We's haz teh plague...

Jake's asthma (or, what I thought was his asthma) has been acting up this week. Which meaning coughing. Lots of coughing. We've been treating it with the inhalers but it hasn't helped. Finally last night around 9pm I brought him to the Emergency Room for a couple of nebulzer (sp?) treatments. Went home around 11:30, but by 12:30 he was coughing literally every 5 to 10 seconds and could not sleep. He was miserable. By the time we got back to the hospital, it was a 'barking' cough. To try to make a long story short:

• They think it's either the Croup or Whooping Cough (!!!)
• He had to endure his first I.V. ever for fluids and for I.V. steroids. He HATES needles. But he was SO brave. I'm very proud of him.
• He was given so many meds at the hospital to try to make the cough stop enough for him to sleep that I kind of lost track so I honestly can't list them all.
• He had chest and neck x-rays. The chest is clear, but the neck showed the constrictions common with the Croup.
• He also developed a fever.
  
• He FINALLY stopped coughing long enough to sleep from around 5:30 - 6:30 this morning at the hospital.
  
• I got to sit up in a chair (nodding off a little) all night, which did wonders for my shoulder, I assure you.
• They had to take some kind of nasty culture which consisted of shoving a wire up his sinus cavity, which was ever-so-pleasant for him. This will go off to the State Lab, who will most certainly come execute us all if he does turn out to test positive for teh Plague. (read: Whooping Cough)
  
• He was discharged at 7am. We arrived home around 7:30 and he slept quietly (thank God!) until 2pm today.
• He is now on Prednesone, Zithromax, cough meds with Codine, Ibuprofen, and Tylenol.
• He missed school today and will miss it tomorrow. Monday is a school holiday anyway, so we've got at least five days quarantined here at the homestead. I've rented a bunch of movies to tide us over.
• Even if he does have teh Plague, he will no longer be contagious by Monday, because of the Zithromax. Of course, I will have come down with it myself by then, anyway.
  

In conclusion:
ER visit: $75
Cool Mist Humidifier: $25
Five million prescription meds: $45
One bucket o'ice cream: $5
The boy sleeping reasonably comfortably through the night: Priceless.