The day after

Elvis woke up early this morning with a fever. I didn't check to see how hot. I just knew he was cooking. I gave him Tylenol and soothed him back to sleep. We next woke up about 9:15 and he was still warm. I checked and his temp was 99.6. Not scary but hotter than normal. He also kept whimpering, like something was hurting him. I told Alli he was going to have to see a doctor this morning.

We don't have a lot of options for pediatricians here. We have one office with about 10 peds who work there. It took several tries for Alli to get through to the office but when she did, they told her to come on in. They are only open half-days on Saturdays and they want to get you in and out ASAP. We both just put on the clothes we wore yesterday and I got Elvis dressed. When I went to put my contacts in, I realized that last night when I took them out, I managed to put both contacts in the left side of my case. Left with no other option, I just stuck one in my right eye and the other in my left. I've had a bit of a headache today so I plan to reverse them tomorrow and see if I do better.

We got to the office and only waited about 15 minutes before being called back. The doctor came in soon and discovered one ear was "full of thick, goopy fluid" and that was likely the cause of the fever and the apparent pain. (It's so hard to know what's hurting on a non-verbal child.) So we left relatively soon with a prescription for Omniceph. Elvis has been slightly grumpy all day. I'm alternating Tylenol and Motrin for the fever and pain. It's keep his fever lower but not making it go completely away. Other than 30 minutes of screaming tonight, he's had a decent day. However, during the half-hour of hysterics, he did manage to bite me several times, actually breaking the skin twice. It's a good thing I love him.

I had a visit from a long ago foster daughter and her family today. She and her husband have 3 little boys - ages 3, 2, and 6 months. They are doing well, within their abilities anyway. The oldest boy has some delays and the middle one has spina bifida so he's delayed, as well. They have their hands full, for sure.

I can't believe November starts today. This year has flown by. Elvis will be 6 on Monday. It's so hard to believe. He's having a skating party later in the week. Yes, a skating party may sound a little odd for a child who can't walk but he LOVES to skate. He's allowed on the floor in his wheelchair and the kids take turns pushing him - the faster the better. Bless his heart, he's a daredevil trapped in a body that won't cooperate.