At 12:30 a.m. I heard Claire call me. I got out of bed, still holding hot Matthew when I saw her throw up in the bucket I had preventatively placed beside her bed (thank goodness). All night long I heard her throw up. I would get out of bed and try and keep Matthew sleeping in my arms while dumping out the bucket, washing it out, and then going over it with a Clorox wipe. All night long. Seriously- all night long. I am so happy that Claire is a good sick patient. She totally handled herself and made it in the bucket each time. Such a big girl- that Claire!
By morning I was spent. Emotionally I was pretty much depleted and physically I was dizzy with the thought of another night alone with two really sick babies. Matthew was still fevering like mad and I knew I needed help. Thankfully after desperately making a call to my mother-in-law that afternoon, she arrived in time to distract Jill and I from the absolute hell we were in. She went the grocery store and brought us back food, medicine for the kids, and made us forget for a moment that we were really inthe thick of the worst virus I have ever encountered. Claire fevered but not as bad as the boys did. Lucky for me, Marlene said she would take care of Claire that night and that helped out so much!
The next morning, we wait for Kyle to get sick. We watched his every move knowing that there was absolutely NO WAY this kid was going to escape operation Poop Shoot. Sure enough, on the way to buy Shrek at Target- he barfed in the parking lot. And that is when we breathed a small sigh of relief that all the kids were infected and now we could just focus on getting them better. Flus are terrible. It takes you down so hard and fast that you feel like you will never get over it. This flu was interesting because it took the kids down one at a time so we were in this illness for a long time. By the end, all of the kids had cabin fever. We just wanted to get out of the house and breathe fresh air for a while. When I took this picture of Kyle and Matthew I didn't realize the significance of them trying to get outside. It should be titled "Get Me The Heck Out Of This Place!" Luckily now- with a little space from Poop Shoot 2008, I can laugh at the pure ridiculousness of the entire situation. Thank God for Jill, though. With Damien a few states away, I would've cracked if she weren't here.
While I hoped it wouldn't happen, I was pretty sure it would. This nasty, seriously terrible virus went right through our house. On day #1, it took Michael down. Just for the record, this particular virus lasts around 6 days. 4 straight days of high high fever, vomiting and cha chas for 3/4 days, and significant weight loss as a result. For instance, when this virus started Michael weighted 52 lbs. By the end of his illness, he lost just over 6 lbs. That is more than 10% of his total body weight! It was so hard to watch them suffer but like the trooper he is, he got through it!
Jill and Kyle arrived and Michael was feeling a lot better. Still sick, but showing some signs of improvement. We went on a walk that night (it was a gorgeous 95 degree day) and then settled in for the night. It wouldn't be long for things to get more dramatic. At 4:00 a.m. Matthew threw up and then continued to do so until about 9:30 a.m. I had to tell Jill the news that this illness was not only isolated to Michael and that things were going to be really nasty for the next few days. By noon, Matthew was fevering at a steady 104 degrees and nothing I did brought it down. The only thing that seemed to knock it down a few degrees was the tepid bath. He hated it! I got him comfy and we went to bed. At 12:30 a.m. I heard Claire call me. I got out of bed, still holding hot Matthew when I saw her throw up in the bucket I had preventatively placed beside her bed (thank goodness). All night long I heard her throw up. I would get out of bed and try and keep Matthew sleeping in my arms while dumping out the bucket, washing it out, and then going over it with a Clorox wipe. All night long. Seriously- all night long. I am so happy that Claire is a good sick patient. She totally handled herself and made it in the bucket each time. Such a big girl- that Claire!
By morning I was spent. Emotionally I was pretty much depleted and physically I was dizzy with the thought of another night alone with two really sick babies. Matthew was still fevering like mad and I knew I needed help. Thankfully after desperately making a call to my mother-in-law that afternoon, she arrived in time to distract Jill and I from the absolute hell we were in. She went the grocery store and brought us back food, medicine for the kids, and made us forget for a moment that we were really inthe thick of the worst virus I have ever encountered. Claire fevered but not as bad as the boys did. Lucky for me, Marlene said she would take care of Claire that night and that helped out so much!
The next morning, we wait for Kyle to get sick. We watched his every move knowing that there was absolutely NO WAY this kid was going to escape operation Poop Shoot. Sure enough, on the way to buy Shrek at Target- he barfed in the parking lot. And that is when we breathed a small sigh of relief that all the kids were infected and now we could just focus on getting them better. Flus are terrible. It takes you down so hard and fast that you feel like you will never get over it. This flu was interesting because it took the kids down one at a time so we were in this illness for a long time. By the end, all of the kids had cabin fever. We just wanted to get out of the house and breathe fresh air for a while. When I took this picture of Kyle and Matthew I didn't realize the significance of them trying to get outside. It should be titled "Get Me The Heck Out Of This Place!" Luckily now- with a little space from Poop Shoot 2008, I can laugh at the pure ridiculousness of the entire situation. Thank God for Jill, though. With Damien a few states away, I would've cracked if she weren't here.
1 comment:
PHEW! Thank god for Jill and your mother-in-law. You handle motherhood with such grace Lisa. It's quick inspirational to read your blog.
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