Three of the five people in our house are sick. There are fevers and stuffy noses, coughs and headaches. Last week, when the break out occurred, I was praying it would be contained to one, but the two who share a room seem to be sharing germs as well.
It started with my middle daughter a week ago. She woke up in the middle of the night and said she couldn’t close her eyes because they were burning. My husband asked if it was pink eye, but I knew better. I knew immediately that it was a sign of a fever.
103.4.
She had some quality time with me and a cool rag that night, waiting for the Motrin to kick in and her temperature to get back to a more comfortable range.
This is a nasty little virus. Just when I think I am ahead of it, the fevers jump back up and the kids are knocked back down. We have been living in three-hour blocks of Tylenol and Motrin on rotation. Our in-ear thermometer is probably going to need new batteries for as much use as it’s gotten lately.
We’ve been through boxes of tissues and bottles–yes plural–of Children’s Sudafed.
Then it broke the barrier and jumped from kids to adult. My husband got it.
I’ve Lysol’d and Pinesoled. I’ve washed and santized. I’ve scrubbed and cleaned. There was just no avoiding it hitting another person. As I was cleaning, I got thinking about my rules to the kids. No cup-sharing. No coughing without covered mouths. No wiping boogers on sleeves. As I was listing the items off to them, I thought about those signs that were all the rage–the ones with house rules. You know, like this.
It made me think of our house and our “house rules” for avoiding complete and total epidemics. Our house rules for germ control. What would people think if I actually hung this on my wall?
Maybe I should paint it onto some reclaimed wood, hang it on our living room wall and see what happens.
Today my youngest woke up with it. At two-and-a-half years old, she doesn’t really have the means to communicate a problem with us. She said “I don’t feel good. My f-roat hurts. My tummy hurts. See?” She unzipped her jammies and pointed to her belly. While she wasn’t warm, just a few hours later, her eyes got glassy and her temperature peaked at a miserable 102.2.
I had a cold last week, but nothing like what these guys have. My oldest daughter has a cough but no fever. One can only pray that we will be spared from anything close to what they have.
With our busy lives, our close quarters and five people under one small roof, it’s no wonder that when one comes down, others in our house fall like dominoes. Maybe if we followed some of these rules, we’d stay a little healthier.