Cough Cough
The kids are sick. We’re entering the third week of this illness. I would’ve written about it earlier, but I was hoping it would go away if I ignored it.
It’s a standard cold with all the accompanying symptoms: Stuffed nose, coughing, and general grumpiness. Abbie was the first to fall ill a couple weeks ago with a snout full of snot.
When I first noticed the post-nasal drip, I took the necessary steps to protect the boys. Specifically, I quit sharing food and utensils between them. The boys could no longer enjoy Abbie’s leftover yogurt. Broccoli would have to come from separate plates. The boys sticking their fingers into Abbie’s Jell-O would be even more strongly discouraged.
This mindset lasted for about 30 hours, or maybe four meals. I rediscovered that there’s a reason for feeding everyone from the same utensil; I can only hold one utensil in one hand because I need the other hand free to fend off the interlopers from snitching from the plate and knocking it on the ground. The boys tend to immediately grab Abbie’s sippy cups when she sets them down, so a little germ swapping will happen anyway. Add that to the little tickle that was starting in my throat, and it seemed inevitable that the boys would get sick. I even reinstated bedtime kisses.
For a few days, the boys were healthy, strong, and no more grumpy than usual. My cold never progressed beyond the throat tickle stage, and Abbie never got very sick, so I hoped the boys would escape this minor bug unfazed. It was just a little annoyance floating through the air as the seasons changed from cold and snowy to cool and muddy.
Then the boys got sick. For a couple days, all three kids showed symptoms, with Abbie coughing and the boys snotting their germs around the house. Abbie’s symptoms faded away, while the boys’ symptoms grew angrier. Their noses vary between snotty stuffed up, and snotty running. Their mouths range from drooly to shirt soakingly moist. The constant is a cough that comes harshly every few minutes, sometime even while they’re trying to sleep. Ellie thinks they have a mild croup, as we can hear their airways percolate as they breathe. No worries as long as they appear to be breathing easily.
We’re trying a new prescription cold medicine. Earlier I’d sung the praises of Dytan, though that’s fallen out of favor with me since it doesn’t seem to work. Specifically, it doesn’t seem to help their nasal passages, though it doesn’t help them sleep either, and that can be more important. That isn’t surprising since I’ve heard most cold medicines do little good in young children, but this new stuff, called Clorphen, seems to help. They cough less and sleep more with it in their system, and that’s good. The drawback is it’s a liquid, and whenever the medicine dropper appears, Abbie thinks she should get a taste. This was okay while Abbie showed symptoms and I could give her some medicine in good conscience. Now I move quickly and hope Abbie focuses on chasing kitties while I give the boys some medicine.
They seem to be getting better. There’s less coughing, though just as much drooling and crud in their airways. Maybe now that I’ve written about it, it’ll go away.
It’s a standard cold with all the accompanying symptoms: Stuffed nose, coughing, and general grumpiness. Abbie was the first to fall ill a couple weeks ago with a snout full of snot.
When I first noticed the post-nasal drip, I took the necessary steps to protect the boys. Specifically, I quit sharing food and utensils between them. The boys could no longer enjoy Abbie’s leftover yogurt. Broccoli would have to come from separate plates. The boys sticking their fingers into Abbie’s Jell-O would be even more strongly discouraged.
This mindset lasted for about 30 hours, or maybe four meals. I rediscovered that there’s a reason for feeding everyone from the same utensil; I can only hold one utensil in one hand because I need the other hand free to fend off the interlopers from snitching from the plate and knocking it on the ground. The boys tend to immediately grab Abbie’s sippy cups when she sets them down, so a little germ swapping will happen anyway. Add that to the little tickle that was starting in my throat, and it seemed inevitable that the boys would get sick. I even reinstated bedtime kisses.
For a few days, the boys were healthy, strong, and no more grumpy than usual. My cold never progressed beyond the throat tickle stage, and Abbie never got very sick, so I hoped the boys would escape this minor bug unfazed. It was just a little annoyance floating through the air as the seasons changed from cold and snowy to cool and muddy.
Then the boys got sick. For a couple days, all three kids showed symptoms, with Abbie coughing and the boys snotting their germs around the house. Abbie’s symptoms faded away, while the boys’ symptoms grew angrier. Their noses vary between snotty stuffed up, and snotty running. Their mouths range from drooly to shirt soakingly moist. The constant is a cough that comes harshly every few minutes, sometime even while they’re trying to sleep. Ellie thinks they have a mild croup, as we can hear their airways percolate as they breathe. No worries as long as they appear to be breathing easily.
We’re trying a new prescription cold medicine. Earlier I’d sung the praises of Dytan, though that’s fallen out of favor with me since it doesn’t seem to work. Specifically, it doesn’t seem to help their nasal passages, though it doesn’t help them sleep either, and that can be more important. That isn’t surprising since I’ve heard most cold medicines do little good in young children, but this new stuff, called Clorphen, seems to help. They cough less and sleep more with it in their system, and that’s good. The drawback is it’s a liquid, and whenever the medicine dropper appears, Abbie thinks she should get a taste. This was okay while Abbie showed symptoms and I could give her some medicine in good conscience. Now I move quickly and hope Abbie focuses on chasing kitties while I give the boys some medicine.
They seem to be getting better. There’s less coughing, though just as much drooling and crud in their airways. Maybe now that I’ve written about it, it’ll go away.
posted by Matt at
11:25 PM
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