Single parenting and antibiotics: a deadly combination

The continuing bad experience I had as being a single parent for a week.  I should think it is enough to drive some people to the opposite of divorce.  Sure, if the kids are going to school all the time, then it isn't so much of a problem.  I stress "so much".  But don't you know kids get sick every couple weeks?  I`m thinking this is the first year my older girl is healthier, she`s only gotten sick twice so far, this Fall.  It seems they pick up every little bacteria sitting around with nothing to do.  If bacteria and viruses had training camps they would be situated right next to grade schools and pre schools.  I`m sure George Carlin could figure out a routine for these lowlife attacking kids.  "Cmon, why don't you pick on someone your own size?  Too wimpy to try to get caught by the adults?  What kind of wuss viral infection are you anyway, just going for the kids?"

So my younger started on antibiotics.  I really hate antibiotics in general.  I had her at the doctor for the second time and they had pricked her finger (Man, she only flinched, she didn't cry, I would be crying my eyes out, I hate the finger pricks with those little pincers) and the Doctor said, "anti biotics" and I wheezed and puffed, "no, no not them again".  The Doctor said she wouldn't give them, but the tyke`s protein count, or CPM (or CMP?) was like 105.  Normal is around 8.  So they said, she is kind of in the danger zone and her blood is fighting something tough.

I was on my own already, my wife had gone off to the hospital.  It had been a rough enough day.  But then comes midnight.  Everyone knows these antibiotics MUST be given promptly 8 hours apart.  I had to give it at 8am,  4pm and midnight.  Kind of the only times which made sense.  So there she is sleeping peacefully since around 8:30 pm and I had to shake her awake and give her 5 ml of terrible tasting something or other.  Of course she started crying and refusing and trying to get back to sleep because I had woken her from a deep sleep.  I didn't want her to wake her sister sleeping in the upper bunk, so I dragged her to the kitchen and turned on the light.  This of course threw her wide awake and she cried even harder.  I had this 5ml of antibiotics in one of those little needle mouth dispensers, but her mouth was closed.   And it stayed close.

Uh oh, patience was sadly disappearing at a bad time.  I just wanted to get this 5ml of antibiotics into her mouth and down the gullet, but it wasn't happening.  You get some in, but then it comes out like she is frothing like a dog and my patience is gone.  Bad Daddy.  You kind of have to squeeze her mouth open and squirt it in and shake her head around a bit so it goes down her throat.  Sorry I am over dramatizing (I think).  Or check out a short story by William Carlos Williams called "The Use of Force" and that pretty much sums up how it was.   I had to fill up the dispenser three times, 5ml each time, to get her to swallow 5 ml of the biotics.   

It was 12:40.  It had taken 40 minutes for her to take 5ml of treatment.  I was panting but the adrenaline was receding.  I was so glad it was over (until 8am tomorrow morning), but she was still crying.  What an ordeal.  I got to bed at 1am.  I had to get up at 6:30 am.  Go figure.

The next night, I tried something else.  AND I vowed to keep my patience under all circumstances.  So I woke her up.  I had the medicine mixed in with some lemon drink which filled up about a half a small tea cup.  It didn`t work at first.  She wouldn`t drink it.  "ah, you want a straw?"  "Yes".  OK.  Run off to the kitchen. I got a short straw.  "I want the long straw Daddy".  "Yes, yes, of course".  Run back and get the long straw.  "Don't watch me," she said.  "No, no.  I`m not going to watch".  But I held the cup.  "Daddy, I don't want it in this cup, I want the Thomas Train cup".  "Yes yes.  Of Course".  Brought it back to the kitchen, changed cups.  "Don't look".  I held the cup and turned my head.

5 minutes go by and I am wondering.  I bring the cup into the light to see its contents.  Doesn`t look like a big dent has been made.  I go back and see that she is biting the straw so barely anything can get through.  Mmmmm, big frustration, but patience is still intact.  " Look, we are going to have to drink this better, or else go to the kitchen to drink it."  "No no,  not to the kitchen.  I want to drink it here".  Another five minutes.  I ran to the kitchen and got a strong straw, I think made of metal, perhaps lead,  which wouldn`t be squashed.  Still another five minutes go by and I take a recap of the cup of contents.  Hm, about half way done.  Patience is still there, but getting dangerously low.  I REALLY want to finish this and go to bed.  I run to the kitchen and get a clear straw and shine my telephone light on her as she is drinking so I can see the liquid going up the straw into her mouth.  It is a v.e.r.y. s.l.o.w. p.r.o.c.e.s.s.  I am going to fall asleep holding the cup when suddenly I hear that familiar sound of someone reaching the bottom of the glass while drinking with a straw.  12:25 am.  ugh.  Only 25 minutes this time.  Not much of an accomplishment, though a bit better.

The next night the same.

antibiotics parphernalia

By the fourth night, believe me, I`m getting tired of this too, I told her exactly what was going to happen.  "I`m going to wake you up at 12 midnight and I will have the Thomas Cup, is that the cup you want?"  "No, I want the one with the giraffes."  "OK, I`m going to have the cup with the giraffes which will be half full with lemon drink and we will drink it with the long straw..."  "Daddy, I don`t want any straw."  "OK, OK, no straw.  And you drink it.  That`s how it will work." 

And at Midnight I came with the antibiotics in the giraffe cup.  I woke her up.  She started crying and wanted to go back to sleep.  "But I told you.  Look, you want to go to the kitchen?"  "No, I want to sleep."  Can`t argue with that one.  "Look, you just have to drink this.  Please, pretty please, with sugar on top"  She sat up.  Looked at the cup.  Drank it down in five minutes.  No straw.  Glory be, hallelujah.  Fantastic, amazing.  Let`s get up and do a pig can jig.  In under 15 minutes. Incredible.

I put her head back on her pillow, kissed her forehead and danced off to bed.

The next 4 days (the last two she was at her Grandmas, so it was her problem to give her the antibiotics) came off so so, with more problems during the day and quicker at night.  Patience stayed, she did get better, mission accomplished, at a frightening cost though.  One week of doing EVERYTHING by myself was just too much.  Too too much.  I really don't think I could handle doing that all the time.  Sick or healthy.  

Two things.  Patience and a spoonful of sugar really do help the medicine go down quicker.  But it is never delightful.  Second, if my wife had been at home it wouldn`t have been a problem.  We brush her teeth together now and my wife holds her hands and I brush.  My older girl is currently sick again drinking some medicine, my wife mixes it with some juice.  The older girl hates the taste, but it goes down over a minute span.  What was I going to do, call my next door neighbor to come over and help me give my younger girl the antibiotics at Midnight?  Call in Grandma?  If you got to do something and you are the only parent and the kid doesn`t like it, then all the grief gets thrown at you. It just takes that much longer to get it done.  I was at wits end trying to get her to take the antibiotics.  It was like brushing her teeth in the summer all over again.  As a result, I hate antibiotics even more AND being a single parent.  I don`t want it.  I will kick myself and remember this episode whenever I start to have an argument with my spouse.    

 I might change some things.  I didn't edit this so well before I posted.  Should still do that.  But I want to leave you with a word of caution about antibiotics: please use them wisely and don`t always use them just because your Doctor says so.   They are necessary for some bacterial infections, but downright useless and even dangerous for other sicknesses.  Here is just one link.  

Try to stay healthy.  But I realize for kids, that is like asking them to eat spinach and like it.  Not gonna happen (he says shaking his head)

Happy healthy days