Pneumonia

Monkey has been under the weather for some time now.  He's been running a low grade fever in the high 90s low 100s for the better part of the month.  At first I decided he just had a normally high body temp, like his daddy... but now I wonder if I was just being a "bad" mommy.

About this time last week he started getting higher fevers, 101 to the 102 range.  I figured he was just coming down with the bug that all of us had had recently.

Then, at about the same time the lights went out, his fever spiked to 103.8F.  That's Murphy's Law isn't it.

I held off on calling the doctor for a few days, monitoring his fever and increasing his Tylenol/Motrin combo per his "little blue book" from the doctors.  It didn't help that we didn't have phone service at the house, and cell calls were limited to 911.

Finally on Wednesday morning, after listening to him coughing something fierce, I decided enough was enough (and Husband was thrilled, being a first time dad he doesn't like the wait and see approach) and called the pediatricians.

His temp was 103.8 (again) when we got there (after having Tylenol an hour before).  The doctor on call gave me two options 1) wait and see and call back if the fever isn't gone in 2 more days (because fevers can run 3 to 5 days) and 2) get a blood panel done.

I went with option 2, because really who needs to wait two more days, pay another $35 co-pay, and spend another 40 minutes driving there.  Plus, I was ready for answers... his color just didn't look good.

We'll I am glad I went with option 2.  His blood panel came back with mixed results (and he was anemic); so the doctor sent us to the hospital for a chest x-ray to rule out (on in depending on how you want to look at it) pneumonia.

Turkey was so worried about his little brother at the hospital and went to the gift shop with Husband and got him a stuffed doggie while Monkey and I took care of business.  The x-ray confirmed he did have pneumonia.   And he was started on antibiotics.

Shortly after we got home from x-rays.

We had a follow-up with another doctor-on-call on Friday, and when she listened to his lungs she could hear the pneumonia.  She hypothesized that the other doctor-on-call  (Dr. C) didn't hear it the other day because he must have been dehydrated from his high fevers (not to self, do not trust Dr. C, be leery of Dr. M).  But Monkey was certainly on the re-bound and gave him the go-ahead to go to swimming this week, but no going under until he is done with his medication.  Yay!!!

Before swimming this morning, acting and looking more like himself.

I must say, for his first illness Monkey certainly went all out.  Why couldn't we have started with a simple cold or ear infection to break daddy in with?