In the Dailies

I would love to say I’ve been blog-less all week because I’ve been obsessively making book purses or because I’ve hammered the final three chapters to the next NYT bestseller. Neither would be remotely true. While I did have a dream about editing those chapters (yet to actually be written, plotted or even outlined), I have sewn very little this week.  No, my time has been voraciously swallowed … kind of the way my son devours a pound of bacon in a single morning.

How appropriate, I thought, when Dale sent me this piece of flare.

Yup. It’s hit.

Zach tested positive yesterday morning and, as is his MO, immediately showed signs of improvement.

(I wonder if we really need medicine around here. I just threaten them with going to the doctor’s office and my kids instantly feel better.)

Until visiting the doctor, things were quite wretched. My rough and tumble four-year-old did nothing but lie on the couch in a semi-comatose state — his eyes glossy, his voice raspy, his energy depleted. This morning, though, he’s singing and playing trains and about 60% back to his normal self.

Everyone wants to know what it’s like. Since I’ve had first-hand experience with the H1N1 virus, I’d like to make a couple things clear.

1: If you catch it early, it’s not as bad as everyone thinks. Zach has had a high fever (103-104 the whole time), a headache and low energy. That’s it. We took him to the doctor on his second day of high fever, they tested him and gave us a prescription for Tamiflu, some signs to watch for and a couple Cars stickers for good measure.

The things to watch for: unusually high fever, sustained high fever, returning fever (it subsides at night but comes back in the morning), excessive vomiting (We’ve had none.), sore throat (This just started yesterday after they took a throat culture to rule out strep.), and acting “weird.” (That’s the official medical term they gave me.)

2: Treatment is the same as the regular flu: lots of fluids, lots of rest, chicken noodle soup and Tylenol, if you want it. The virus should work itself out within a week.

Now that I’ve quelled some fears and a little hysteria, does anybody remember Pox Parties?

I was so disappointed when I found out there was a vaccination for chicken pox! I had already planned to have a fun pox party with games and a pinata and all my friends. We could all infect each other’s kids together! Then no one would have shots, and we’d all feel better and have a good time doing it.

Anybody up for a Bacon’s Revenge Party? We could eat ham sandwiches, baby back ribs, and spinach salad with big hunks of bacon. I could even make piggy cupcakes. It would be so fun! Maybe we could even have tee-shirts made. Anybody game?

“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion.”
– Psalm 103:1-4 (NASB)