Nathaniel's Bad Bug

There aren't many scenarios in this universe that can make you feel more helpless and ineffectual than a sick baby: 1) they can't tell you what's wrong and 2) unlike adults, you just can't dope them up on pain medication and send them to la-la-land until the symptoms clear.

On Wednesday Lidia suspected that Nathaniel was developing a fever, and on Thursday, his temperature shot above 39, prompting Lidia to rush him to Dr. P’s practice, where he was administered some medication (we’ll spare the details) to get his temperature down, and blood and urine samples were taken for some better-safe-than-sorry lab work.

Dr. P advised us to stop giving him formula temporarily, and replace it with chicken broth and Pedialyte (sort of an infant Gatorade), and prescribed an anti-nauseant. The little guy, who already had to deal with a steroid shot when he developed a cold this past winter, clearly wasn't thrilled with the change in diet and routine, but within the day we thought were all out of the proverbial woods.

But that night, his temperature went up to another severe level, so Lidia took him to Sick Kids Hospital, where doctors thankfully saw him right away, and after giving him some Motrin, instructed us to restore his formula, keep up the hydration supplement, and slug it out until about Sunday.

The next day, Friday, the lab results came back and Dr. P called to inform us Nathaniel had developed a urinary tract infection, which explained his painful cries overnight. She called in a prescription for us, which we're to administer twice daily for 10 days, much to his protests. He had another difficult night, but his temperature wasn’t as severe and the medication was a big help.

We decided to ease off on the social engagements all weekend and hole up indoors until we were positively sure he was on the mend. No one can say with absolute certainty where the bug sprouted from—Nathaniel had been to Surrey Place and the Niagara Street school the previous week but I could easily have picked it up from the workplace or the convenience store door handle and carried it home. Throughout Saturday, Nathaniel was a bit logy, but still alert and playful (his brother more than made up for it!!!). His appetite was hearty and best of all--he slept through the night. And Carter seems to have come through the drama without so much as a sniffle.

By Sunday, it was like as if it'd never happened...although the bags under our eyes were evidence to the contrary. Nathaniel was ready to make up for lost time and we were more than happy to muster up the strength for a long-overdue play day…even the cats got in on the action!