The Doctor Visit for the Never Ending Fever

Poor buddy.

Yesterday his fever spiked so, after talking with Dakota, I placed a call to the pediatrician. After waiting nearly two hours, they called back and wanted to know if I could bring him in to be checked out.

Of course I could. I could definitely use the peace of mind in knowing that things weren't in any way heading south. With this cough and congestion I would be lying if I didn't say that respiratory issues were on my mind. I've heard of many kids who were sick, got better and then got sick again who ended up with pneumonia.

We arrived at the clinic and I masked the kids. Yeah yeah - to keep Kelton's cough to himself but mostly to aid in keeping germs away from Kelton and Kaylen. On the way to the office we went over the do's and don't's for the visit (Hands at your side, no touching toys, no touching books or magazines, hands away from their face and use the Purell every time I say. We don't play on the chairs in the waiting room, we don't touch the windows and you will wear your mask until we leave, etc.) as the nurse on the phone warned that there had been very sick kids in the office. She also warned that they were running a bit behind because they had had several "complicated cases" that morning. Oh how I am glad we didn't fall in that category.



When we arrived Kelton was hot to the touch and very quiet. He had complained of a headache before leaving the house and requested sunglasses for the car ride. He kept them on until he was inside the office. About 10 minutes into the wait I noticed he was coming to life a little bit. Fifteen minutes in he said his headache was gone. I felt his head and he was so much cooler. PHEW!

We were escorted back pretty quickly (and the nurse made a joke about "That why we make people wait in the waiting room!" when I told her of Kelton's fever breaking) before long the doctor arrived. I LOVE our pediatrician. Part of it might be that she and I have the same wacky sense of humor but I also just love the way she interacts with the kids.

She gave him a very thorough exam (I thought he would pass out for the amount of times she had him take a deep breath and blow it out but I was grateful because it meant she was really listening to any signs of lung issues) and said that his lungs were clear and that his fever bouncing around is a sign that his body is fighting the good fight and working hard to battle the virus. When the virus starts to gain speed, his fever climbs to battle it back and then, when the virus is knocked back down he cools down so his body can rest. She said she would much rather see the coming and going than a consistent high fever by this point in the game.

She said that this long lasting fever seems to be the way H1N1 plays out in some kids and to expect it to last until his body has cleared the virus.

Another reason I think she is great: she touched base on Kelton's long-term medical condition and thought it was time to move on to see a specialist and asked if she should start the paperwork. I asked "Can we wait until spring?" She said "Sure...but why spring?" "Because I really don't want to be in doctor offices any more than absolutely necessary until after flu season." She laughed and said "That is very smart of you. I'm comfortable waiting until spring since it's not changing."

That goes for Kaylen's 5 year old check up too. She is a February birthday and there is no way I'm taking a well child into a medical clinic in February. :)

So we left with the best news possible. Nothing bad is lurking in Kelton's lungs and we just have to sit tight and wait it out for as long as it takes.

Let's hope it goes away soon. It's been two weeks tomorrow since I first got on this roller coaster of a ride. I'm ready to be done now thankyouverymuch.