My Kids are Sicker than Your Kids

Did I get punished for saying my kids were cuter than your kids?  Because you KNOW I was just kidding didn't you?  I love kids and think that almost every kid is cute!

In May, both of my kids, my husband and I started coughing (or in the words of Mylie, we "got the coughs").  Mine got better, Richie's lasted a little longer, and Mylie and Michael's got worse!  I took Michael to the doctor first because he's started sounding like a cough I had never heard before.  Can't even explain it or copy it with my own voice.  But it scared me.  When his doctor heard it she clearly got nervous and gave him a breathing treatment right away.  Then she sent us to ER because she was afraid it was bronchitis or the whooping cough.

The ER doctor never heard the cough but diagnosed Michael with an upper respiratory infection.  They did take a snot sample to be safe and said they would call me with results...which they never did.

About a week later I got a call from San Bernardino County Health Department telling me that Michael's test results came back positive but inconclusive for the Whooping Cough (which can be fatal!)  And can somebody please tell me what that means?...positive but inconclusive???  The woman I talked to asked several questions and we came to the conclusion that Mylie probably had it too, but since she's been vaccinated it would last half the time--50 days--and not be as severe.  So poor Michael will be coughing for at least 100 days!  Holy moly.  That makes me sad.

I took Michael back to the doctor who had FINALLY gotten test results back from the hospital and she confirmed it was the whooping cough.  She gave me some samples to take home and do some breathing treatments on my own at home. He's also taking a couple other medications, and to tell the truth, I don't feel like anything has really helped yet.  His doctor told us yesterday at his appointment that we're doing everything we can do for whooping cough, so just keep doing it.

The kids should not be contagious anymore.  They have finished their antibiotics and should be clear and good, although Michael's doctor was nervous about him being around my sister who is currently pregnant with severe hyperemesis...that's a whole other story, my goodness!  But if we were around you when the kids were contagious and now you or your kids have a cough, I apologize from the bottom of my heart!  And PS, I was told that we need whooping cough boosters about every 10 years.  So if yours isn't up-to-date, now is a good time to take care of that since the whooping cough is coming around again!

And because I posted, I can't help but add a couple pictures of my cuties.  Then I'll go look at your blogs to see your little cuties too, and I'll smile.