My nightmare MONTH!!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:32 pm

Thanks. I feel ok, except for the continuing mild MC flare. The pediatrician said the pneumonia was still limited to the left lung, but if his fever spiked again tonight, we would need to add an extra antibiotic to treat the possibility of mycoplasma pneumoniae. Well, his temp rose to 103 by 7 pm, so I was off to the pharmacy for a Zpak -azythromycin. Now I'll be fearing c-diff or worse!!

Thank God my parents and Inlaws are here for support right now. I can actually go to work tomorrow!!
The weather will be 100-106 this weekend, so we may get cabin fever, but at least we don't feel like we're missing out on outdoor fun. Rediculous weather. My parents live on a tropical farm in Guatemala and they can't deal with this heat!!

Stanz · Post by **Stanz** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:50 pm

I'm so sorry to hear all of this. I hope your boy continues to improve, pneumonia is a pretty dramatic illness which is usually treatable and just needs to run it's course, I hope this is the case for him.

I hope for the best for your condition, Zizzle, you truly deserve a break from stress. Never rains but it pours

marihabs · Post by **marihabs** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:04 pm

i, too, wish you days of improvement and some good news.

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:29 pm

Wow. I can't add much except a hug. :bigbighug:

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:48 pm

I hope the pneumonia turns around soon. Also am hoping for a temperature break. We've been in the 100's in Illinois, but with air conditioning, thank goodness.

Gloria

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:58 pm

I've never been so thankful for our newly remodeled and tightly insulated house and geothermal heating and cooling system. All this A/C and my electric bill will still be only $150 this month.

Just gave the first Zithromax dose. Hoping we have no weird drug reactions. Maybe I'll just watch him sleep... He's been in our bed since this whole thing started. His breathing is more rapid at night when he's asleep and he makes little grunts with each breath. Then he wakes up and hacks away. I hate pneumonia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

maestraz · Post by **maestraz** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 10:19 pm

Pneumonia freaks me out too, since one of my kids had it while little. Hoping your guy responds well to treatment and recovers quickly.

Fish2575 · Post by **Fish2575** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:42 pm

Oh my goodness! Hoping for relief for your little one and for you! I know your fears about the genes, I have 3 with the DQ8 Celiac gene, and my 10 year old already has Type I diabetes. Every virus I cross my fingers.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:52 am

No fever this morning. He actually feels almost cold. The cough this am was horribly wet and junky, like he was drowning. He even puked a couple times from the coughing fit, but he's comfortable now. If we bump or press on the side of the affected lung, it stimulates a coughing fit. Poor guy, tears streamed down his face as he coughed, and he's been so tough all this time. Did I ever mention my son is an angel? Nicest, sweetest kid ever, super smart, and mature beyond his 7 years...an old soul, and everyone who knows him recognizes it. We won the kid lottery megajackpot with him. I'm hoping we turned the corner with the addition of Zithromax, but I know recovery will be a long road. Even kids don't just bounce back from pneumonia.

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:59 am

The poor little fellow. But it sounds more encouraging now that you may be over the hump soon. Keeping fingers crossed. I'm sure you are keeping him well-hydrated, but just mentioning it anyway since fluid needs increase dramatically with fever and summertime.

HUgs,

Polly

Fish2575 · Post by **Fish2575** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:35 am

I really hope he is over the hump! Are you by any chance giving him probiotics? I had to give all of my kids antibiotics because we all had strep last week, and I have been pumping them full of probiotics in hope of preventing the other autoimmune stuff!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:53 am

Yup, expensive Culturelle chewables and yogurt. Maybe I'll try the Mercola probiotics that made me deathly ill on him! (I reacted to one or more components, but he should tolerate it just fine, I would think)

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:38 pm

It's day 10 and my little boy appears to be all better. No more fever, no lethargy, no naps, no major coughing fits. Phew!! Seems the Zithromax was the answer and he had mycoplasma, or it was all viral. Of course he had watery D once today, so battle #2 has just begun. He's also barely eating, but I imagine his stomach shrank after 9 days of nothing but liquids and morsels. Zithromax will end on Monday and Augmentin on Wednesday. Any suggestions on what probiotic to add to Culturelle? And where can one buy locally fermented vegetables?

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:54 pm

Hi Zizzle,

Glad the little guy is doing better.

This will be short as I'm traveling and not on my ergo keyboard. Your local healthfood store should have fermented sauerkraut (in refrigerated section). You want no heat processed sauerkraut. Also Giant may have bags of fermented sauerkraut next to pork in refrigerated section. You can get fermented dill pickles at health food store. Look in refrigerated section. I've bought a brand I think called Bubbies but I have not tried. I also saw this brand of pickles at Whole Foods in Alexandria VA this week.

It is cheap and easy to ferment your own vegetables and I am not someone who is handy. I recommend read Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz. It is the bible for fermenting your own veggies and other foods. The boyfriend and I made sauerkraut and NY style dill pickles
several times. There is info on the internet but I recommend the book. NY style dill pickles took 5 days to make. Sandor Katz has a website you can look at too. The book is kind of "earthy" in a commune kind of way but covers anything you would ever want to ferment and also a good history of fermentation.

I'm going back to FL as it is 20 degrees cooler than MD and VA! Brandy

Post by **tex** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:28 pm

I've never tried their pickles, but I ate Bubbies sauerkraut for a while when I was recovering. It's good sauerkraut -- as good as the homemade German sauerkraut that my grandmother made when I was a kid.

http://www.bubbies.com/prod_sauerkraut.shtml

Tex