What on earth would I do with myself if I didn’t have at least one member of my family to nurse, dope up and coddle for a week at a time?
I can honestly say that I don’t think an entire 2 weeks have passed around here without ONE of my children having one form or anther of flu, respiratory infection, asthma flareup or allergies.

Did I not fill out a card or something to that effect in the hospital the day each child was born.
I specifically recall,
it said, “Check here if you would like a healthy child.”

They’ve got a vaccination for that, no?

last weekend, Strep throat payed our family a little visit and after 3 hours in the ER, our daughter was sent home with enough antibiotics to cure a rare third world disease.

Christmas Day was spent in the ER for another 3 hours, this time with the 4 year old Asthmatic.
High fever, blood-curdling screaming, coughing and sore throat.
Strep? Duh.
No.
An ear infection.

More antibiotics.
Whatever happened to one nice, swift shot of Antibiotics right in the tushie?
No, instead keep this half gallon of bubble gum-flavored Karo Syrup in your fridge and try and remember to give it to your child 3 times a day for 10 days.

Oh. And since your daughters eye infection has come back since her immune system is run down from strep, here is another half gallon of sickening-sweet citrus flavored milky white Karo syrup for her to take 4 times a day.
For 10 days.

That’s 6 doses of antibiotics for 2 children for ten days.
Plus, 4 doses of some disturbing tasting Anti-viral medicine that should come pre-packaged with a shoehorn to pry your child’s mouth open with because no person in their right mind would want to hack this stuff down.

And let’s not forget the lovely eye goop that we get to apply to the eye infection every 3 hours!
For 10 days.

If all of this wasn’t already ENOUGH!!!!
The husband has the audacity to wake up the next morning, complaining of a sore throat.
Or, as he so melodramatically put it,
“There are razor-sharp knives violently slicing up the inside of my throat.”

Another three hour ER visit later,
More antibiotics.
Thank heavens he can administer his meds on his own.

On the plus side, the two-year-old and I never ended up getting strep or an ear infection.
But this story does not have a happy ending.

That night, as we lounged around the living room, trying to will our dinner to make itself, the Ear Infection-plagued boy begins manically bouncing about the house, his chest resembling a Blowfish having some sort of seizure.

These spasms were immediately followed by the world famous wheezing and “old lady” hacking cough that is the trademark of our childs’ asthma attacks.

20 minutes and about 5 hits of Albuterol later,
we now had a raging hyper 4 year old, hopped up on inhaled steroids and was now, gasping for air.

Even with his long (almost) three year history of asthma, this is the very first time we have been forced to take him to the Emergency Room.
And it’s also the first time I have had to hold my sweet little boy (forcefully) on my lap, and fight back my tears while a mean lady rams a needle full of Steroids into his thigh.

Words cannot express.

I rubbed his forehead and watched him slowly drift off to sleep as the steroids began to open up his poor, exhausted little lungs.

And then, I exhaled.

Until you’ve experienced an asthma attack personally, I don’t think you can fully grasp the fear and pain that is involved.
But the knowing is of absolutely no help when you’re helplessly watching your child go through it. This makes a tiny little ear infection look like a cake walk.

If you have your health, thank God for it. Treasure it. Guard and protect it. Good health is a precious commodity and it’s rare.

Take a deep breath, in.
And cherish it.