Don't be rash!

We had a weekend of sickness around here. Not terrible but enough to be annoying (the sickness not The Son) I picked my sweet boy up from school on Friday at 3:30 and he instantly began crying. He hadn't complained to me at all that morning and hadn't complained to his teachers so I was very surprised. He felt so terrible that he couldn't walk back to the locker room with me to gather up my stuff and then he couldn't walk to the car and then he couldn't walk into the house when he got home. I made him of course because he's too heavy to carry all that way and it wasn't like he was being asked to walk miles, just a few feet...anyway...

We got into the house and he wasn't looking well. He wanted me to hold him so we sat down and began to watch "America's Next Top Model" that was recorded on the DVR. The Son LOVES ANTM! I usually preview it first to make sure it's appropriate or I fast forward through parts that might have less than savory language. All in all, it usually turns out to be OK. At the first commercial, I had to rescue The Ziggy from his kennel, he was crying and knew we were home. I put The Son on the couch and went down to get Zig. By the time I got back upstairs, The Son was sound asleep. Ziggy was very concerned and tended to him in such a sweet way. He kept nudging him with his snout and looking at me with very sad puppy dog eyes. He snuggled up next to The Son and rested next to him, even thouh he had been in his kennel for hours and probably really just wanted to play. He knew Brother was sick.

About an hour later, The Son woke up and started spitting up. It wasn't terrible but was enough that I was getting concerned. He managed to hit Ziggy's head on the first spit-up and then, concerned mother that I am, I started yelling for him to get off the carpet and spit up on the hard wood floors. I managed to get him off my carpet and wrangled him into the powder room. He was not looking good. The Son had dark circles under his eyes and was pale as a ghost.

I proceeded to look for our thermometer that I know I had in my hands last week and could. Not. Find. It. Must be those leprechauns again. I knew he had a fever but wanted to know how high it was. The Husband was teaching his Ethics Seminar at Villanova so I called him and asked him to pick up a thermometer on the way home. The Son wanted to take a bath and play in the big tub so we got him all ready to do that but the poor child had no energy and try as he might to play, he just kind of laid there in the water. It was so sad and rather pathetic. Poor kid.

I got him back out of the tub, got some comfy jammies on and took him to bed. He wanted me to read to him but was tired after one chapter of "Horrible Harry" and wanted me to hold him so he could sleep. I wasn't going to pass up that chance, so we laid in bed and waited until The Husband got home. We took his temperature and it was 100.8 under the arm so I'm guessing he was probably about 102. Not terrible at all. We gave him some more Tylenol and he finally fell asleep.

3AM... I hear him waking up and ran out in the hallway to meet him... scared the kid half to death. He had to spit up again but managed to make it to the bathroom and then went right back to bed. He woke up in the morning and seemed much, much better. Still tired and not quite himself but he had a pretty good day hanging out and playing with Daddy.

The next day, Sunday, I was sure he'd be fine until he woke up and we noticed... THE RASH!
The Son was bright pink on his face and had a speckled reddish rash all over his body. Fifth Disease! I was sure. I went on line and consulted my favorite doctor, Dr. Google, who confirmed my suspicions. All his symptoms were those of Fifth Disease. A viral infection that we had been treating appropriately. He was no longer contagious, blah, blah, blah... I decided I should still call the doctor just in case so I managed to get in touch with someone at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) which is who his ped. is affiliated with and who answers weekend "emergency questions." The nurse asked me all kinds of things and then told me he had a "viral rash" but not Fifth Disease. I'm still very confused as Fifth Disease IS in fact, a viral rash and all of his symptoms match that of Fifth Disease. She said he could even go to school today if he was feeling better and the rash was "covered by clothes". I guess he didn't have Fifth Disease but whatever it was, it was EXACTLY the same as the Internet describes Fifth Disease... whatever...

I woke up this morning for work and went to check on The Son, he was still looking pink and rashy and so I decided that I would not take him to school. I called out from work which I have not done at all this year but The Husband was going to head in to work early so that he could be home for me to go teach swimming this evening. It's nearly impossible to get a sub at such late notice. We went back to sleep for a while and when we were woken up by The Son, I noticed that there was NO. RASH. None. At all. "Great news." I thought! He's going to school! I know I could see someone who will think it's weird that I called out and then managed to bring the child to school anyway but he wants to go, CHOP said he could go and this Momma needs her work out! We're skipping his swim lesson just so that he doesn't get over tired before his regular class.

The day is going to resume as a normal day and I am so pleased to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for reading this far if you managed to do that. I had to tell the whole story, I just can't stop myself! Have a good Monday everyone!