Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Annika's owie ear

Two nights ago, Annika woke up with an owie ear. Not just some owie ear that we told her to shake it off and go back to sleep, but a really, really, really owie ear. We tried Tylenol. We tried decongestant. We tried warm compresses. We tried pleading with her ear to feel better and let all of us sleep. No such luck. I finally got her to fall into a fitful sleep somewhere in the neighborhood of 3:30 AM. It kills me to hear my babies cry because they don't feel well (compared to when they're just being drama queens or throwing a fit about not getting their way ... who? our kids? NEVER!) Let me just say, though, that 1.5 hours of sleep simply isn't enough.

I took Annika to the doctor, who diagnosed her with a "raging ear infection." She gave us a 'script for antibiotics and sent us on our merry way.

Apparently, my incredibly sleep-deprived brain (who also didn't go to pharmacology school and doesn't know all of the drug facts down to the Nth degree) mistakenly told the doctor (Note: Not our regular pediatrician) that Annika could take amoxicillan when she, in fact, can't because of her augmentin allergy. I should have said that she can take Azithromycin. Apparently, the doctor gave the pharmacist an earful when she called asking if it is OK to switch the type of antibiotic to one that won't make Annika puke her guts out. The doctor said, "Her mother specifically said that amoxicillan was fine." Well PAR-DON ME for getting my antibiotics screwed up and not knowing that augmentin and amoxicillan are basically the same drug. I have a degree in ENGLISH not CHEMISTRY ... and did I mention the sleep deprivation???

But I digress...

We FORTUNATELY, got the right meds (aka Azithromycin) and Annika slept through the night last night... a much needed occurance by all of us! She is still a bit out of sorts, but we expect that to improve as the antibiotics have a chance to really kick into gear.

PS: I have created a note in my iPhone that reminds me of what medications Annika can not take ... best to have that handy in case the question ever comes up again. :)


Our sweet girl enjoying a snack this weekend, aka before the ear infection took over...

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