Why does my kid keep getting strange illnesses that kill the Pioneers on the Oregon Trail game?

Quite the series of events has unfolded this past week.  I’ll save you the details on the stuff that isn’t autism-related (unless you really want to know), and just get on with BW’s stuff…

We went to the surgical consult at Riley Hospital for Children with the ENT doc, and he said that BW doesn’t meet the criteria for recommendation for tonsil and adenoid removal (I know I touched on this in my last post...)  This concerned me, not that I really want for him to have surgery, but because he gets sick SO. OFTEN.  And because on any given day of the year, if you look in his mouth you can see these giant, ping-pong ball size tonsils just sitting there blocking his airway.  He gags on his food, and he stops breathing at night. This freaks both him and me out.  So we were referred to the sleep study team.  Whomp-whomp.  Nothing there either.  So two  weeks go by and here we are, BW is sick again.  It’s so hard to tell sometimes with him if there aren’t any visible symptoms.  He won’t tell you when his throat hurts, you have to just listen for smurfiness in his voice.  He won’t tell you when he has a head ache, he will just scream and terrorize the entire household (including hurting his sister on her head).  He doesn’t tell you when his stomach hurts, he will just look you in the eye and then throw up on the white carpet.  He doesn’t tell you when his sinuses are clogged, but that one is at least easy to identify.

So on Thursday we noticed the stuffy nose.  Friday we noticed the drainage changed colors and his voice got a little crackly.  Saturday during the day he was ok, but he started gagging a lot, from mucus drainage.  So I begin to wonder: Is it seasonal allergies? The farmers nearby have been tilling the fields to prep for planting. That usually brings about some sinus gunk.  Yeah, that’s gotta be it, right?  So we went to the church’s fundraiser, then had some lunch with friends  that afternoon while daddy was working. He started doing the gagging thing and both kids were getting cranky, so we went home.  As the next few hours passed, I started noticing his eyes getting puffy, and his sinus area swelling some.  Time to watch more closely.  He felt cool to the touch, so I didn’t see a reason to take his temp just yet. (He fights it, and it makes for a rough next several hours, even with just the temple scan).  Daddy gets home from work and we watch him closely.  7pm rolls around, and we started seeing big changes, so we decided that it was time to go to UrgentCare. 

UrgentCare, not emergency.

When we got to the office 40 minutes later, I noticed a few red spots on his face.  I filled out the paperwork, and waited to be called back to see the doctor.  15 minutes passed, a very reasonable time frame for a place where we had no appointment.  During that 15 minutes, the few spots turned to huge red blobs with a few little bumps here and there  around his eyes, nose chin and cheeks. 

So the verdict here is:  Although his skin was strangely cool to the touch, his temperature was 103 F. He has an ear infection, sinus infection, and Scarlett Fever (a severe form of strep that resulted in the death of many a Pioneer in the pre-antibiotic days.)  BW had strep in February, again in March, and now the Scarlett Fever.  How does this not make him a good candidate for removal of these bacteria-trapping, always swollen and painful glands that keep him from  sleeping well at night, and keep him sick all day?  (Yes, before I get told-off, I know that for most people the tonsils serve their purpose well and keep people from getting sick, but for some they do the opposite.) 

On a lighter note, when I told my husband the diagnosis, he said “People still get that?”  This has been the same response from just about everyone.. I didn’t realize it was still around either.  But if something is to be found, this little Ninja is apt to find it. Unless it’s something we want him to find, that is. ;)

So now I say again, Why does my kid keep getting strange illnesses that kill the characters on the Oregon Trail game? in elementary school? (you know, on the old IBM computers with the giant game disks?)  I’d better watch letting my daughter play outside.  She is 3 years old and weighs 27 pounds.  She might get carried off by a hawk or bald eagle or something.        {O_0}