hospital visit again

I last wrote about the rash, the swabs etc...the following day the rash looked bad so I took him back to the GP to take up the offer of antibiotics. Dr Santos again...he wasn't happy with any of it, called the Paeds at the JR, they remembered Herb! Can you believe that!? They wanted us to go there straight away. Dr Santos was calm but he said take an overnight bag as you are likely to be in for 48 hours whilst he has intravenous antibiotics :(
I am sure I don't have to write here exactly how I was feeling at that thought! I went home, got a bag and went to the JR. I had to go alone. Dan was flat out at work and my Dad stayed with Kitty (who was also off school ill) and Rufus. Herbie was miserable. After a very long wait we were seen. The Paed said it was a Strep A skin infection, gave me an antibiotic and said try it at home first, if it doesn't work and reduce rash in 2.5 days it would be original plan. Came home, yesterday wasn't great at all but by about 11am today he really perked up. Eating, laughing, chatting, dancing, no fever since dr visit. the GP called on Weds eve to say they had also found the chicken pox virus and cold sore virus in the swab so he needed antivirals too :( God he hates them, they are a nightmare to get in him. So by 5pm today the rash was almost gone! I was elated. Then at 6.30pm I got him ready for bed and low and behold ... rash back!!! GRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
PLEASE>>>>GIVE US A BREAK

Ok...enough now...

My last post was all about the rash , conjunctivitis & impetigo that Herbie had. It eventually went away and we had a week and a half (whoohoo!) with nothing. (Well I was ill and so was Dan but the kids were good!). Then suddenly another rash that spread very quickly. Another trip to the doctor, 2 nurses and a GP looked at him and took throat swabs and a swab of part of the rash that was a bit infected. I left with two tubs of aveeno cream and a bottle of Piriton. **sigh**
So a week down the line the rash is still growing/spreading, the old bits have dried up. The infected bit gone. He is now full of cold, very grumpy and not himself. My GP called tonight to say the swabs showed infection and if he still had infected rash he could have antibiotics, I guess he has fought it off himself!
I am fed up of this though...enough now...please...

Hallowe'en bats, conjunctivitis, impetigo and more...

So seriously, just how much more can my poor little chap take??? As Halloween approached I thought back a year when the whole 'year of sickness began'. He threw up at a friend's Halloween celebration and it kind of went from there! So this year it was fab to see a very healthy, very cheeky and a very happy vampire bat winging his way around the Halloween party stuffing himself full to bursting with hot dogs and cake. Of course he wasn't completely free...he did have a rash...yes another post viral one...covering every part of his body! He was happy enough! (and totally covered in his costume so that paranoid parents didn't see it and insist that he was quarantined! ;)
Such things are short lived for my Small at the moment it seems...just a few days in to November and he has a diagnosis of conjunctivitis...nothing serious but obviously annoying and infectious and he was also given cream for two small red spots on his chin. Wierdly they had arrived very suddenly and just as suddenly they spread and soon his face, fingers, hands and one ear were covered in revolting crusty ulcers that quite frankly made him look like he had the plague! It was indeed the delightful and highly contagious impetigo. Again he wasn't at all bothered by it...infact he was most distressed at having to take his revolting smelling/tasting antibiotic four times a day!
It was worth it though..my scabby fella is looking cute and handsome again.
Today I recieved my Meningitis Trust newsletter in the post and decided to have a little flick through with a cup of tea. I read an article about a couple, Judi & Richard Mills, who had lost their 4th and youngest child Harry to meningitis on 26th April 2007 (my birthday!). I found myself staring at the lovely picture of the handsome 11 year old whose life was taken so suddenly and tragically by the evil meningitis that tried to take my baby too. He looked so happy. I had to go and watch Herbie, who was having his nap, just stare at him and thank my lucky stars that he was able to beat it. The article just seemed to have so many 'small & to others no doubt insignficant connections to us'...youngest of 4 children, a boy, treated at the John Radcliffe hospital, died on my birthday and his love of sport encouraged his parents to also fundraise for The Youth Sport Trust where my sister in law works and which is currently fighting for its own survival after the recent spending review. So many similarities and yet one fundamental difference...I have my Small but the Mills family don't have Harry...I shed tears for them today...I can't begin to imagine the void in their lives. http://www.meningitis.org/book-of-experience/harry-mills-25156

A tragedy, a virus, a rash & a visit to the doctor :(

I want to start this entry with a thank you...a thank you to every single medical person involved in Herb's recovery. I think this thought EVERY day but rarely voice it or write it down. The reason I am prompted to do this is the memory of being close to losing him has been dragged back to the forefront of my mind this week with the tragic loss of a friend's son in a car accident. I looked at Herbie and thought it probably felt like only yesterday that Jackie would have been watching her son Sid as a 1 yr old and now he's gone. Life is so fragile and the line so fine. My thoughts are with Jackie, David, Grant, Marshall & Hannah xxx

This week Herbs has been under the weather & by Tuesday he had a rash & seemed irritable. UGH...it's so worrying. By Friday he was better but the rash was worse so we called to see the Dr. Thank god the duty Dr was Dr Santos...the best GP ever. He is so thorough (even though at times he gives so much info it's scary). He printed a copy of Herbs blood culture results from the Meningitis and also a letter 'just incase' anything got worse to show the next dr who saw him explaining the importance of quick action. He reiterated that Herb's immune system will take a year to recover and gave me powdered amoxcillyn in case he needed immediate antibiotics over the weekend...he covers every base!

Herb's is rashy but happy. Dr S said it was a virus, Kitty has the same, sore throat, coldy symptoms. I am sure he will be fine but it's another wake up call to how ill he was earlier in the year. dr S commented on his fantastic recovery!

teeth or lack of them

So Herbie is now 20 months and still has 6 teeth at the bottom and 4 at the top. These are pretty weak and feeble teeth too. Poor little man. The others had loads of teeth by now. So I wondered is it the Meningitis?? I gave in to my nagging mind and called my HV Paula who I actually like (so many people moan about theirs). She totally put my mind at ease about it all.
As for the talking...well we have a few more words although I am sure only his nearest and dearest would understand them.
We got a Thank You card this week from the staff at the PHDU for all of the things we got with the fundraising £'s. Hana, the nurse who gave him the most care, has left to travel. I felt sad that other children (and parents) won't benefit from her being there. The others were fab too but she was the one that left an imprint, if you know what I mean.
So as we head into Autumn I feel like we are getting nearer the closing chapters of 2010 and I hope that in 2011 we look back on the nightmare without the awful feelings of panic and horror that we still feel now.
Anyone with an i-phone can download a signs and symptoms app for meningitis now, free of charge. I have it on my i-pod. I think it's great but hope I never have to use it!

Herbie LOVES camping!

Wow he was in his element! Free as a bird, running around the fields, on the beach. To think that I wondered if he would remember how to walk a few months ago! Tomorrow is his 2nd hearing appointment...praying that all is well, no hearing loss, glue ear gone. Be nice to have a few more words and a little less shouting!

Wobbles, Meningitis research & Camping!

We are pretty close to our camping holiday now...we really need a break from the norm as do our friends who we are going with. Should be fun...7 kids (3 seven yr olds, a 5 yr old, 2 two yr olds & a 1 yr old) , 4 adults, 2 tents lots of food & drink & hopefully sunshine!
The loss of the dummy during the day only had one blip...yesterday when poor Herbie fell down a step in the garden straight onto his nose :( many tears, blood and screaming which only 'dumdumdoody' can soothe. Other than that it's been plain sailing. He definitely is a little unsteady on his feet...not sure if this is linked to the meningitis or glue ear!
There was excitement over the news of a possible breakthrough in Meningitis research linking it to a certain gene that makes peoples immune systems more susceptible. With Dan having had two different cancers by the age of 21 and then his son having bacterial meningitis it makes you wonder...it also makes me worry that they could both be at risk again...
See you on the other side of the camping holiday!