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Kid is working on Ear Infection Number Two: The Other Ear. Now With Extra Vomiting. And a change of antibiotics. And a high fever at 3 in the morning, and a conversation with a nice night nurse, and some other fun stuff (let's just say that April is really, really, really scared of spiders).

I am working on two hours of sleep.

And let's not forget: the jackhammers are coming.

Update

I am now operating on about five hours sleep. April is feeling so much better it's kind of ridiculous, without any intervention whatsoever except time. We've totally abandoned the "feed her sips of clear liquid for eight hours" scheme that I was assigned at five in the morning; we have even abandoned the strict bland diet approach (although let's face it, her diet is pretty bland already -- of which I will have more to say later, as we talked to the doctor yesterday about her intermittent stomach troubles too).

Steven graciously took the day off work to help with the kids. The jackhammers are loud but not unbearable. She's keeping her medicine down. I think we're doing OK.

News Bulletin: Febrile hallucinations are no fun for anyone.

So the part about last night I didn't want to talk about until she was better was that April was suffering from febrile hallucinations. She woke up screaming in pure panic, crawling over her sister trying to get away from spiders. After that, every spot was a moving spider. A mole on my arm was a spider. A stain on the floor was a spider. She felt spiders on her body and screamed. A lot. She could hear the spiders buzzing behind the couch, although she later told me they must be bees because spiders don't buzz and I cannot tell you how weirdly relieved I was by that statement.

I think I could have handled it better if there hadn't been a Do Something! expectation attached to said hallucinated spiders. Mommy removes real spiders from the house, after all. But I don't know how to Do Something about spiders that aren't there.* Instead I get that sick and tight feeling in my sternum, and that vivid plunging sensation that's not at all captured by the cliche "my heart sank." I offered cuddles a lot. For both of us. I let the night nurse talk me out of rushing to the hospital. I imagined how much worse her hallucinations might be with the added sensory input of a house vibrated by jackhammers in the basement. I cuddled some more.

She's fine now. Her fever broke somewhere in the morning. Today has been all about temporary tattoos (she has a spider on her ankle now to protect her from "real" spiders), Legos, stickers, and running laps around the house. She's not even sniffling any more.


* Next time I will try role-play and see if it works.

In Other News: Pyloric Spasm!

Aaaand I'm not even done with discussing April's medical condition(s) yet!

While we were at the doctor yesterday, we also discussed her intermittent stomach pains. April often complains of mild to mediumish stomach pain, most often right after a meal but sometimes just before. This has been going on for a couple months. The pain is high in her abdomen, not associated with tenderness, no fever.

April's pediatrician (♥♥♥) listened attentively, asked a couple of questions, and came out with a quick diagnosis: "pyloric spasm." He then pulled one of those how did you know?! doctor tricks by mentioning that kids with pyloric spasm often say they're really hungry and then abandon their meal halfway through. He gave us a scrip.

I went home and looked it up. Pyloric spasm! Associated in infants with mild recurrent non-projectile vomiting! That is unresponsive to any change of food! Also sometimes associated with constipation! And a nervous and fearful temperament! And blah blah blah yes, that's our girl. Nailed it.

Oh, sweetie.

April is now afraid of falling asleep. This is understandable. Nevertheless.