finn started developing a cold a couple days before new years, but it wasn't too bad. by new years eve, it had turned into a hacking, mucus-y cough. i was slightly concerned, because it just sounded so awful, but he was still in great spirits so i didn't think too much of it. i bought some cough medicine and figured we'd be good to go. we had plans to go to dinner and then to zoo lights with grandma cindy and nanny goat for new years eve, but after grandma cindy heard his cough, she decided we better not go. so we just went to dinner instead - market street broiler - then came home and enjoyed a pretty quiet new year's eve in our pj's. :) finn was starting to look a little more miserable as the night wore on, and i had bad feeling our new year wouldn't start out so great.
sure enough, finn was up bright and early new years day with the worst cough i've ever heard. he was also having a very difficult time breathing, so that is when we knew we better get to instacare. sammy boy started to cough a little too, so we figured we better bring him, just to be sure. i hate instacare, because i feel like 9 times out of 10 you leave sicker than when you came, but with sam being so little i didn't want to take any chances of either of them having rsv.
we were there by about 7:30, but because it was new year's they didn't open until 9, so we turned around and went home. after eating breakfast and playing for a while, we headed back, and it's a good thing because there was already a line of people in front of us! only 6 people, but still.... while we were waiting to get called back, finn entertained himself by going up and down the elevator, over and over and over. i'm pretty sure he did it at least 30 times haha. i guess that's the benefit of it being on a holiday - the rest of the building was closed so no one really needed the elevator.
when it was our turn, the nurse weighed both boys, listened to their hearts, checked their ears and throats, then did some breathing test on both of them. they both had to score above 94, otherwise they'd have to go on breathing treatments. thank goodness both were above 94. when we saw the dr, she asked us some questions about the type of cough, and diagnosed them with croup. i wasn't familiar with it, but it's just a really barky, viral cough that affects only little kids. she gave finn a steroid to help open up his lungs, but because sam is still so little, he couldn't have one. she told us that basically all we could do to help was exposing them to steam (from the shower, dishwasher, a humidifier, etc). that helps open their lungs, making it easier to breath.
when we left instacare, there were - no joke - at least 30 people waiting to be seen!! the nurse told us that this year they expect record-breaking numbers of illnesses, between strep, rsv, and the flu. ick!!!
finn was pretty miserable for three or four days. it was so sad! this is definitely the most sick that either baby has been, and it just broke my heart. their cough's just sounded so awful, i can't imagine the pain they must have been experiencing. sammy boy was still happy and smiley, so i didn't feel as bad for him as i did for finn. i did worry about him more though, since he is only 3 months old! no baby should get sick this early on. :(
in retrospect, i'm so glad it was only croup. i have a huge fear of rsv, whooping cough, pneumonia, etc. i know that croup is still serious, and nothing to be taken lightly, but i have heard such horror stories in the past couple weeks of kids who have nearly died from those other viruses. it is so scary. i can't wait for this winter to be over, and pray that we will stay somewhat healthy for its duration.
here's to hoping the rest of our year doesn't follow the lead of the first week!
happy 2013!!
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