Resilient

Aidan's been sorta kinda sick. I mean, he's had dark circles under his eyes, but that's not highly unusual for him. Yesterday, I sent him to school even though he woke up whiny, complaining of a sore throat. I figured it was allergies and drainage, possibly compounded by all the dust floating around the house from Darren's project.

Last night, he cried at dinner, and couldn't swallow his food because his throat hurt so bad. He kept saying "My brain hurts", which has always been his way of saying he has a headache. The little glands in his neck were swollen, so I kept him home today and made a doctor's appointment.

All day long, I kept thinking, "What a mistake. This kid is FINE." He played happily all morning and afternoon. He ate Batman soup and goldfish crackers for lunch without a single complaint. He didn't have a fever. I kept the appointment anyway.

During our hour-long sit in the waiting room, I watched a little patch of rash break out on Aidan's cheek. He was more lathargic than usual, but not whiny. He wanted to be held, and kept asking me to rub his back.

In the exam room, the doctor said, "His glands are definitely swollen, and his throat is red. It could be Strep Throat, or it could be a virus, in which case, he'll just have to wait it out."

I was surprised that the doctor didn't mention the rash that was evident when Aidan took off his shirt. Tiny red dots covered his torso. So I mentioned it. "He's developed this rash in the past hour. Isn't that indicative of a viral infection?" The doctor looked closer, and said, "Actually, that's more indicative of strep!" He asked me to pull down Aidan's pants to inspect below the waistline, which was covered in red spots. "I'm convinced that he has Scarlet Fever," he said. "The rash always starts down here and works its way up. It'll get worse before it gets better. Scarlet Fever often goes hand-in-hand with Strep Throat. Let's order a culture."

30 minutes later, after swabbing and microscoping, we were on our way to the pharmacy for antibiotics. My poor little man has Strep Throat and Scarlet Fever! The thing is, he just doesn't act like he feels that bad. I had strep at least once a year when I was a teen, and I still remember how miserable it felt. The last time I had it, about 5 years ago, I whined like a big ol' baby. But Aidan... he just says his brain hurts and then goes about his day.

Resilient.
Kids are amazing.