Editor's Note: Ear infections
Beth Vrabel
Another week, another ear infection.
This seems to be the pattern with my son, Ben, 15 months old.
He's fine for a few days, and then, Wham! Another sleepless night, high fever, miserable morning and scratched-up ear.
I can't say I'm surprised. After all, we went through it with Emma, 4, too. She had tubes in her ears two years ago and ear infections packed up and left as quickly as they moved in. It looks as though Benny's going to be traveling down the same road.
While I hate, absolutely hate, the idea of another surgery, this has got to be worse. The past three months have been brutal to the baby, knocking him with virus after virus, leading inevitably to ear infection after ear infection. Our hands are chapped from war on germs, our schedules tested from staying home with him, our doctor's playroom becoming a second home to Emma.
His fever reached 103.8 last night, and he just lay there, whimpering, while I ran a tepid bath to cool him. Within a half-hour, it was down a degree. Two hours later, the fever barely registered.
Ben's such a happy boy. He loves to dance, his whole body shaking and shimmying to whatever tune his toy is belting out. The sight of a cookie is bound to get a lot of "oohs" and "wows." Throwing a ball provides endless joy, as does running from his sister with stolen Barbie in hand. He loves to give hugs, running toward us with chubby arms outstretched and launching into us with full force.
He bounces back from these illnesses quickly, with days dramatically better than nights. But I wish there was more I could do to relieve his pain and ward off the viruses that lead to infections.
Does any have tips on how to handle pain and sicknesses in toddlers?
Comments (1)
Beth · January 11, 2008 09:42 AM
Turns out, I was wrong. Ben had a virus, not an ear infection. Call me a pessimist, but I'm sure we'll have another one soon.