Well, it's been a long week!! On Thursday the boys still were running fevers. But Thursday during the night, Jackson just wasn't sleeping well. He was doing this little whiny cry thing all night (not really crying, but more than just whining). I finally went in to check on him about 1:00 am or so (I was trying to get caught up on dishes and laundry and such)...he was SO hot. His breathing was fast and shallow. So I brought him out to the kitchen and just went ahead and gave him Tylenol. Then I took his temp...

When we went to the pediatrician on Wednesday, I was complaining because I have a temporal thermometer, and I told the nurse that it irritated me that every time I took his temp, I had to take his helmet off. She told me that I can get an accurate reading if I just put it just below and behind his ear. The thermometer has been very accurate all week. So when I took his temp that night, I put it behind his ear, and it read 106.6. I thought surely that couldn't be right. So I took off his helmet, and ran it across his forehead. 106.5. So I did it again...107. Then again and again. The last two times I did it, it just said "HI" like his temp was so hot that the thermometer wouldn't even register. I knew then that regardless of what it was, it was too hot, and we were headed to the ER.

So we went...I bypassed the Bentonville hospital (because it sucks!) and went straight to Rogers. When we got there, we were the only people in the waiting area. The lady took my info and told us to have a seat. Then two sets of people came in and checked in...and BOTH OF THEM were called back before we were. I was so irritated, b/c the one girl I get it...she was already diagnosed with pneumonia, and she was having trouble breathing. But the other guy, he'd already been in that night and had a torn rotator cuff, and he was in pain. I would think that an infant with a temp of possibly 106 would be more urgent than his pain, but what do I know? I mean, when you get those high temps, you risk seizures and brain damage!

Anyway, by the time they called Jackson back, he'd had the Tylenol in his system for over two hours, and I had left his helmet off too, to try to bring his temp down some. So when she first took his temp (with a temporal one) it was 100. I told her that was obviously wrong...all you have to do is touch his face to know that his temp is much higher. So she took his temp rectally, and it was over 104.

So we went back to a room, where a nurse gave him Motrin. And then we watched a couple scary movies on TNT while we waited. The doctor said that Jackson probably has Influenza, even though he tested negative, b/c the test is only 50% accurate. He also said that he "doubted his temp was that high, because if it was, then he shouldn't be functioning." But they couldn't really treat him with the Tamiflu b/c it has to be given within the first 48 hours of being sick. So he said for the next 24 hours, to rotate giving Tylenol and Motrin every four hours, regardless if he had a fever. And if he still had a fever today (Saturday) to bring him back for blood tests.

Well...glad I'm going to be charged over $1,000 for a confirmation of what I'm already doing! So home we went... Friday of course, he still had his 103.5 fever. Dalton ran a low grade fever off and on through the day. I got up Friday morning with a border line migraine...not bad enough to be called a migraine, really, but a VERY BAD headache. I took a double dose of Excedrin, which I'm not supposed to do b/c of my stomach...it took care of it for the most part. I'm sure this was just because I'm not getting any sleep.

A friend of ours, Lindsey (who is a saint!) emailed me Friday morning and said that she and her husband Robert wanted to help by bringing us dinner. I told her no...I said don't even think about it. If she showed up ringing the bell, that I wouldn't even open the door to her. She has a new baby at home and I just couldn't deal with possibly making them sick. So a little later, she emails again, and says that her husband "vetoed my rejection" of dinner, and that he would be here after work with food, and that he could "doorbell ditch" with the best of them!

And that he did! He showed up around 5:30 with food from Sam's. Fresh chicken enchiladas that all I had to do was pop in the oven. And tomato soup and french bread for lunch the next day. It was yummy!! (I can't get the below picture to load correctly so you'll just have to look at it sideways!)

He also dropped off a pumpkin treat basket that glows in the dark, for Dalton. And it had candy, too!! Dalton loved that! He's actually mad at me because I still haven't let him have any. Dalton did not eat dinner last night, breakfast, lunch, or dinner today. He just doesn't feel well. And while he needs SOMETHING, it sure isn't going to be candy!! He's getting lots of fluid, though, so that's good.

I did go out for a bit yesterday while the kids were napping to get more liquid reinforcements. The kids aren't vomiting or anything, but still need to stay hydrated, and Jackson is eating solids, but won't take liquids. I had tried milk, water, apple juice, even chocolate milk. I broke down and tried formula. Nothing. So I went to the store and got pedialyte and Popsicles. FINALLY at 8 or so last night, he took 6 oz of formula. I was worrying that we'd have to go back to the ER for dehydration...his diapers were so dry that I ended up having to stick my thumb in it and squeeze it to see if any pee was in there. It was very close for a while. And after the formula, I gave him two Popsicles for good measure. :) He finally had a good wet diaper this morning.

The boys slept mostly through the night last night, and WOW! I got 5 whole hours of sleep! Which brings my total for the week to 10 whole hours! I was feeling excited because the boys went most of the day with no fevers...but it didn't last. Around 5:30 or so, they both had fevers again. And Dalton is now complaining that his OTHER ear hurts. He's been up several times already tonight, crying and in pain.

But right at 5 again tonight...guess who's at the door!! Patron saints...Lindsey and Robert! Lindsey made a homemade chicken pot pie for us. And it was soooooo good! Thank you guys!!

So that's the excitement of the last few days...so far, I'm not showing any signs of getting the flu. I have been drinking about a gallon of Gatorade a day (I just can't drink that much water), and also 5-6 cups of hot tea each day. The ER doc said that hot drinks are good, because it washes all the germs out that you've inhaled and washes them into your stomach, where the acids kill them off. He also told me to take 10,000mg of Vitamin C each day, and 8,000mg of Vitamin E each day, until I am in the clear. So that's what I'm taking!! Along with a multi vitamin, 8 Ecinachea pills a day, and all my regular meds, too. I feel like a drug addict. :) But so far it's working....I have a sinus infection that I've had all week, and my throat hurts from all the drainage, but here's hoping that's all it is!!

Chris's last day in isolation was today, so I am looking forward to a little assistance with diapers and holding and rocking sick kids. :) It will be nice to have him back. Now whether he actually FEELS like helping will be another story, because he's still pretty miserable!