This morning I heard one of the boys in their approach to my bedroom. It is generally a moment of slight anxiety on my part; are they coming to cuddle or do I have to get up already?
This morning it was DS2, and he wanted to cuddle!! This is a major break through. He is usually the one ready to play and insist that we get out of bed and do things (generally DH takes the early morning shift in recent months). But today, for the second time, he came in on my side of the bed, laid down on my pillow and was willing to cuddle. For both boys this generally means they get a back message. I don't mind because although I'm awake, I still get to stay horizontal in bed. Five months in and he's finally keying into cuddle time. I think this is a greatest present from the cosmos.
Health update - Today is the best I have felt in over 3 weeks. Two days ago I woke with another head cold, this time on the right side of my head vs. the previous cold which was mostly on the left. I called the doctor(s) on Friday, but only got an appointment for DS1 on Saturday (more on him to follow) and an appointment for me on Monday. But when I talked to the "nurse help line" for DS1, I also asked about my condition and she was willing to indulge me. She sent me to the pharmacist to ask for anything that could get my sinuses to drain. The pharmacist said there really was nothing for that, but she thought she could dry me out with extra strength sudfed, which is over-the-counter, but behind the counter (you have to ask the pharmacist but a prescription is not necessary). Who knew. This is working. Also we have had family in town this weekend, a young cousin and his girl friend, and I think hanging with them has been good for my spirits as well.
About DS1, I have not felt comfortable with the asthma diagnosis. It is possible, I recognize given DH has asthma, but the symptoms have seemed wrong to me. Well, after five days of intensive steroid therapy and every three hour doing a nebulizer, we were not seeing results. I called the doctor. They couldn't see us on Friday, when I called, but they let me talk to the "nurse help line" and gave us an appointment for Saturday. The nurse encouraged me to stay with the therapy and get up every 3 hours during the night and do the nebulizer in his sleep. Ok, for one night I tried, but no major difference, he was coughing through the night.
The doctor was the doctor on call, not our usual doctor, but she seemed cool. I told her up front that there was something more than what meets the eye going on here. She examined him, listened to me about the symptoms, and suggested the same asthma routine. Then I told what I had been doing for five days, the wheezing is all over his chest and has not abated with this regiment. I suggested; allergies, allergic reaction, or infection. She checked his ears, which did turn out to be a bit gunky, and decided we'd go with infection that is stimulating a lung response. So he's on antibiotics, today is day two on antibiotics and he is already coughing and wheezing less. He is still doing a bit on antiinflammatory meds, but not the steroids. I'm hopeful on both our fronts, but he still needs to improve significantly in the next couple days for me to believe we are on the right track. But already I'm happy that his energy is up, his appetite is up, and he seems to be coughing less.
