Our adopted home state looks a little different since last our last update.
In our house, we scarcely need the visual reminder since we have a persistent audio reminder in the form of Lemon's cough, which is back with a vengeance. His last dose of antibiotics was on Wednesday of last week. The runny nose started up again almost immediately, followed as it inevitably is by the cough--the worst one he's ever had. We went up to 3 sessions/day of the vest on Sunday, and this morning first thing I was on the phone with the clinic to come up with a plan. We're back on oral antibiotics for another two weeks and reintroducing Zyrtec, and if he doesn't stay well after that, we're looking at the possibility of an admission. We've stared down these odds before, but that was in March with spring on the horizon, not in November which only inevitably leads to December. We're trying to remain optimistic, but it is decidedly harder at this time of year.
Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, it's been another normal-ish week at our house. Papa Bear left for a conference early Thursday morning, and Opa and Nona headed off to Chicago on Friday, so I was solo with the kids for a few days. It was actually fun in its own way, if you consider living in a sea of scattered toys and used tissues whilst going to bed at 8:30 and arising for the day several hours before dawn to be fun. We shoveled the driveway, went out for ice cream, went to the library, and did our weekly excursion to buy groceries and see fire trucks. The main thing is to completely and utterly surrender any hope that you (the adult) will actually accomplish a single thing for yourself. If you set your expectations to zero, you are much less likely to be disappointed. I managed a five minute phone call with an old friend and it felt like a major victory. We were all very glad when Papa Bear returned around mid-day Sunday. Lemon was especially delighted with the little souvenir that Papa had picked up for him in Orlando.
Looking ahead to this week, I am certainly glad that we set expectations to zero and made no plans whatsoever for Thanksgiving, so at least we won't have to cancel them. We're hoping that Lemon's cough responds to the antibiotics quickly, otherwise I'll be calling the clinic again Wednesday morning to see if we can get in for an appointment before the holiday. I suppose if we have to be admitted I'd rather it be from the clinic on Wednesday than from the ER over the holiday weekend.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have to say that I am so thankful to be fighting this battle now, in 2015. I can listen to this cough and worry and fret, but I am worrying and fretting about his suffering, about adding new treatments, and the unknowns of a possible hospitalization, not that I might be in imminent danger of losing my child. I am so thankful that we have a wonderful care team that I trust, and that their efforts are guided by the research that was made possible by everyone who contributed their time, effort and money before Lemon was born. I am thankful to have the family that I have, and the support of all our friends near and far. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and please eat an extra slice of pie for Lemon--he could use the calories!
