Antibiotics

Everett is on his first round of antibiotics ever in his life. He is 15 ½ months, which I think is pretty good! He had a double ear infection and RSV (a horrible smoker’s cough and lots of stuff in the lungs which was a virus). The pediatrician instructed me last Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. holiday) to keep him home all week. Ahh, okay? I guess I won’t go into the church to work! Thankfully, my church (Oak Lawn UMC) was wonderfully supportive! And at least I got to watch Barack Obama’s inauguration at home on my TV! What an awesome Benediction by the way from the Methodist Rev. Joseph Lowery.

Everett was in general good spirits, still playing, still happy, and he was sleeping 14 hours a night. However, after 3 days of the antibiotic something happened. Something horrible. I did not know that antibiotics can cause diarrhea. It can… and it did. Everett’s bottom was red and raw, he was having his diaper changed 10 times a day by Thursday. So, after having to clean the carpet of things that had leaked out of his diaper and after being peed on when I wanted to inspect said raw bottom in the bathroom mirror, I called the pediatrician. Yes, of course diarrhea was a normal side effect. Had I tried diaper cream? I tried not to scream at the person on the other end of the phone. Had I fed him bananas? Applesauce? Well, I had not. So, I did. And praise the Lord, Everett ate them both.

After talking to the doctor, I decided to pretend that we lived in Africa. A friend who lived in Mali in the Peace Corps once told me that women in her village carried their naked babies all day long, and when the baby was going to go, the mother was able to tell, and she would hold the baby out so they could ahem.. use the facilities… Well, I wasn’t about to go that far, so Everett played outside naked for a while so that I could recover for a bit.

It is now Sunday and Everett seems a lot better. No more cough, no more fever or pink cheeks and his bottom seems to be healing, however, he does have 4 more days of the antibiotic!