Freddy has had croup which was terrifying. The rasping bark was absolutely awful, but thankfully it was over quite quickly to be followed by a streaming cold. The sneezes, the snot and the runny eyes have become the norm for my poor little fella, who bravely fights it off retaining his sense of humour and his cheeky smile throughout.
My oldest son Joe has had a bad run of it too. A sore throat lead to a chest infection which, after causing a whole array of lumpy lymph nodes to pop out of his neck, caused him to seek medical help. The Penicillin that was prescribed worked initially, but a few days later poor Joe started to swell up with hot, lumpy skin. An emergency visit to the doctor confirmed that he was having an allergic reaction to the medicine. My poor boy's Facebook Status read:
"What's big, man shaped and covered in red lumps head to toe? Yay go me!"
My poor husband is not getting away from all the ill health worries either. He has been having a long term health issue which although was not as sinister as we first feared, is proving to be a continual worry. Hospital appointments continue as they try to diagnose his problem and the doctors are not holding back when they talk about potential problems if they don't resolve it. He has some invasive tests coming up and I hope with all my heart they get to the bottom of it all.
The girls are all having their share of germs and whatnot too. Megan is asthmatic and her condition has been getting worse. It was only when she re-arranged her room in her shared house at university that she discovered a possible cause of her worsening chest condition. Behind her bed was thick black mould spewing spores into the air right next to her head as she slept. Luckily with some bleach, a heater and some good ventilation her room was cleaned up and we're hoping the asthma will improve.
As for me, I haven't slept through the night for over three weeks with poorly children to contend with. I'm coughing and have a sore throat but I don't have the luxury to indulge my poorliness. But that it a parents' lot, to put their bugs on hold while they deal with everyone elses'!
So this year, all I want for Christmas is five healthy kids and a healthy husband so we can enjoy our family time together! Failing that, a supply of Calpol, Covonia and Ibuprofen will do the trick!