#1 Meal Time Series - Two Forks

#2 Meal Time Series - Golden Smog

#3 Meal Time Series - Fork Toss

#4 Meal Time Series - Granola Bar Rejection

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she's a good slider

Random pictures from the playground and beyond - Oct. '06

Whooping Cough and Coxsackievirus Infection

We found out on Monday that Sadie has whooping cough. She's had a cough off and on since we brought her home but two weeks ago she started having pretty bad coughing jags a couple times a night. We took Sadie to our pediatrician (Dr. Saken - Soho Pediatrics) last week and he said not to worry about it. He said a lot of kids have a bit of mucus that collects in the back of their throats and makes them cough but we weren't convinced that it was "just one of those things". Our pediatrician said to make us feel better he would give us a referral for a pediatric pulmonary doctor.

As soon as we described Sadie's symptoms to the pulmonary guy he said she's got whooping cough. Apparently its a fairly easy clinical diagnosis which makes me wonder about our pediatrician. The pulmonary guy prescribed an antibiotic but said not to expect it to do much that at this point, the infection would have to run its course - another 4 to 6 weeks. Apparently she should have received the DTP vaccination like most American kids but she didn't and she hasn't received it since she's been home.

I have to wonder about our pediatrician though. The guy has a nice manner with Sadie but to miss or dismiss something as serious as whooping cough is really scary. Sadie is still getting caught up on her vaccinations with him but once she is caught up we are going to find another pediatrician. I think the practice is just too busy to give each kid the attention they deserve. For all we know Sadie may have caught the whooping cough infection there - the waiting room is full of toys and sick kids all rolling around on each other. It seems nuts to me but I guess that's just how a pediatrician office is.

So that was Monday. On Tuesday we get a call from the nursery school saying Sadie has a rash on her hands that is probably coxsackie virus. I left work, raced down to the nursery school and took her to Dr. Saken who was able to squeeze her in for a 3 PM appointment. He confirmed she had coxsackie and said there's nothing we can do except wait it out - seems to be the standard treatment for childhood diseases. Jackie has taken the rest of the week off to stay home with Sadie who can't return to school until the coxsackie clears up.

The thing is, despite her whooping cough and coxsackie Sadie has been in fairly good spirits. Yesterday was tough - she was definitely moody but I think both infections were in full effect so I'm sure she felt like crap. So far no fever and no loss of appetite. (I doubt that kid will ever loose her appetite so that's not a good illness benchmark for her.) Last night was rough, she had a bad coughing jag at midnight and again at 4 AM and was out of the crib by 5 AM. She had a 4 hour nap this afternoon and was in great spirits all afternoon and evening. Those pictures at the top of this post are from her bath tonight - does she look like she has a double dose of infection raging in her little body?

Tonight she went down without a fuss at 8:45 after a big dinner and a bottle. I'm hoping she has a more peaceful night than last night. We gave her Pediacare 8 hour cough suppressant tonight before her bath - fingers crossed that it will work.