The Second Illness

I think enough time has passed now for me to get over the trauma of the second illness and talk about it with you. As you heard a few days ago, we spent a portion of Christmas Eve in the pediatrician's office. The day prior, we noticed that HumorMD Jr was much more fussy than normal. Little man is very easy going, and any unexplained crying is warning sign for us. The fussiness gave way to a fever of 102, and we knew that a trip to the doctor was in his future.

As a segue, you may think it odd that I take him to see a doctor when both of his parents are doctors. It's simply bad form in my opinion to doctor your own child. Your biases becomes magnified, and you tend to either over or under estimate everything. Plus, I want him to think of me as Dad and not his doctor. Thus, he has his own pediatrician that he sees regularly.

The most disconcerting part of the whole experience was when little man's fussiness turned to full out screaming. I have never heard him scream like that before. That should speak to just how well mannered he usually is, and that really started to concern me. I will give my wife credit here, as I was at work when most of this was happening. She made the appointment with the doctor and away we went.

As it turns out, our little guy had an ear infection. This was fairly obvious when he screamed while having his ears examined. Unfortunately, the ear that was infected also was crammed with ear wax. After a thanks to his Dad for getting his copious ear wax gene, poor HumorMD Jr had to get his infected ear irrigated. All things considered, he really did handle it well. There were only a few outright screams. I would have been rolling on the floor if it were me. It probably helped that I immediately jammed a full bottle into his mouth once the ordeal was over. Formula really is the ultimate comfort food.

We got a prescription for the bubble gum flavored amoxicillin that you have already heard about, and we are still sucking that down twice a day. HumorMD Jr is doing quite well and is getting back to terrorizing his own fingers while he tries to swallow them. I must say that this episode greatly increases my respect for pediatricians. Diagnosing an ear infection may seem like no big deal, but it was pretty nerve-racking hearing him scream. That's even coming from a parent with his own MD. Maybe if we can figure out a less invasive way to get rid of ear wax, then it would be better. Let me know if you think of something. HumorMD Jr deserves a share of the profits after his experience.