The Longest 5 Weeks in History

In the last 5 weeks Abby has taken: Tylenol, Amoxicillin, Benadryl, Albuterol, Ibuprofen, and Azithromycin. It's been crazy. And she's still sick. Unbelievable.

It all started three weeks before our trip to Boston, when she came down with what seemed like a normal cold. The cold lasted a week, and then morphed into a whole different monster. She started oozing thick green goo out her eyes, started coughing, and her nose was oozing like tar on a road in Utah. It was miserable. She finally started to clear up a few days before Boston and seemed better while we were there. We noticed her throat never really went back to normal though--red, swollen, and spotty. When we got back, she had a bout of nasty, runny poop, waking up one morning and from a nap with poop EVERYWHERE. Seriously. EVERYWHERE. At the tail end of THAT delightful three days, Abby had her two year check-up (yes, two months late). I asked our pediatrician to check out her throat and she agreed it didn't look too good. Then she peeked in her ears and saw fluid. So she prescribed some antibiotics. Enter the amoxicillin. Sadly, Rowan (who had gone through the same sickness as Abby in the weeks prior) picked up a different cold while away in Boston. Inevitably, two days after her appointment, Abby was sick again. Like deja vu, it started with a harmless runny nose and dry cough. Five days later (seven days after starting antibiotics), it had morphed into a wet cough, wheezy, shallow breathing, and a fever. That night, she also broke out in hives all over her body. Needless to say, we took her back to the doctor the next morning. Turns out she is allergic to amoxicillin. And she definitely had wheezing (maybe just from the cold, but maybe from the allergy). So she was taken off the amoxicillin, and put on Benadryl and Albuterol. She still had fluid in one ear, but since it would take several days for her to clear out the amoxicillin, she couldn't start a different one. So we were counting on it resolving itself without the need for antibiotics. Feeling sure this was the end, we started easing off on the Benadryl and Albuterol over the weekend. By Monday morning, she wasn't taking any medicine!

THEN.

She started spiking a fever of 103 to 104 degrees Monday afternoon. I have no words to describe how I felt about this. We couldn't get her in Monday, so I took her in today. The doctor looked in her throat and was horrified by what she saw. Then she looked in her ear (the one that previously did NOT have fluid) and was further horrified. The good news is: she ruled out Pneumonia. So. Now she's taking the Azithromycin. And, to top it off, tonight we found a patch of red, flaming hot, hives on her arm. So back on the Benadryl.

When will she be healthy again?

Before the hives got "bad."

To Abby's credit, she is the most, absolutely THE most, resilient little girl in the world. All of the doctors and nurses have been amazed at her cheerful and happy attitude every time she comes in. Honestly, I am too!