Poor Baby

Oh my, what a week we have had with the little one. Started off with what looked like a mosquito bite between her eyes. As it began to swell and turn an angry red I thought maybe it was a spider bite. I pulled her crib out from the wall and went on a hunt for spiders. None were to be found, but I did kill a mosquito.
You can't really see it clearly in this picture, but by the next morning, the redness and swelling were moving into her eye area. and the bump between her eyes was swollen out as far as her nose if you looked at her from the side. Poor little thing.

The family doctor was away on holiday so we were instructed to take Smudge to the ER to be seen by a doctor there. We thought they would give her some Benadryl and cream and send us home. Nope. The doctor there was quite concerned about something that sounded like cellulite to me. It wasn't that, but each time she mentioned it I thought of the cottage cheese stuff you get on the back of your legs, and I knew it wasn't that!

Thesha and I stood there in shock as the doctor talked about orbital cellutitus and the danger of it being so close to the eye which meant that the infection could spread to the brain very quickly. Yikes. Smudge didn't have an elevated temperature so that was a good sign, but they were quite concerned that it might spike suddenly. Should they admit her and give her IV antibiotics or send her home with us, and a very high dose of antibiotics to be taken by mouth? Hmmm, ponder, ponder, ponder, consult, consult, and then ponder some more. The doctor finally decided to send her home with us, some strong antibiotics, and strict instructions to make a quick trip back to the ER if we noticed the redness spreading, elevated temp or change in mood. What a tense day that was.

Wouldn't you know that AC was off at a violin session that day, and Thesha had to go to work, so I was alone with the baby and didn't have access to a car. Oh dear! I put in a very tense day indeed. Every time I looked at Smudge I thought something different. The redness is spreading. No it isn't. Yes it is. The swelling is going down. No, it is increasing. Is she hot? Yes! No! Maybe! Round and round and round I went all day. When AC got home from his violin session around 5pm, I think that was the first time all day I took a deep breath. When Thesha got home from work a few minutes later, I felt like bursting into tears I felt so relieved that I had made it through the day, backup had arrived, and Smudge was OK.

I am happy to report that after two days on the antibiotic, the swelling and redness are gone. Thank goodness. I am not so happy to report that the strong dose of antibiotics is really upsetting Smudge's little system and eight more days of it is going to be very hard to take. Poor little mite. She is being a trooper and is in good spirits, but her tummy is so upset.

We did what I like to do when I am upset, and that is go outside and spend some time with Mother Nature. We walked to the park, sat by the water...

...and let the calming beauty of nature bring peace to our frazzled nerves.
Ahhh, that's better.

Smudge Lesson for the Week - Pain is inevitable but misery is optional. Even on the bad days when doctors are poking and prodding you, you can still smile, go sit in the park when it is all over, hug someone you love, and enjoy life.