Bird Flu?

I hope his dinner was the only thing Mr. Sparrow left in our house this week. SB is sick, hopefully not with bird flu.

SB got sick yesterday with a fever and chest wheezing. She also has a nasty cough that sounds like a seal barking. After a LONG night, during which none of us slept, SB and I saw the doctor today, accompanied by my mother.

Same diagnosis as last time. SB has bronchiolitis. It was traumatic enough having the nurses jam sticks up her nose, and heaven forbid anyone else try to listen to her chest with a stethoscope. After the usual torture was finished, the doc announced that there was one more little thing. She ordered chest x rays to be done to make sure SB doesn't have pneumonia.

Have you ever had to watch a child get x rays? If so, then you know how awful it is. Now imagine having to hold your own child down while she kicks and screams FOUR TIMES so they can get a good picture. I understand it needed to be done. What I don't understand is how unsympathetic the technicians were towards us.

They wanted her to stand on a chair, pressed against a machine, while my mom and I stood on either side of her, pinning her arms up above her head, holding her arms, legs and head perfectly still.

First of all, SB wanted nothing to do with that chair or any part of the machine to which we were pinning her. No time to comfort her or try to acquaint her with her surroundings. The techs just pushed her back against the machine with a deadly force, while slamming her head back into the contraption, insisting that we hold her tighter. They took one picture, then disappeared from the room for several minutes without saying one word to us as far as where they were going or whether or not we were done.

We just stood there, bamboozled for several minutes until they stormed back in, pinned her up against the machine again and commanded us to hold her still while she kicked and screamed in protest.

Another picture, another silent exit by the techs, and repeat.

Apparently they could not get a clear picture because SB was not interested in posing for their photo op. Finally, on round four, one of the techs strapped on an apron and helped me hold her down. I found it interesting that she strapped on a protective apron for one pic after my mother and I had been exposed to three rounds of radiation with no protection whatsoever.

But I'm no x ray technician, so who am I to question them? I also wanted to inform them, "She is a child, not a football. Can we be a little more gentle, please?" But I didn't. The fourth time was our lucky winner, so the tech announced, "ok that's all," and walked out. We showed ourselves out.

I bet those ladies don't have kids. The way they treated my poor, sick little baby was just disgraceful. SB is still shaken up from the day's events, and her fever is back. I didn't think she was even going to go down for her nap this afternoon, even though she was clearly exhausted. It took three rocking chair sessions, then ten minutes of crying it out before she finally gave in.

Missing Bunny might have had something to do with that though. SB must have puked or pooped something on him last night, as I discovered some kind of brownish yellow material on him and her crib sheets today. He's being laundered while she sleeps, and I think I'm going to catch a little nap myself. SB wasn't the only one traumatized today!!