Fear No H1N1 But Pneumonia!

Our daughter, Julia, age 5, has been sick for 12 days. It is not H1N1, it is no longer the fever and cough flu it has progressed to pneumonia or as the doctor called it "a touch of pneumonia." We called the doctor when she first got the fever. Since she had H1N1 early this summer, we knew it was not that. I described her fever and cough. I was told this strain should last between three to five days. I was also told if she did not feel better in five days, we should bring her in to see the doctor. We waited. After five days of fever and passing the illness along to her sister. We took both girls to the doctor. After a brief exam, we were told it had not spread to the lungs or ears. We thought Julia was on the mends with no fever for more than 24 hours, although she was coughing quite a bit. Her sister was fine. Julia went back to school the day before Halloween, excited about the pumpkin craving activity planned for the morning. I stayed in the classroom to help wash little hands after they reached into the pumpkin to pull out seeds and pumpkin guts. My plan was to take Julia home after lunch for a nap. She said she wanted to stay. It was library day. So I went against my gut feeling and went home without her. By dinner time, she had another fever and felt terrible. I took her back to the doctor’s office on Halloween morning. After a longer exam which included a pulse measurement, the doctor said Julia had a touch of pneumonia. While she was not contagious, she did not feel well. She perked up a little when we started to get ready for trick or treating and our neighbor’s annual Halloween party. Trick or treating was limited to about a dozen houses for her. That is all she wanted. Thanks to great neighbors giving out our treats at their Halloween party, my husband took her home after grabbing a bite to eat at the party. I continued ringing doorbells with my older daughter and we were able to enjoy the party for a little while. I can tell Julia is tired of being sick. I am feeling depressed about not having my lively kindergartener. I feel even sadder when I hold her and can feel she has lost weight. I have some regrets during this illness. I regret not taking her to the doctor sooner instead of waiting five days. I regret not asking for a longer exam when I did take her the first time. And most of all I regret not sticking to my instincts on the day before Halloween and having her come home for a much needed nap. I do not know if it would have prevented pneumonia, but it sure makes me wonder. Next time I will stick with my gut feeling.