2010: The Year Of The Germ

Well we sure are starting 2010 off with a bang!

Carter isn't getting better, in fact, he added wheezy-like breathing and puking to the list. So I took him back to the doctor today (for the 3rd time since 12/23) and they ordered a chest x-ray. I would like to preface this with *I WILL NEVER TAKE MY CHILD TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS ALONE EVER AGAIN!!!* So they start with, "This is going to hurt you more than it hurts him." Great...I wasn't going to cry until you went and said that. So I have to step out into the hallway while they sit my tiny little sweet Carter onto a bicycle seat and slowly close him into a clear, plastic shell that holds his arms up over his head and keeps him very still. All I can hear is him screaming to the top of his lungs. I am about to break the door down, tear him out of that plastic turtle shell and wrap him up in my arms. Apparently, they have a knack for knowing when a Mom is about to go off the deep end and a sweet lady comes over to me and asks if I've ever done this before. I answer no (I sat through surgery with Landon, but I swear this x-ray was more painful!) and she says "Hold on honey, I'll get the tissues.". [She probably went and called security to wait in the wings in case I went postal!] She stood there with me until it was over and tried to help me maintain my cool. As soon as that door opened, I swooped in and grabbed my little man.

I will have to say Rex Radiology rocks! I signed in at 2:25 (without an appointment), registered, had the x-ray and was out of the door by 2:50. And the ladies were very sweet to me (and Carter, even though it sounded otherwise).

Then I get a call from my doctor before I even got home...no joke, within like 10 minutes of leaving. The diagnosis: PNEUMONIA!!! My poor baby has pneumonia. *sigh* So of course I am beating myself up wondering how I could have let it go into pneumonia. Why didn't I know? How did I let it get so far? But as my logical husband keeps reminding me...we have been to the doctor 3 times in the past 2 weeks and we did everything we could do.

So they replaced his light-weight Amoxicillin that he was taking for his ear infection (which has cleared up beautifully) with Omnicef. It's supposed to be a stronger and broader range antibiotic. This will work if the pneumonia is caused by a bacteria. There is a potential that is from a virus. He goes back Thursday morning to be re-evaluated.

Stay tuned and please send prayers...