Puke-O-Rama

Or maybe I should title this one Puke Fest. My kids have an uncanny ability to get sick when we are out of town, especially at Nana & Papa's house. This one takes the cake....

Gabe was out of town for work for 7 days (UG for work trips over weekends!), so I took the kids Up North. The kids were very excited about all the Nana & Papa time, and I had scheduled a bunch of play dates with friends and their kids. At the end of the visit, I had planned a weekend up the North Shore with our family & Nana, Papa, Ginia-mom, Papa Stan, Grant & GG.  The day we got to town, the puking began. 

Not that you need to know the puk-ey details, but I'm writing it anyway. Blake got sick and puked twice on Saturday, seemed tired, but better on Sunday. Puked again twice on Monday. I was getting nervous that this was something food allergy related even though I've been careful as always with his food. Campbell pukes twice on Tuesday, huge bummer that she's sick, but at least I'm relieved that it's not food allergy for Blake. One of my proudest parenting moments to date, was how Campbell puked in a bucket (mostly) both of the times she was sick.  

Both kids are better on Wednesday, although Blake is still very tired, until Wednesday evening/night Blake pukes 7 times. I should clarify, he puked ALL OVER THE PLACE and ALL OVER ME many times.

I felt horrible that my kids kept puking all over my parent's meticulously kept house. I am, however, so extremely grateful of ALL the cleaning up that my dad did, showing up immediately with a bucket full of soapy water, rags and gloves immediately after each incident. The washer was going straight for days on end. I would find stacks of neatly folded puke-free bedding and clothes. If I was at home by myself, I don't think I could have survived. Blake was miserable and only wanted me, which would have been next to impossible to get anything cleaned up. 

I kept calling our Nurse Line throughout the week, but they said I didn't need to bring him in because he was well hydrated (actually starving and super thirsty on his non-puking days) and kept seeming to get better.

Blake was super tired on Thursday, laying on the floor with his blanket most of the day, but Friday seemed to be getting back to normal. So, we figured we should proceed with our trip up the shore. 

Gabe took a shuttle from the Minneapolis airport Friday night to Duluth and about one hour after we got back to the resort from picking him up BOTH kids puked. Let me clarify, not a moment after we got Blake cleaned up, it was Campbell's turn. I couldn't believe it. I think Campbell's was from swallowing too much pool water, but Blake seemed to be still sick. We packed up first thing in the morning & headed back home. I was so sad that our vacation got ruined, and Gabe was so bummed he came all that way and didn't even get to swim. Blake puked in the car - of course. That's when we headed directly for Urgent Care...Blake was covered in puke, but I didn't care. It might help get seen sooner. 

The doctor was very rude with horrible bed side manner, but made a great catch by ordering an x-ray and discovering that Blake had a lung infection and we were on our way with a prescription for antibiotics. We didn't even have to wait for a urinalysis, but it was torture for poor Blake getting that sticky bag taken off him. OUCH!!!

No puking the rest of the day Saturday or Sunday, but then puked AGAIN TWICE on Monday. I made an appointment for the next day with the pediatrician. Come to find out, he was on an antibiotic that makes your stomach super upset and often CAUSES vomiting. Thanks Urgent Care doctor for that! He got put on a different antibiotic and an anti-nausea medicine. The pediatrician said that the radiologist from Urgent Care put in the notes that Blake had pneumonia. She also said that he might have gotten that stomach bug a couple times (it could have been that I was carrying it even though I wasn't sick), where Campbell only had it once. And the the infection in his lungs caused or added to his nausea. So weird that he didn't have any of the usual symptoms of a cough or fever. All I know is that was quite the week and thank goodness we've been puke free for several days now. 

Just in case you really wanted to know, the grand puke total: Blake = 15. Campbell = 2. Papa Stan = 1, as soon as he got home from the North Shore...I feel horrible that he got sick....just horrible!