Exercising those nurturing instincts

[jay]

Seems to be a recurring pattern lately -- I go away on a business trip, and things scrapeth when I return. This time, it's illness... I'm the only healthy adult in a household of five. patgreene, David, and Kevin are all feverish and queasy. James is non-contagious and mostly recovered from last week, but still has a nasty cough and lacks energy. David and James had positive strep tests... I'm assuming that Kevin and Pat have the same thing.

Yesterday, I got out of the house for a few hours in order to help move the House Dreamland folks, moving sinboy and hopeforyou's stuff up to the new place in southern San Francisco. Today I escaped for two hours for a Costco/Safeway run for groceries (we were out of toilet paper, among other things...). When I returned, Kevin had 104.1 and was vomiting... sigh. Lots of cleanup, disinfecting and laundry this weekend. Wiping fevered brows with cool damp cloths. Cuddling whimpering small children. Fatherly stuff.

At least my sweetie Nancy apparently had a fun time with her hubby Dave up in Nova Scotia... (grin). I wonder if they could find Atlantic salmon there that wasn't the icky farm-raised-and-colored-with-orange dye stuff ... it's enough to keep me from eating salmon nowadays unless it's from the Pacific.

I had hoped to work on the house itself this weekend, and take the family to see "Finding Nemo", but that will all have to wait. I'm afraid to ask anyone out to lunch next week, for fear that I'll come down with the bug myself and have to cancel. Otherwise... my social calendar for June is empty, other than the PPP, the Dreamland housewarming and a promised lunch sometime soon with runeshower.

Back offline to check on the kids... I'll do the interview meme sometime in the next couple of days, sorry.

Comments

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

Hope everyone is feeling better soon for you! *hugs*

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Things are currently unchanged here.

[oceansedge.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear everyone is feeling so poorly. Do take care of yourself so as not to suffer the same fate. But (grins) you ever notice there is a certain warm comforting feel in caring for those we love when they're not well, or hurting? Or for that matter in being cared for by someone we love. Its kinda nice stretching those nurturing skills once in a while.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

There's a reassurance in it, a demonstration of loving ties that in turn reinforces them.

That said, I still wish that I wasn't using my sick leave today to take care of everyone... ;-)

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

If you're available for lunch on Saturday in San Leandro, I hope I'll see you. I'll post the details again, here and on alt.poly/sfbay-poly some time today.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- I went back over the past couple of weeks in your journal, but didn't see a visit mentioned (I was wondering if I'd just missed it). Lunch would be fun, depending on timing... my kids have their Little League closing ceremonies at 10am Saturday.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I posted it to alt.poly and sfbay-poly and, I think, here, but anyway, it's going to be at 2pm at the Englander in San Leandro:

Englander Sports Pub & Restaurant
101 Parrott Street, San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 357-3571

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Augh. I'm sorry to hear everyone else has succumbed to the strep. Hope you don't get it after all.

Trading contagion stories, here: When exactly did James come down with this again? Is there any possibility that Allegra could have been exposed during her overnight? And what's the incubation period? I'm guessing she would have shown symptoms by now (she hasn't), but thought I'd ask you, since you guys probably have more up-to-date information than you'd like.

And the trade back is that Allegra has been exposed to scabies. The most problematic exposure would have been the day AFTER she was with you guys. But it apparently has a 4 to 6 WEEK incubation period, so she might have been exposed sometime BEFORE that. It's unclear how contagious it is in folks not showing symptoms, though. (I've been phantomly itchy ever since getting the news, of course!). I'm calling the doc soon, to see if they have any advice on the matter. I'll let you know if they think WE should be treated. If not, I'd seriously doubt you guys would need it.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

(grin) the joys of parenting, vol.76...

I have a good immune system, so I'm hoping I can avoid hosting the strep. I can trace James's exposure directly -- I'm certain that he was exposed to it at a band trip to Gilroy and to Great America theme park, on the Saturday when Allegra was here. But he didn't return home until after Allegra left, so she wouldn't have been exposed. James began feeling unwell Tuesday afternoon, about 3 days later. Then Pat, David and Kevin all started feeling ill on Friday, three days after that.

As far as scabies goes... did she develop a rash the day after she was here? The mites generally die after day or so after emerging (and thence aren't contagious, just itchy afterward). If she had a rash that Saturday or Sunday, it's possible that some early-emerging mites could have exposed David or Kevin. Otherwise, probably nothing to worry about, unless your doctor advises differently.

Hopefully her pediatrician's practic isn't also being dissolved... (hug).

Yes, the joys of parenting.... ;^)

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

Well, that's a relief about the strep. No worries there then.

It sounds like you have actual experience with scabies, which so far I lack. (*crossing fingers* that it remains so!) The info I found on-line was all very vague. No, I know of no rash that Allegra has developed (yet). I should still call the ped., though, to double-check. And no, their office isn't being dissolved. Our doctor left the practice years ago, and so did her replacement, and his replacement.... But the PRACTICE is still there, anyway!

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

No actual experience, thankfully... once we thought David had scabies after he developed an itchy rash, but it was just an allergic reaction to something else.