There's always a first time for everything

Well, I finally took one of my kids to the doctor for an illness for the first time, EVER. If they have some wierd thing going on when I take them in for a well-baby check, I mention it then and we go from there. I've never called in about a sickness before.

I don't ever remember going to the doctor growing up, except for when a tick on my head gave me Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. And I was only taken then because my mom thought I was close to death. My mom never even took my sister to the hospital when my brother accidentally hacked her head open with a hoe.

I don't ever take my kids in because my kids stay pretty healthy.

Their illnesses never seem too threatening.

I just look stuff up on the internet when my kids get sick, and if it gets pretty bad, a blessing seems to help calm things down. A call to my mom or sister-in-law gives me ideas too.

The scary thing is when our kids get to be around 8 months old or so. That's how old Hyrum's sister was when she died of a mystery illness that turned out to be a bowel infection. That affected Hyrum so much that he gets gun-shy when our kids are at that age and he gets pretty nervous when they get sick.

Here's why I finally took Kiersa in: She had...
-diarrhea for a week and a half (which gave her a horrific diaper rash)
-vomiting for at least a week (she'd been on strictly pedialyte for a day and a half because she couldn't hold anything else down)
-a fever for several days
-a runny nose for a couple weeks
-a puffy face all of a sudden
-discomfort that threw her into screaming fits where she'd arch her back, cross her legs, and throw her arms out...in the middle of the day, and not just regular crying at morning and night like during a normal illness (Kiersa is normally one of the happiest babies you'll meet)

All of this combined was starting to make Hyrum nervous, and I admit, I was starting to get concerned too. He asked me to call the doctor and get her in before we ended up in the ER in the middle of the night.

The doctor was surprised to have me call in about a sick kid since I never have, so they got me in right away.

The prognosis:
A sore throat. Probably a viral infection. No ear infection. No scary stuff. Nothin'. Figures. I thought that's what they'd say, but I guess it was worth $30 for the peace of mind.

The result:
A pat on the back for keeping her hydrated and getting the diaper rash under control. Start reintroducing very diluted formula and bland food and call if things get worse. Keep using Motrin or Tylenol, and keep up the good work.

Duh! She had the flu shot a week earlier, and that's when everything escalated. I swear, the flu shot makes us sick more than healthy. I got the flu shot with this pregnancy and Kiersa's, and each time I got sick afterward. I'm not so sure I believe in it's effectiveness. The doctors just really push it on me.

So that evening Kiersa got a blessing since she was still screaming, and I slept with her on the kids' bed, while they slept with Hyrum, so Hyrum could get decent sleep for once. It ended up being her best night since all of this started.

But now...days later...she has a mystery rash on her head and torso. Great! Any ideas? I'm wondering if it's trying to turn webby like Fifth Disease. Not again!