Mommy Instincts

Last Thursday, Howie woke up with a terrible sounding barking croupy cough. No fever, not pulling or tugging at his ears, eating fairly well, but just wanting to be held. Not his usual self by any stretch of the imagination. I took him in to the doctor just knowing that something was wrong. The pediatrician listened to him breathe and found a "pocket of something sounding 'crackly'" in his lungs. She gave him a breathing treatment in the office and then came back to check him. Since the "crackly" sound was gone, she figured it was mucous and that whatever he had was viral.

I got the usual song and dance of run the humidifier and he'll be fine. I knew I was going to be in trouble with that answer from the pediatrician. Humidifiers just don't work for my kids. I understand the concept of them and what they are suppose to do, but it just doesn't work - for my kids any way. Taking Howie home and feeling like there was still something just not right, I called my dad to ask his opinion. He said to watch him carefully and, if needs be, call him back if something changes. Mommy instincts!

Well, something changed - in a big way. When I put Howie down for his nap, he woke up with a raging fever of about 102.5 in one ear and 101.8 in the other ear. Great! I called my dad immediately and he called in a prescription for him to start that night. On the third day of the dose, Howie was coming around and acting more like his usual self. Mommy instincts!

Flash forward a week where I take him in for his 9 month appointment. The doctor checks him out and then asks me if Howie has been pulling or tugging on his left ear. I responded no and she then said it looked like it was "infected". She checked the right ear and it too was "infected". I knew that wasn't right because he was sleeping pretty well, eating back to his normal amount, and was smiling, giggling, and happy.

Before I even left the parking lot, I was calling my dad to describe to him what the pediatrician had just described to me regarding Howie's ears. He said that since he no longer had a fever, was eating well, sleeping pretty well, and was acting like his usual cuteness, it probably wasn't infected but, rather, it was residual fluid behind the eardrum leftover from this cold that he had. I knew there was something more going on. Mommy instincts!

So, here's my theory, because ear infections can manifest themselves in a matter of hours even when they are checked by a pediatrician earlier in the same day, Howie's ears were not so fine when he woke up from his nap. In fact, I believe that it was during this nap that the ear infections developed. It was a good thing I had called my dad the first time and apprised him of the situation. The second call placed to my dad informing him of Howie's fever got him started on the antibiotic. If I had waited any longer, I would've been behind the proverbial 8 ball. Mommy instincts!

This isn't my first rodeo so to speak. Why won't pediatricians trust mommy instincts?! I know my children. I know what they are like when they are not feeling like themselves. I know what it's like to have a horrible barking cough and then have it get worse from there. I just wish I could yell from the top of my lungs "I KNEW IT!" and have someone know exactly what I mean. MOMMY INSTINCTS!