Coxsackie Virus Strikes Again!

Three words: Last night sucked!

Yesterday, our little guy woke up with a runny nose, a cranky disposition, and a fever. The fever came and went throughout the day (thanks to the ibuprofen and acetaminophen we gave him), but he was still not quite himself. And last night, things got ugly. His fever spiked to around 104, he was sweating and shivering, and he couldn't stop crying. Gus and I took turns sitting by his bed, offering him water and rubbing his back, until he started screaming for "Diego! Diego!" (one of the two tv shows we let him watch). Wanting him to be happy, we brought him out to the couch in the living room and snuggled with him while watching the show. He'd periodically drift off, only to wake up again and resume crying. It was so sad! :(

In the end, Gus slept on the floor of his room, and he got maybe 4 or 5 hours of sleep total. He woke up when Gus had to leave for work this morning, around 6am, so we cuddled some more on the couch while Maya slept in. He was so tired, he couldn't walk in a straight line. I also noticed that he wasn't speaking very clearly, which led me to ask him if his mouth was hurting (he said yes). He was just an incredibly unhappy little person. His fever was gone, but there was no way I was going to send him to daycare like that.

Anyway, I had called my parents last night to give them a heads up, and they were able to be here around 8:15 this morning to help out. That gave me time to nurse Maya and take a quick shower before taking Nikos to a 9:40 doctor's appointment. He was thrilled to get in the car and go bye-bye, but that all changed when he realized where we were headed. The poor kid has been sick so many times that he officially hates the doctor's office, and I don't blame him! I literally carried him kicking and screaming inside. On the plus side, we were seen by the Nurse Practitioner in record time! Maybe the screaming helped? :P

But yes, it's our good friend Coxsackie. I was not surprised. We were told to alternate ibuprofen and acetaminophen for the fever and pain, and to make sure he got plenty of liquids (both of which I was already doing). The NP also suggested treating the sores in his mouth with a special cocktail, which I hadn't heard of before. She said to mix 5mL of Mylanta, 4mL of Children's Benadryl, and a squirt of Baby Orajel together, then give it to him as needed over a 6 hour period (not all at once). The Orajel numbs the area, the Benadryl helps reduce the inflammation (and causes drowsiness), and the Mylanta coats the area to soothe it. Anyhow, I mixed this up for him and gave him some, along with his next dose of Motrin, and the kiddo conked out in about 20 minutes. He's been asleep for an hour and a half now. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the day goes!

For the record, Maya slept through the entire ordeal. She slept from 10pm until 8:30am, with only a quick diaper change and a super short (5 minute) feeding at 5:30am. Unbelievable!