and the doctor said "bring her in for a throat culture".
The test was positive. Emma started the month of March with strep throat, she looked awful, felt awful and spent the day on the sofa waiting for the antibiotics to do their thing.
The next day I had scheduled annual well visits for Megan and Bridget, so I was back at the pediatrician's office in the morning. The office tech, Lacrecia, who has been there for years and I remember from when Emma was a toddler, teased us playfully and set an upbeat tone for our appointment. As Megan was getting weighed Bridget looked at Lacrecia and asked "Am I getting shots"? Lacrecia didn't know what was ok to say and looked at me. I jumped in letting Bridget know that she might have shots but that Dr. Z would tell us.
Bridget was happy to go with Lacrecia to play a game of listening and seeing, while I stayed with Megan and Dr. Z. He wanted Megan to have standard labs done and since they were drawing blood Dr. Z ordered a test to verify that a recurrence Lyme disease was not the cause of a recent bout of headaches and fever. Megan was a great patient and got a clean bill of health. She is tall 60th% and lean 40th%.
Bridget joined us again having had a great time "listening to birds tweet tweet". The hearing test makes a beep beep noise but Bridget heard birds. Bridget is a little one. She is in the 30th% for weight and 35th% for height. She talked non-stop through her well visit, until it was time for the nurse to give the shots. Bridge cried and struggled a little in my lap with the first shot but sat still for the second one. She was so glad she was done and kept talking about Megan needing her shots now. That didn't make Megan very happy as we walked over to the lab.
Megan's lab experience was not a fun one. The lab tech got a good first stick but didn't hold the needle in place and it popped out. Poor Megan was now stressed. Another lab tech came over and turned the 2nd stick into a drawn out ordeal. It was painful and very unpleasant. Megan echoed the same sentiment that Emma yelled years earlier "Get it out, Get it out". We were all relieved to get out of there.
The next morning I was back at the pediatrician's for Rachael's well visit. Dr. Z joked that I could ask the questions while he wrote down the answers. Rae and Dr. Z spent time talking about good habits to make it easier to fall asleep and ease anxiety. Rae was also deemed very healthy and perfectly proportioned. She continued the tiny Kehrman girl trend and came in at only the 15th% for height and weight.
Sadly Rachael's visit to the lab for her blood draw was also difficult. Rae was nervous and talked non-stop until the needle went in, then silence. The tech was great but Rachael's vein closed after the first vial and they had to re-stick her. It did not go easily. Rae was so pale and I could tell she was trying not to cry. She still looked kind of shaky as we drove toward school, so we went through the drive thru for a smoothie. Her skin pinked right back up and she was ready for the day by the time I checked her in at school.
Just 2 days later, Rachael and Bridget complained of sore throats. Upon seeing bright red tonsils with white streaks, I called the doctor again. Jim brought them in again and came home with positive strep tests and more antibiotics.
I hope I will not be calling the doctor any time soon.
So sorry to hear about the strep. It was a common thing in CO when the boys were young-the dryness. They always had to go back for another culture a week or so after they were finished with the antibiotic. After a year in MD, I thought Uncle Bill might have it because he was not himself, even though his throat was only a little red. No strep--he had walking pnuemonia!
ReplyDeleteDr. Z sounds like fun. The techs usually have trouble getting my blood. I can really feel for the girls. Love to all!!