At a recent sick visit to the doctor with my youngest we made several trips to the potty. The goal was for her to give a urine sample for testing. (Wish I would have known that before she used the bathroom on the way to the office!)
Of course, the bathroom was on the opposite side of the office as our exam room. We’d pass by the staff desks on our way—the nurses looking up to smile and cheer my daughter on. The first time it was encouraging—by the third, not so much. As we spent several minutes in the potty (all told we were at the doctor’s office for two and a half hours), I got to know each wall—my daughter didn’t want me “looking” while she peed (or rather, didn’t!). There were several posters on the walls. One describing how to get a clean urine sample—I memorized that one first. And the other picturing a young boy, about five, dressed as a superhero, cape around his neck. The tagline read something along the lines of “keep superbugs at bay, don’t use antibiotics unnecessarily.”
I’m usually the last mom to request a quick fix for my kids when they're sick (not that antibiotics would have helped in our situation anyway), but with all the illnesses running through my kids’ school lately, I wish there were a pill for all their ills. My youngest has been battling two back-to-back bouts with stomach flu. Swine flu was nothing compared to this!
Before our run-in with the tummy bug, I’d read an article describing how time is often the antidote to illness. My daughter’s bug was viral, no doubt, so the doctor’s advice—essentially antacids, rest, and TIME. (Through several pokes, prods and a blood test when my daughter’s scream broke the sound barrier as the nurse inserted the needle, the doc ruled out more serious illnesses.)
According the article, “Parents are often extremely eager to ‘do something’ for children who complain of sniffles, stomach aches, scrapes and fevers. Yet kids are generally very resilient.” That describes our situation well. I’d love to ‘do something,’ or ‘give something’ to my daughter to make her tummy ills go away, but our prescription is time. And maybe that’s the best medicine anyway…
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I think you're right - time is the best medicine sometimes. It's hard to watch your child suffer though, so as moms we want solutions that are immediate!
ReplyDeleteI recently blogged about this very topic on my site. My daughter had an ear infection, though. And like your child, she got better without antibiotics. It's so often the parents -- not the doctors -- who want the medicine. I caution all parents to avoid looking for a quick fix, which may end up hurting your child in the end.
ReplyDeleteIt's true Karen that as parents it's hard not to want a quick fix. I'm happy to report that my little girl seems to have recovered. We're taking it slowly. I'm hopeful that since her body has already battled this bad bug, the next time she encounters it, she won't get nearly as sick!
ReplyDeleteI have a tendency to hold of on Dr. appts as long as possible. It seems like in most cases, the kids (and me!) just need to be kept comfortable while their bodies have a chance to do their job.
ReplyDeleteI think this is so true -- we often just need to wait things out. My son has a rash right now on his face and there's not really anything we can do for it but put the time in that it will take to make it better...
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm glad to read here that she is feeling better. Taking it slow really is good medicine sometimes!
ReplyDeleteUm... I'm a grown-up and I admit I *still* sometimes have trouble giving a urine sample. Mom always told me to use the bathroom before I leave the house, so I *always* do this and inevitably wind up at the doctor's office oblivious to the fact that they need a urine sample. They should always have a water fountain or filtered water or something for this purpose!
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