Michael's fever battle

Michael has been on antibiotics 3 times in the past 2 months. He has been ill 54 of the past 105 days; in other words, more than half of this year. I don't like those stats. And yes, I'm the nerd who is keeping track of each day of the year. I feel like he is sick all the time, so I wanted to see if it just seemed that way or if it's actually true. Unfortunately, it seems to be the latter.

This morning he was scheduled to visit the doctor for his 2-year well check, so in his usual fashion, he got (and kept) a fever last Saturday -- only one day after his cousin started a similar fever. I assumed it was just a virus and was the same thing Sean had. Yesterday I kept him medicated and his fever stayed below 101, which is low for him as far as fevers go. Believing we were on the tail end of it, I didn't get too worked up. After all, this is somewhat normal for him.

He was still asleep when it was time for him to go to the doctor this morning, so I dressed him in bed and carried him out to the car. I remembered Tylenol and ibuprofen, breakfast [that he didn't eat], his drink, diapers, wipes, pretty much everything except my list of questions and the thermometer.

He felt a little warm, but not too bad. He sat on my lap the entire time we were in the waiting room and didn't want to play, a sure sign he had a fever. I debated whether or not I should drug him up. The only problem was that my list of questions had the time I had given him his last dose of medicine and which one it was ... the same list that was still sitting on my counter at home.

I was fairly certain he could have another dose of one or the other, but I couldn't get my brain to remember which one, a result of multiple sleepless nights, no doubt, and countless doses of each med. Plus, I didn't have digital proof that he did indeed have a fever. So I opted to wait until the nurse took his temperature when we went to the back.

She took his temp, said, "Wow. Woah." Then she turned it off and back on and took it again. I had to ask for the number.

106.2

That's not a typo. That was his temperature at 9:45 this morning. I had been in the waiting room for over half an hour just letting his temp go up. I instantly started crying, really coming down on myself for not just giving him the medicine. "They" say 107 can cause permanent brain damage, and I won't bother to list out the scenarios that played through my mind as he sat on my lap and Bailey watched me cry.

I gave him ibuprofen at the direction of the nurse, and they swabbed his nose to check for the flu. The flu test was negative, but when the doctor saw him, he decided Michael needed an instant dose of antibiotics and gave him a shot in the leg.

I told the doc that I think there is something going on besides the sinus infections he keeps getting and asked about asthma, which Tony had as a child. He asked if Michael is wheezing. No. He asked does Michael snore. Yes. Plus, his runny nose and cough never stopped these past two months, despite his antibiotics, only the color of his mucus changed. Pleasant, I know. He hasn't even been off his last dose of antibiotics for 2 weeks.

The doctor agreed that something else is likely happening and is thinking allergies at this point. So he is on another antibiotic (stronger this time) to treat his sinus infection [again] as well as some Zyrtec for his allergies (which gives him the chills when he drinks it, so getting that down him every day should be a pure joy).

His fever has stayed away since his dose of ibuprofen this morning, but I've also kept him drugged every 4 hours with Tylenol, as per the doctor's orders. I have my doubts that I will still be a natural brunette in a couple years. All continued prayers are welcome.