Friday, September 30, 2005

fevers & tagging

I haven't posted in awhile. Well, for some people Sunday 'til Friday without posting isn't that long, but for me it is. I've had a sick child this week who missed 3 days of school due to fever. She hasn't really felt too bad, but the fever causes her to need to miss school.

We already had a doctor's appointment scheduled because of her frequent complaints about headaches. The fever was also on our list of topics while we were there. After getting a Zrytec prescription (possible allergies causing the headaches) and a "viral" explanation (which I hate) for the fever, we left with a doctor's excuse for missing school and a "Come back Monday if the fever's still there." She has felt cooler today. I've decided I'm not even going to take her temperature anymore unless she feels really hot or feels really bad because I found myself taking it too often and driving myself crazy. Each thermometer would say something different and each time it would say something different even if it was just moments later.

Out of curiosity, what kind of thermometer do you rely on most often? (for a 5 year old & an 18 month old) What do you really consider a "stay at home" temperature....anything above 98.6 or do you allow for a little higher? When I asked, he said, "If it's above 101, no school." So does that mean if it's 99.5 or 100, she could still go? She had around 99.8 Wednesday night so we kept her home Thursday because of the "24 hours fever free" rule. She ran around 99.4, 99.5 part of that day. Thursday night, it shot up to 101.6 around 10:30 so that ruled out school again for today. *sigh* It about broke our hearts yesterday morning when she cried about wanting to go to school. I'm so thankful for a child who loves learning & her school so much, but it's heartbreaking to not let her go when she basically felt fine.

Anyway....

I've been tagged by Hope. This is just an interesting little thing to do. It was fun to go back through some of the old posts I've written. It didn't take much brain power and time and that's the kind of post I needed right now.

The Rules:


1. Go into your archive.

2. Find your 23rd post.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

5. Tag 7 other people to do the same.


Here is my sentence:

*He is so sweet about writing little notes and sending me e-cards so I have special things to read while he's at work.

This is from our "Anniversary post."

Here are the people I tag:

1.) Kate
2.) Alissa
3.) Tracy (TMK)
4.) Kristin
5.) Malia
6.) Mandy (MDM)
7.) Elizabeth

4 comments:

Kristen OQ said...

I will have to work on the tag...maybe later this weekend.

As for the thermometer issue, I have an AWESOME thermometer that is for your forehead. It is my new favorite baby gift as you can take a temperature (that is VERY accurate) in about 3 seconds by swiping the forehead -- you can do it while they are asleep, etc. It is really SO nice! They have it at Babies R Us and it is around $40. Anyways, enough of my temperature product plugging.

Have a great weekend.

Miss Hope said...

YaY! Thanks for playing, Ja! You're the coolest. And I hate that fever thing too. Mak missed 18 days of school her first year. I think she stayed in a constant fit of fever. Drove me crazy!

As for the thermometer? I use my hand. Seriously. I have this uncanny way of telling a fever almost down to the nth degree. I touch a head, face, and neck and say 101.4 and, of course, someone has to take it to tell me I'm wrong. Then it would be like 101.3 or very close if not on the nose. But I do keep a digital one handy (courtesy of walmart) just in case the hands aren't feeling too reliable.

I hope Gracie feels better soon and gets back to school!!

Malia said...

I pretty much use the "kiss test" and the way they are acting to determine fevers/illness. I kiss their forheads and if they are really hot, I consider it a fever. Also, if they are lethargic, inactive, not interested in the usual activities, I know they are quite ill. My pediatrician also quoted the 101 degree marker to me. It's apparently some sort of magic fever number. Oh and the other thing about fevers is the time of day that you take the temperature. Our body temperature is usually cooler in the mornings since our bodies sort of "shut-down" while we sleep and we are warmer in the evenings after working/playing all day. So if you take a temp in the morning and it's pretty high, you know they are sick. And don't take temps after baths, again the body has gone down in response to being in the water. Good grief...you'd think I was some sort doc/nurse! I'm not! Just sharing what I have learned :-)

Hope she gets better soon. My daughter hates missing school too and it's also hard on Mommy!

I'll do the tag...thanks for including me, I feel so loved!

Alissa said...

I use the same one that Kristen mentioned...got it at Walmart for $35 or so. It is really accurate, from what I have been able to tell. Easy to use, and no covers or what not to buy and keep on hand.