Influenza Round 2

Influenza strikes again!  How is this even possible?  The chances of it are pretty slim which is preciously why we ended up with it again.  :)

We started off with absolutely no signs of sickness that Saturday morning.  We went to swim school and lunch afterwards like we always do, and within hours, Emma was in bad shape.  We went to pediatric urgent care with a 104 degree fever and were there for awhile because we needed to get her fever down before we could leave.  They did another flu test and this time, it came back positive for influenza.  On top of that, she had a horrible double ear infection (which she never once complained about!) where the doctor said that she had so much build up in there that it may start oozing fluid from her poor little ears.

Poor sweet girl!  This was her before swim school that morning...all smiles and feeling great!

Needless to say, we were back on Tamiflu (aka "Liquid Gold") and back to throwing up.  This time it was absolutely horrible.  Every time she took it, she lost it.  Nothing says I love you like getting thrown up on.  On the first dose alone, she threw up afterwards, a few times during the night, and was dry heaving for a good bit of the night.  I felt horrible and helpless...there is nothing worse than seeing your baby sick.  Puke.Bath.Laundry.Repeat....that was definitely my life for a few days.  Sleep was considered a luxury, I became a 24/7 cleaning lady, and I mastered the art of doing laundry at random hours of the morning (2 am, 5 am, etc.).  I about put out a nationwide ad for a husband for the week.  "Wanted: Husband that will clean up puke, help clean the house, get the other kiddo ready for school, do laundry and sleep on his side of the bed. Oh wait, who was I kidding?"  It was just going to have to be Supermom to handle this one!

Emma had different plans for the puke bowl

And this is why I had so much laundry!

We tried Tamiflu two other times and after the third day of puking, we both decided that we had had enough.  The last two doses she definitely handled way better (only got sick once) but it was not worth it.  She stayed home with me all week and drank Gatorade, ate Popsicles, did breathing treatments, watched Princess and Barbie movies, slept a ton, and took lots of baths!

Emma wore these ear muffs for a bit...she said they made her ears feel better.

Puke.Bath.Sleep.Repeat

My sweet friend, Julie, brought me a big coke from Sonic and a candle from Bath & Body Works...these were much needed and so appreciated.  Talk about a lifesaver with the week we had had!

Emma finally went back to school on Friday.  That was a very rough day for both of us.  She was crying and saying that she loved me and was going to miss me so much...I was a hot mess too!  I missed my little girl, puke and all.

We took it easy over the weekend and said a few extra prayers that Brecken and I wouldn't get it...someone was definitely looking out for us and knew that this mama can handle a lot (especially going on no sleep) but that may have put me over the edge.  The cleaning ladies came on Monday and it was like Christmas.  I love a clean house but I especially LOVE a clean house that has been sanitized after a week of sickness.  I think they're still wondering why I nearly tackled them at the front door as I was so excited to see them!

My hands are still cracked open from washing them about 10 million times and using Clorox wipes another 9 million times.  But, thankfully (I'm knocking on wood right now), we had a great week and are praying that we will all be healthy for awhile.  Gotta love flu season!