A Rough Night

We saw the doc yesterday (our pediatrician who I love so much...ok, not really) and he confirmed the boys have a virus and that it is NOT strep.  He couldn't tell me what it was, just that there is a lot going around right now with various rashes and that's there is nothing we can do but sit and wait for it to pass.

William's fever was gone last night and while his rash got worse over night, it did not bother him at all and he slept perfectly fine.

Sam on the other hand - wow, I think that really might have been the worst night of my life so far and it was definitely the worst night of his.  After bath time (why do things always get worse after a bath!?) his skin was so swollen it literally was raised about an inch in certain places on his body.  I had to really suck it up to keep from bursting out in tears right then and there. Knowing he would probably struggle to sleep I gave him not only ibuprofen but Attarax for itching AND piled on the hydrocortisone cream for good measure.  I've been trying to stay away from drugs but this was a skin emergency.

 Well, all of that helped for about 3 hours, but at midnight Sam woke up and from about 12:30 until 5:30 this morning he did nothing but scream, thrash around, try to rip off his clothing to scratch and yell "Mama! Mama! Mama!" over and over while I sat helplessly by.  There was absolutely nothing I could do but cry with him and keep praying that the itching and burning would stop. I must have dozed off momentarily a few times because I would periodically roll over to find him with his socks and pants off, scratching ferociously at his little feet and ankles, which are covered in dry blood this morning.  I can only imagine what the feeling would be and I think it must be the same feeling as your skin being literally on fire.  I kept wondering if I should take him to the ER but I reasoned with myself that they would only tell me what the doctor had told me, and I'd already given him all the drugs I could and they weren't helping. It was one of those things we'd just have to suffer through together.

Sam fell asleep early this morning and is still sleeping now, well after noon.  I just woke up myself. All I remember is my husband coming in this morning (he slept on the couch last night with earplugs b/c he had meetings today) and I begged him to take a sick day and stay with the two oldest (3 and 6) so I could sleep, but he couldn't. He did however call Grandma and got the kids ready and took them to her house. I'm assuming this is what happened, because the house has been quiet all morning.