Tips for a Sick Week

We've been bludgeoned with illness here at our house this week.  Both parents have had colds, one child has escaped unscathed so far whereas the other child has battled a fever followed by a cold, neck pain (not meningitis-style, no worries), an ear infection (it resolved itself), pink eye and an additional infection! In 48 hours he had three doctor's visits...this from a child who never seems to catch anything.

Here are the things that helped:

*wearing my flannel pajamas and thick socks at night--because there was  lot of getting up!

*fresh pillowcase for the sick child each day--especially after he developed conjunctivitis (yuck!)

*good old-fashioned shower-steaming in the middle of the night

*Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the coughing person's feet--covered by snug socks

*warm blankets, fresh from the dryer, coupled with a hot water bottle--so cozy

*lots of hand sanitizer and hand-washing (I typically never use hand sanitizer, but when there's a contagious illness in the house I pull it out of hibernation in the linen closet)--and plenty of nice, unrefined shea butter to combat my dry knuckles

*washing the laundry in order of current importance: hankies and towels and washcloths first, sheets and pillowcases second, comfy sleeping clothes and underwear next, and street clothes last

*having my Sick Book handy to record all the nuances and details of the illnesses as they unfolded

*picking up a designer Kleenex box at Kroger that matches my son's room decor--if you have to use disposable tissues, you might as well have a cool box that matches your room (this one is Isaac Mizrahi--black and white)

*drinking lots of lemon water (me--for my milder, but still annoying, cold)

*purchasing discount grocery store blooms so that the sick boy can have a vase of flowers near his bed--a little spot of cheer

*a neighbor who brought over potatoes, salad, spicy sauteed vegetables and pot roast last night!

*a husband who stayed home from work two days in a row to provide support and nap-swapping services

*keeping up with the basics of cleaning (and that's it): the laundry, the kitchen, and a bit of tidying at the end of the day

*Yummi Bear vitamins, chewable vitamin C, elderberry-with-echinacea-and-zinc, Emergen-C, a bit of lavender oil for the outside of the ears, chewable probiotics.....

*and finally, eye drops and antibiotics (the very last infection he contracted was bacterial and really made him ill)--only the second time in his life that this child has been on antibiotics.  But boy, do they work!  And boy, am I grateful!  The child in my house tonight is a far cry from the child who was in my house yesterday.

We are hoping that this was our 'fall illness week' and that we're off the hook until after the New Year...knock on wood!