Seriously!!! Can we please get rid of any sickness that plagues this house or Cole's school and classroom. Cole came home on Wednesday with ANOTHER fever and sore throat. If I have to remind you or update you, Cole had strep throat 2 weeks ago and on Monday, yes this Monday, just finished his 10 day of antibiotics. So, on Wednesday when he complained of a sore throat and had a 102.3 fever, I thought, "You have got to be kidding me?!?!" I am usually the mom who does not go to the doctor for everything, but since he just had strep I thought it best to be safe. Yesterday we headed to the doctor, still with a 102.3 fever and had his throat swabbed (not pleasant at all for Cole who already has an incredible gag reflex), and sure enough strep throat again. So either Cole was super unlucky that in 2 days contracted strep again, or that the first round of antibiotics did not quite get rid of it all. We will go with scenario two.
We got a prescription for a stronger antibiotics that apparently tastes HORRIBLE and now strep is not my only battle. Try getting this icky stuff down a 6 year olds throat who can't handle bad tastes, makes himself gag and throw up, cries and screams because he just can't do it and is a complete mental case, plugging his nose to take this already diluted with grape soda, which will be followed by any delicious drink of his choice because I am nice and believe in bribes medicine. Awful, impossible, and I can see why parents go bonkers!!! I was ready to tell him that he can take his sore throat and shove it....go to bed and too bad if it is sore, it's your fault and problem, see ya! Ahhhh....breathe. Forty five minutes later with several tries, some spilled by shaking and freaking out or spitting (gagging) it out (FYI...it is already in your mouth, swallow the darn medicine Cole!!), we got it down. (Thank God Josh was home, though I am sure he wished he weren't!) Did I mention this was just at lunch and we have to do this medicine 3 times a day? No way! The dinner/bedtime episode went down about the same way, maybe only about thirty minutes. I was done, passed off the kids to Josh and said good night!!
This morning, I calmly told Cole it was time for his medicine and he got up and said okay. I thought, maybe this is not going to be so bad. However, thirty minutes later, with no crying though, but quiet nervousness and anxiety and pleas of "I can't", got the medicine down, but I was done. The doctor did tell me it was bad and that there was another one I could try that was stronger than the first but not as strong as this current, horrible tasting one. Sure enough, I caved and called the doctor and asked for the better tasting one. There was no way I was going to do this for 10 days, 3 times a day or ask my mom to do it when I was at work. Am I weak? Did Cole win? Oh, well, maybe yes to both of those questions, but I do want him to get better and strep throat to go away. It is enough to have sick kids, but then this on top of it, are you kidding me? Life as a parent.
P.S. Become a follower, comment, tell me what you would have done or if you have any wisdom or suggestions? Did Cole win? What do you think?
Did Cole win? I don't think he was trying to get something, he truly just didn't think he could swallow the stuff. Like his own version of Fear Factor. I think you did the right thing to get him something different.
ReplyDeleteMy only suggestion would be to ask if you can get a prescription for something chewable that you can grind up into food. I still remember having to take something that tasted terrible when I was a kid, but my parents had mercy on me and hid it in food - peanut butter sandwiches, applesauce, hot chocolate, etc. There was no way I could chew the tablet, but I could do it ground up into food.
Quinn is right...if the liquid is terrible, maybe it's time to teach him how to swallow pills so taste is no longer an issue. I remember when i finally was able to do this as a kid...was a huge win.
ReplyDelete