I feel so badly for my girls right now. Both came down with a yucky bug of some kind over the weekend and are still down and out. Princess started not feeling well on Friday and came down with I high fever that night. Cookie held out until Sunday evening when she started to get warm. Now Princess is a bit better but poor Cookie is miserable. Thankfully they don’t have any other symptoms (hallelujah, it’s not a stomach bug!) so I’m not sure what they have going on.

I have such a hard time when they are sick like this. On one hand, I know that a fever is really a good thing and is simply their little bodies’ way of fighting off whatever is making them sick. Because of this we do not medicate for a fever unless it creeps into the 103 -104 range. On the other hand, it’s very hard as a mom to see your kids so sick and uncomfortable, know that you could just pop them a little Tylenol and they would feel a lot better, and yet do nothing. I HATE to see my kids hurting.

I tend to compromise on letting the fever do its thing during the day and then treating with homeopathic belladonna at night as needed. I caved this morning though as I left for work and Cookie was crying for me and gave her some belladonna to help her feel better while I was at work. Z-man has a ton of sick leave so he’s staying home with the girls in the morning while I work and then going into work in the afternoons when I get home.

I find that making all these decisions about when to medicate and with what to be one of the most difficult parts of parenting. There is so much information out there and it all contradicts its self. Knowing the right way to treat my sick daughters, when to use natural remedies, when to use medicine and when to rush them to the doctor, can be such a riddle. It’s like playing a guessing game with the highest stakes imaginable, my daughter’s lives.

While I know that right now they have a little bug and will be better soon, in fact Princesses fever has already broken and she should be well enough for school tomorrow, I wonder what I would do if it turned out to be something more critical. What if they had a serious illness and I make the wrong choice of treatment. What if they develop a life threatening disease and I don’t discover it soon enough. These are the questions that make me stay up at night watching my sick daughter sleep, hoping it’s really nothing and praying it’s not everything.


an aside on homeopathic remedies
Belladonna is a great remedy to keep on hand for bringing down fevers. I also always have Chamomilla, Arnica, and Pulsatilla in the house for run of the mill situations. Princess is prone to ear infections and nothing beats Pulsatilla for nipping those in the bud. Chamomilla is a miracle worker for colds and is great for calming a hysterical child. Arnica is wonderful for bumps and bruises. If you are interested in more information on homeopathic remidies I recommend looking for the great beginner book “Everybody's guide to homeopathic medicines”.

posted at 10:20 AM  
Labels: Kids