Flu Update

Lydia is doing a lot better. She was feeling under the weather on Sunday, so after a call to our pediatrician, we took her in to the doctor on Monday morning, though not before exposing our good friends including their 1-yr-old to her germs on Sunday afternoon. Our regular pediatrician was out of town, so she saw someone else. She had a fever, was coughing, had a runny nose, and was cranky and clingy. After talking with us, they ran a flu test, and she tested positive for a strain of Type A Flu, which is most likely swine flu. This was, for the record, her first doctor's appointment that was a non-wellness check. In true Lydia fashion, she decided to make it memorable and come down with the most hyped illness of 2009.

I, of course, panicked. We have all been listening to news stories of this flu for months, and it was scary, but the doctor assured us that there was nothing to be scared of and sent us home with a prescription for Tamiflu. In hindsight, I am irritated that she didn't spend a little more time with us talking about things to watch for, etc., and I KNOW if we would have seen our regular pediatrician, she would have been a lot more reassuring and comforting.

Anyway, we were sent home with our prescription and instructions to make sure she had four wet diapers through the next 24 hours to make sure she wasn't dehydrated. Yesterday, Lydia was definitely not herself. She was grumpy and fussy, and we spent most of the day on the sofa. She ate well, though (see the video posted below), and has had five wet diapers. Today she is clearly feeling better, and here is the proof:



This was taken this morning, so nervous grandmas, grandpas, uncles, and aunts: no fears! She is okay!

I am home with her again today, largely because I wanted to get lots of rest in hopes of warding off the flu myself and also because I didn't think my coworkers would look to favorably upon the possibility of passing on her germs right before our long-awaited winter break. I'll most likely go back to work tomorrow, and Lydia will return to daycare on Friday.