Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Ongoing Medical Adventures of the Schap Family

Wow, I'm telling you, the medical drama around this place just never ends. It's just one lousy adventure after another! Yesterday evening Anja started going downhill fast with this yucky cold that we gave her. (Meanwhile, Martin is almost back to his old self, and I expect to be a hundred times better by tomorrow... all that's left for both of us is a lingering cough that sounds a lot worse than it actually is.) Martin put her down at 7:00 but she started coughing right away and woke herself up. So we went for a little family walk in the cool evening and she was at least kept happy. When we got home it was her normal bedtime, and she went down easily, and slept for a good stretch. At midnight she started getting restless, and a little before two she started coughing and then got really upset. Looking back, I should've at least TRIED the croup methods, but I didn't think it was croup. I've always heard of the croup cough sounding like seal, and her cough just sounded nasty, but when she cried, it seemed like she wasn't able to catch her breath. I guess that's where the seal-ish noise came in, but it still didn't seem very sealish to me... it just sounded like she couldn't breathe. And NOTHING was calming her down. And she was very feverish. We took her downstairs and she threw up from crying so hard. We took her temperature, and decided it was time for a trip to the ER. I feel SO STUPID now, for taking her in. I know what to do for Croup... I guess I just didn't know how to recognize it when it struck. Anyway, that's what was wrong with her. We spent two hours at the ER where they also discovered she has yet another ear infection. She got a little medicine there, and some breathing treatment, and they did a flu and RSV test, which all came back negative, and they took x-rays of her chest, which came back clear as well. I feel like a total freak-out-for-no-reason mom. Ugh.

Today she is not herself. She cried all morning, then we had to go to the drugstore to get her prescriptions filled. Turns out my mom was going too, so we all went together, and to the grocery store. She was almost asleep in her carseat when we got home.

Martin's work threw him a baby shower!!! How incredibly sweet is that?!? His old job got mad at him because when Anja was born evidently when he called in to tell them that the baby came and he wouldn't be in for a few days, he "did it wrong" and so he got in trouble with his boss. And now at this new job, they give him a baby shower. An amazing difference!

I have a killer backache today. Tomorrow is my due date, but I hope the baby waits a few more days until we're all feeling better before it makes its grand arrival. I have an appointment on Monday, and I hope they don't try to pressure me into an induction just because I'm a few days overdue.

So now I'm going to take the dog out, do some dishes, and then catch the end of Anja's nap with her. I think my mom said she was going to bring us some spaghetti sauce over for dinner, which would be awesome, because I reeeaaaallly don't feel like cooking tonight. (Again. Poor Martino.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Annie: You did the right thing to take Anja to the ER. It is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.
Your killer back ache could be the start of labor....back labor. I hope it holds off for another day or so, but this actually could be it.
Love, Mama
I'll bring the spaghetti around 4:30.

Anonymous said...

Annie, I don't blame you for going to the ER. I would have done the same thing.

Tell me, how was Martin supposed to tell his old job. I mean, they knew you were expecting and babies tend to come whenever they want to, so how he did it made perfect sense. When K and M were born, J had "booked" all his time off then called in when I went in to labor. With C he cleared it with our Pastor (his boss) and when I went in to labor, his week off started...hmmm.

Sarah said...

I bet your back ache is the start of labor. Andrew predicts you'll go tomorrow. Based soley on the fact that I always havebabies the day before my due date.

LauraSuz said...

I don't feel like cooking either. Dan's been having baked chicken and greens for a couple weeks now. Baking sweets on the other hand so I can eat them is a different story.

Maryanne said...

I don't think you were being a "freak-out-for-no-reason-mom" at all. When Chiara was 16 mos, she had to stay overnight in the hospital because of the croup. I was big and pregnant, due with Zeke any day. This made it hard for me to climb up into her hospital crib with her. Oh, what a scary time.

Now any time my kids have the slightest cough, I immediately run the cool mist humidifier. Isabel has had a cough for the past few days, so it's been running everday.

Hope Anja is better soon!

Clare said...

Yeah I agree with everyone else, better safe than sorry, and atleast you were able to discover the ear infection before it got worse! I always have second thoughts after ER visits but I think it would be worse to not go, and really wish you did. :)

I keep waiting for the post, "I am in labor!" I am getting so excited for you!

Anonymous said...

I thought 'back labor' too. That was the only way I knew. I complained my back hurt and was at 8 cm...

Labor sure went quickly after we figured out I was actually in it...

Sam

Annie Hatke Schap said...

Everyone-

Thanks for thinking I'm not crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm glad I have support from all of you. :)

And as for the back labor, I should've specified the kind of back pain that this is. It's not laborish pain. It's more like "I pulled something while picking up my toddler" pain. Sorry to get all your hopes up. :( Plus, it has improved throughout the day. I think it just needed to be stretched out a bit.

Beth-
NO KIDDING!! That's what we wonder. And it's not like he just didn't show up... I mean, he DID call in... he just evidently called the "wrong" person (at 5:00 in the morning after my water broke and we went to the hospital.) He worked for some real poo-heads at his old job... however, his new job is delightful.

Laura-
I made cookies the other day. A whole batch. Knowing that Martin gave up desserts and stuff for lent. Now, who on earth will I share all my cookies with? Oh... no one? Gosh, I guess I'll have to eat the whole batch myself.

Maryanne-
I was thinking of you the entire time, remembering your story! Apparently they don't do the croup tents anymore. They didn't say why.

Sarah-
In the midwife book I just read, she had a list of random observations at the end, and one of them is that you will labor more like your sisters than your mother. So maybe Andaroo is right!?