Flip A Coin

Ava is not better and her throat is a smelly hazardous toxic receptacle. Obviously, we headed off to the real pediatrician first thing this morning. She confirmed what the drive thru "Ya, want fries with that?" Dr. said yesterday. If she doesn't respond to antibiotics, chances are she has mono. Which is viral. Which means 5-7 days of fever and "discomfort" her word of course. Discomfort in medical translation means excrutiating neck and throat pain making it impossible to eat unless doped up on Motrin and only then gatorade and 2 sips of cherry jello. Really all she has eaten in the last 24 hours is some gatorade and a few sips of sprite and about 2 tablespoons of cherry jello. Well, unless you count 3 1/2 eaten no real fruit popscicles. The kids is sick if she is leaving a popscicle 1/2 eaten, no swab or blood test needed.

Speaking of blood tests, yes she had that this morning as well. Which posed a serious moral dilemma for me. The Dr. tells me we have to go to the lab to drop off the second strep culture and get a blood test for mono. Do I a) tell her immediately since it is her right and it is her body and I should treat her with respect and give her the chance to take the news with dignity in a big girl fashion or b) drive right home not saying one thing (thus not lying) drop off the baby with the Muffin Man and drive Ava back to the lab all the while stating we are dropping off the throat culture (which we were, again not lying) and break the "your getting a big old needle up the arm" news in the parking lot?

Based on the epic proportions of drama displayed 6 months ago at one little Kindergarten readiness shot...I'm sheepishly admitting to option b. I know I can justify my kindhearted silence until 11th hour up the ying yang but ultimately I was a little sleep deprived and stressed and did not want to hear 20 minutes of screaming and flailing in the car driving to said blood test.

She took it as well as could be expected running a 103 degree fever and with tonsils swollen shut. Honestly, it was so sad hitting a kid below the belt while going down for the count with the needle news. But the whole high fever thing made her slightly less cantankerous in the end. Again sad, temporarily more convenient while navigating traffic but still ultimately sad. She took it like a champ and earned those 2 princess stickers like no other 5 year old in all of time. Upon getting back in the car she muttered something about giving a sticker to her sister, because she would like Jasmine. And that is where I had to stop and well up a bit.

So, now we sit and watch Pinky Dinky Doo for 24 hours while the lab folks flip the illness du jour coin mono or strep? Hopefully test results will come in before her brain melts down the sides of her ears from too much television and cherry jello.