Pneumonia

Yesterday morning I thought Eric had a stomach bug. Vomiting, fever, lethargic... the symptoms fit. Then on the way home from dropping Mark of at school he told me his throat felt like something was poking it. Hmm. Interesting. I've heard that kids with strep throat can sometimes throw up. Then I had a memory...

Go back five years when we had first moved to Georgia. We had been there two days and I hadn't met anyone. Kevin was off to work and I was alone with my two babies thinking about getting unpacked and ready to live this new adventure. That morning Eric spiked a fever and started throwing up. Even back then I didn't usually take the kids to the doctor for stomach stuff but my little not quite two year old Eric was just laying on me, limp, in between being sick. I called Kevin in a panic asking him where I would even take him. He asked around the office and we found our new pediatrician.

Arriving at the office, I expected her to tell me it was a stomach virus and send me home with a warning about keeping him hydrated. Instead, she noticed he was breathing rapidly, his pulse - ox levels were bordering on low and she suspected pneumonia. Chest xrays confirmed this and we got his medicine and went home to get well.

Yesterday morning, I saw all of that as clearly as if it had just happened. Then I called the doctor. I wrote it off as paranoia, but I definitely wanted to get it checked out. Our pediatrician immediately agreed this was no stomach bug. I felt relief and dread at the same time. Relief that I wouldn't be spending the next week watching this sweep through the whole family, wondering when it would hit me. Dread that my intuition was right and we were battling something serious here.

Just like that time five years ago, chest xrays confirmed that my biggest little guy has pneumonia. He'll be out of school at least one more day after today. He is on antibiotics and prednisone and breathing treatments. He is feeling better already although still not well. As he sits at the kitchen table painting, I can hear him breathing and it pains me that he is struggling.

Soon he will be 100% and running and playing and this will just be a memory. Another experience to put in the Mommy knowledge bank so that next time (although I hope there is NEVER a next time) I will know exactly what to do.

I'm so thankful for intuition, memory, or whatever it was that made me remember the experience from years ago. I am so relieved I didn't write it off as a little virus and let him get worse. Now we can work to get him healthy again.