The Battle of the Middle Ear

Autumn is by far my favourite season of the entire year. I love the sunshine paired with the crisp, cool air and how the leaves turn into the most spectacular colours.  As much as I love fall, it is also the beginning of the dreaded cold and flu season. To any parent this time of the year can become a nightmare – sleepless nights filled with screaming or tummy aches, trips to the doctors, and in our case trips to the local emergency room. My biggest fear is that my ladybug will catch something that her little body won’t be able to fight off.

This past thanksgiving weekend our entire house was taken over by a really crappy cold. Sore throat, fever, chills, stuffy nose, cough, we looked like the poster children for a cough syrup commercial. I knew it was inevitable that ladybug would become ill. Sure enough Monday evening in the middle of the night I heard it. The little baby seal that had taken over my baby girls body last year had once again returned. It was the croup!  First plan of action was to try to find our cool mist humidifier. After having recently moved it proved to be quite the challenge but eventually I found it.

The next morning came the screaming, and let me tell you it breaks anyones heart hearing a child cry non stop, but it was tearing mine apart knowing that no matter how many snuggles and cuddles I gave it wasn’t helping. The screaming subdued when the fever spiked – I’m still not sure which was worse.  It spiked and disappeared. Thank goodness finally out of the woods – then it spiked again. It was obvious that her little body was battling something but without seeking medical advice this mama was at a loss.

Turns out it is an ear infection. Not just any ear infection but ladybugs 1st ever ear infection.  It’s hard to put across the tone in my writing at times but I was a little bit excited for this.  Please know that I was not at all excited for the fact that my daughter was in immense pain. It was more the fact that we had everything checked out and aside from some dilated bowel issues that were found on the x-ray she only had an ear infection. No line infections from her port, no gi bleeds, no ulcers, she had an ear infection. Ear infections are the second most commonly diagnosed illness in children after the common cold.  So we not only experienced ladybugs first common ear infection, we also discovered that ladybug absolutely LOVES her mixed berry flavoured amoxicillin.  Yet another new discovery to add to her favourites like chocolate sauce (thanks to daddy), and Pure Pressed Simply Apple Juice. Which I might add she took via a stage 1 sippy cup. (HUGE SMILES all around) Lets just keep the last one on the down-low as our new OT doesn’t know we’ve been experimenting with the sippy cup.

Slowly but surely the smiles are starting to return to ladybugs face, the nights are still long but sleep is far too overrated anyway.

Tags: Cold & Flu Season, Ear Infection, Mixed Berry Amoxicillin, Pure Pressed Simply Apple Juice