Mar 04 2007
Sickness Part 1 - Benfluenza Hurtingears
Ben spiked about a 105 fever the day after we had our outdoors adventure. An uncomfortable swab up his nose later, and he received his diagnosis.
Influenza.
Now, I don’t know whether it was “A” or “B” or some other denotation for the strains of the season. I just know that they sent Shannon home with a prescription for Tamiflu and orders to keep Ben’s fever down.
That damn fever fought us, but four or five days later, it was gone. Ben still was stuffed up and sniffling, just like his mommy and me, but generally feeling better.
Then, one night at his Grammy’s, he woke up shrieking.
She finally got him calmed down enough to go back to sleep, but never figured out what ailed the boy. That type of thing is very unusual for Ben, so we knew to keep an eye on him.
The next couple days he was grouchy and, one night when Shannon was out with friends, he told me his ears hurt. He leaned his head over and scrunched his shoulder up to meet it. “It doesn’t hurt when I do this, Daddy,” he said. Because he wasn’t crying or whining, I just chalked it up to sinus pressure from congestion.
I poured some ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine down his gullet and told him his ears should feel better soon. Ben has been sick so little since his birth that neither he nor I knew exactly what to do. He had never taken an antibiotic until earlier this winter, for a sinus infection.
Meanwhile, I had a sore throat and sinus problems for about four or five days running, and Shannon was feeling worse each minute. I soldiered on by raiding work’s free medicine cabinet, loaded with goodies like generic Sudafed, Tylenol, Claritin, Motrin, and some medicated swabs guaranteed to stop bleeding. I never had to resort to the latter, but somehow was comforted by their presence. Shannon kept going by sheer will, hoping to keep Ben as close to his usual daily routine as possible. The very young and the very old thrive on it.
I thought I had turned a corner on Wednesday, my voice in its Barry White phase. I went downhill all day Friday. Even hopped up on the break room’s free junk I couldn’t keep my symptoms at bay.
At about four that afternoon, Shannon called and asked if I could get off work early to take Ben to the doctor. He was complaining of ear pain again, and she was in no shape to haul him in. Work said it was no problem, so I took off.
After a whirlwind trip home to grab the boy and take him to an after-hours clinic, I sat in the exam room with Ben watching The Cartoon Channel’s Boomerang. Apparently every exam room features a DishNetwork receiver pumping pixels through a 17-inch LCD mounted on a swing arm. The program was called “Gerald McBoing Boing,” and, judging from its history, apparently I should be ashamed I never heard of it. The lead character vocalizes only with sound effects, no words, and has a particularly stupid father.
I sat through only a few minutes of that before an Asian-American doctor walked into the room.
Doctor: Hi, Benjamin. Can you tell me what hurts?
Ben: (stares blankly at TV)
Me: Um, as long as that TV’s on, you’re probably not going to get any answers from him.
Doctor: Benjamin. Can you point to where it hurts?
Me: His ears hurt. He told me when he goes like this (I imitate Ben’s head move) it doesn’t hurt.
Doctor: (holding clipboard between Ben’s face and the TV) Can you tell me, do your ears hurt right now?
Ben: (stares blankly at clipboard)
Me: Ben, she’s talking to you.
(how many of you were envisioning a male doctor up to this point?)
Ben: (nods head slightly)
Doctor: Okay, I need to get a look. (holds up to her eye that neat tool with a rectangular eyepiece that tapers down into a single point of light. Puts lighted end in Ben’s left ear, then his right.) Oh, yeah, he has a pretty bad infection in both ears.
She went over the prescriptions with me and herded us toward the front desk. As I paid, Ben regarded a basket full of stickers — cars, superheroes, frogs, dinosaurs — and chose a bright pink one featuring Strawberry Shortcake dressed as a princess, the words “Once Upon a Time” in the lower right corner.
We headed home and joined his mommy for a weekend of sickness.
During that time, Shannon and I enjoyed another first in our nearly 15-year marriage, but that tale will have to wait for part 2.
Ear infections. I HATED those when I was little, but I only remember getting a few of them. Do you remember getting that warm liquid poured in your ears to make them “feel better.” Whatever. I hope he’s already on the road to recovery, and I hope you and Shannon are doing better too. You have sounded awful the last few times we’ve spoken on the phone.
A little extra rest is about the best thing you can do. I’d rather take a day of total rest, than fight the thing and function at reduced productivity for 4-5 days. Then there’s always that pesky problem of getting something worse when you’re rundown.
Didn’t have time to read this except for the title… will be back and hope Ben is fine by then.
Charles - I remember hating them, too. Weird thing is, Ben loved the drops the first few times we gave them to him. Last night, though, even after he woke up whining loudly and saying his ears hurt, he didn’t want any part of those drops. He got them, anyway.
When he got that first antibiotic liquid a few weeks ago, I took a whiff and instantly was rocketed back to childhood. I hadn’t encountered that smell since I was a little boy. Amoxycillin — not a nice bouquet on that one. Funny thing, though? Ben doesn’t mind taking it at all (or any other medicine, for that matter).
Linda - Thanks. He acted like he was at 100% on Sunday, but the ears were a problem again last night (after I wrote the post).
Ok… one thing of importance here.
When it comes to pain, and medication, I NEVER, EVER use generic. We’re talking pain here. Go for the good stuff. Save the generic stuff for beer and soda *LOL*
Think about it.
There are few things in life that I’ll use generic equivalents.
I like my Hellmans Mayo, not generic white fluffy stuff, and I like soft bathroom tissue, not sandpaper generic stuff.
(I’ll continue some other time, as I have a bunch of examples)
Seriously, I hope Ben, you and Shan all are feeling 100% soon bud.
When my wife or I get into our Barry White voice phase of illness, we refer to it as the “sexy phlegm.” Yum!
There are some shows on TV that I simply cannot tolerate, and that McBoing Boing thing is one of them. Up there with the Teletubbies.
After what you’ve written here I suppose I’m sort of thankful that our kids have been as sick as they have been. (Not a lot, mind you, but it sounds like a good deal more than Ben has been.) They’ve both been to see the doctor a fair bit and have run the gamut of expected childhood illnesses these first few years. From that perspective we’ve become slightly inured to the mild stuff and pretty much know when to start to get concerned. If we don’t see blood streaming from the ears or a twisted, broken limb, we know we can handle it at home.
(Yes, I was picturing a male doctor up to that point. Deeply ingrained stereotype.)
Betterness hoped for all of you. Especially Mr. Hurtingears.
Yep, I think I jinxed the poor kid when I kept going on and on about how he’d never ever been sick (besides a cold). It wasn’t long after that that he was on his first ever round of antibiotics for the sinus infection, and it’s been downhill ever since then. Sorry, Benjamin. :-(
I’m hoping Ben starts getting better quickly with the anitbiotics. It sounds like he’s handling it pretty well though, poor guy.
I’m really hoping Norah doesn’t inherit her mother’s allergies to almost all antibiotics. We haven’t had to try any yet…but it sure makes infections scary when you automatically cut your arsenal in half and know that some of the remaining drugs may be more dangerous than the infection.
I was also picturing a male doctor, which is odd concidering our family doctor/pediatrician is female and we’re constantly correcting our family as they refer to Norah’s doctor as “he.” Deeply ingrained assumptions, man.
I used to really fight for the use of a singular, gender-nuetral pronoun. Typically I would argue for the use of “they” as singular since English has no equivelent. I read an artical once about this issue that was arguing for the same use of they, but th article concluded by saying that even the use of a nuetral pronoun doesn’t really solve the issue of ingrained sexism. Your example, Mark, shows this, but the author’s example was pretty clever in showing how often we don’t even see it.
“Yesterday, I spoke with my neighbor’s wife”
Nothing wrong with that, eh? No misused pronouns. But, why not just say you spoke with your neighbor?
Dave - Okay, I can see your point, if there’s a brand-name drug that’s superior to every generic out there. Sure, go for it if you need that extra oomph it provides. But, Motrin is ibuprofen, plain and simple (unless you’re talking about some kind of Motrin Plus or whatever), and other generics contain exactly the same active ingredient as their brand-name counterparts, too (acetaminophen is a great example, too). Same with antibiotics. Maybe some of the brands carry a special outer coating or something, but from what I understand, generic doesn’t mean less effective. I know for sure my brother can straighten me out if I’m not right, but he read this post first, so he might not be back.
I know you have ties to the healthcare field, too, so I’m sure you have a good base for your stand on it.
I definitely wouldn’t skimp if I thought it made a difference (there’s more on that in Part 2, which I wrote when I wrote Part 1, but decided to split them up for length).
I couldn’t agree more about bathroom tissue and other items like that.
Simon - ‘Twas my first and I hope last time to see McBoing Boing. Originally created by Dr. Seuss or not, the current iteration is not good.
Yeah, we do pretty well until he gets lethargic or doesn’t sleep through the night. Either is a sign Ben has nasty microbes.
Wife - No, you didn’t jinx him. He’s just going through his first winter of school (only two days a week though it may be).
Moksha and Simon - Isn’t it interesting about the gender assumption? I didn’t think of it until I was writing that little scene.
I always wonder when asked, “Are you allergic to any medications,” just what percentage of the population says, “Yes.” I’ve always been able to say “Nothing, as far as I know,” so I suppose the first time I get a new one that hits me wrong, I’ll be done for.
On the “my neighbor’s wife” thing, I don’t know. The woman in the same couple might say, “my neighbor’s husband,” just because she’s closer friends with the woman. But, I know what you mean. I’ve seen that kind of sexism.
I can’t count how many times I’ve changed sentences, and sometimes entire paragraphs, to get around writing “he or she” without using, “they” as singular. I’ve read articles in parenting magazines that alternate “he” and “she” each paragraph. That’s just silly, somehow. Give us a gender-neutral singular pronoun now!
Given the gender neutral pronouns I’ve seen proposed…I personally come down on the “just use they” side of things. And as we’ve discussed before, I tend to view grammar as a suggestion more than a rule. If someone wants to use a singular they to avoid the he….I say they should be able to.
Also…I’m with you on generic drugs. My understanding is that they’re the same. Love to know if I’m worng, though. However…I’d just stop drinking beer before I switched to generic. Ya see…I’m what my brother calls a “beer snob.” I’ll gladly take my generic drugs to save enough to avoid bad beer.
It sound like Ben’s doing better, which is great.
I guess I’m guilty of writing he/she whenever I’m not being gender specific somteimes, but I typically will write it just like that…he/she, when I’m not sure. Is that bad in the writing world?
Generic medicines. Interesting topic. First off, the FDA regulates all prescription and over the counter medications. So, if you buy something that is labeled with a brand name, because you feel more comfortable…that’s fine. The reality is that there may be some very slight differences in quality, but keep in mind that the FDA conducts random inspections frequently, so they should all meet their minimum standards. If it says 200mg of Ibuprofen, you’re probably getting the same from an Advil, or a generic. The risk of contaminants or incorrect dosage is likely NO different, or the brand name manufacturers would be making that public in a hurry to distinguish themselves. That’s not something that has been in the press, nor would I expect it to be an issue.
The brand name manufacturers are always coming out with a different method of delivery. Fast dissolving, liquid capsules, different formluations, etc. Some of those may be easier on some people’s stomachs, and more convenient. That may make a difference vs. buying generic caplets to some. So…there’s some validity to the argument in favor of brand names, and that may make enough difference for some people.
One step further. Pain medications. I’m hesitant to write too much on this one, for fear of being labeled. For the record, they all make me sick to my stomach, and the most I can handle is 1/2 of a Hydrocodone, and that’s only been a few times in my life. A used to take 1/2 of a Lorcet Plus every now and then, and I could barely tolerate that myself. I just know this stuff, because I used to sell drugs for Merck.
When it comes to pain pills, it’s a very similar story. Oxycontin is a good example. People will swear by Percodan or Percoset. The only difference between the two is that one contains aspirin, and the other contains Acetaminophen. Some people may respond better to one or the other, just like they would for aspirin vs acetaminophen.
The same is true for Vicodin. It is simply Hydrocodone with Acetominophen.
In either case, you could get generic Oxycontin, or Hydrocodone, and take the the recommended dosage of acetominophen or aspirin in conjunction with them, and save a lot of money vs. buying the brand names. But…how many people are willing to take the time to research that, or know the difference well enough to ask when the Dr. writes the prescription. Very few. So then you’re at the pharmacy, and the pharmacist says, “Your plan will cover generic Hydrocodone only.” Then you’re stuck waiting for them to contact the office etc.
This is common with all medicines. When the FDA patent runs out, making them susceptible to generic release, they change the configuration slightly to continue to offer it as a prescription.
If you do some reading, it is easy to identify what you may be giving up or gaining by going with generic vs. name brand. Often time, it’s just a matter of taking two generics together to get the same effect of the prescription medication.
Pain medicines are a little unique in that they affect people VERY differently. I know people who have to take 3 Hydrocodone pills to help with pain. I’d be comatose I think.
Where people run into issues is when they’re used to taking 3 of pill “x,” and they grab pill “Y’ from a friend, or their medicine cabinet, and they think they need the same amount. However, they may react completely differently to them. “Oh, I take three Vicodin’s to feel anything. I’ll take three of these Percodan’s and be fine.” Bam..Oxycontin acts differently for them, and they expect to drive somewhere in 30 minutes.
Fentanyl and Morphine are a different story, and in a different league. Just know that if you or a family member are in the hospital, and you take those medicines…you’re basically taking Heroin or Opium. The affects from them are indistinguishable. So…it’s a good idea to get off of them as soon as you can.
I hate being sick. The only thing worse is one of the younglings being sick.
Since cheapness is a sixth sense to me, I read labels and buy generic for over the counter drugs. My medical coverage insists on generics where available, who am I to be any different.
When it comes to our tartar sauce, we will accept nothing but Frisch’s Big Boy Tartar Sauce. Mmmm good!
Moksha - “I’ll gladly take my generic drugs to save enough to avoid bad beer.” Great quote.
I never acquired a taste for any beer, so I’ll take everybody’s word on that. But, I almost can’t drink canned coffee any more, so I understand being a beverage snob. No, that doesn’t mean I go to Starbuck’s; it means I grind my own beans.
If someone doesn’t like that, then they can kiss it.
Blitz - Being puke sick’s the worst. I’m kind of like Seinfeld on the sick thing. The last time I puked, it was the first time in seven years, and the time before that was seven years prior, too.
Of course, that resulted largely from my aversion to beer.
Charles - Thanks for the awesome educational piece. I love learning things that are practical. I spent a lot of time and money learning things that aren’t.
I knew you’d come through. Heck, we should have just made it a guest post.
Mark,
I think it’s more of what is added, or coated with.
I can remember a few instances, when I had TMJ (Jaw problem) and the odd drug that was prescribed made my stomach hurt more than my jaw, until I took the NON Generic version which was fine.
As far as Ibuprofen goes, maybe it is all the same.. but if it were, why are the brand names selling still?
Either way, I don’t scrimp on my health or pain. Just me I guess.
Dave, you bring up a good point. There are times when certain generics don’t have the latest coating, or aren’t available in time-release formulations. In those instances, it would definitely make a difference to some people.
The reason the brand names are still selling is because they are brand names, and brand labeling works very well with the general public. Most people don’t know that Advil, Tylenol, and Alleve have generic equivalents, or they aren’t really sure of the names of the generics, or about the FDA regulations that control them.
Tylenol PM has to take the cake for me though. I hear people swear by how well it works for them. It’s Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) (25mg), and Acetaminophen (Tylenol) (500mg). You could buy more than three times the number of each in generic form and take one of each in place of Tylenol PM for the same price.
What’s scary is that prolonged use of antihistamines in males has been linked to prostate enlargement. So…I’m sure there are plenty of people out there taking Tylenol PM, thrilled to death, enlarging their prostates without even knowing the ingredients.
No matter what…it’s always better not to take anything whenever possible.