Overmedication. It is scary.

Orren got very sick yesterday. He had a fever of up to 103 degrees, and really wouldn't eat, plus he was super whiny and miserable. He's hydrated, though, so in general, he's ok. His friend Vivi had the same thing earlier this week, so if he got it from her like we're pretty sure he did, it's probably going to last a few days, and then go away. This is actually the first time either kid has had a temperature that high. Erin's never been sick beyond just a plain old cold. Orren hadn't either, until this point.

It is a bit scary to see the thermometer get to those numbers, and just keep rising, but this is where it is most important to be a smart and informed parent rather than an alarmist parent. Thak has slowly made his way to my side of this thing, after an upbringing which included many misconceptions such as the idea that over the counter medications cure illnesses, and fevers should be treated. In reality, the symptoms treated by the majority of over the counter medications, including fevers, are important responses of the immune system to infections, which are usually viral, so there's really no medication for the problem itself. So in essence, by treating these symptoms, you're shooting the immune system in the foot. Do it enough times during childhood and the end result is an adult who's always sick, like Thak. (Hey, I'm not telling you anything he wouldn't tell you if you asked him.)

So what do you do when your kid gets sick? It's scary, right? I know me and Thak got almost no sleep last night because we were waking up to check on Orren a lot and continue taking his temperature. My tactic is just to observe and make sure he stays hydrated. We got him some Gatorade, and he's drinking very well, using the potty frequently. He's definitely hydrated. Hydration is important to the immune system as well as all other systems of the body. As long as he's staying hydrated, then really all there is to do is just sit back and let his immune system do its thing, even if its thing is a fever of 103 degrees at 1 in the morning.

I liked this page a lot. A friend of mine showed it to me as something to forward to alarmist parents who say that I'm not doing the right thing since I don't call the doctor for things like this. I found it particularly interesting, not to mention accurate, how it described the majority of parents' fear of fever. Another friend, whose husband is an ER doctor, can vouch for this (and does regularly!). She said that he comes home from his shift almost every time saying, "I swear if one more person brings me a kid with a cold and a temp of 102, thinking it's a life threatening emergency, I'm going to lose my mind." It ties into this "fever phobia" described in the article I liked. I think it is every bit as common as the article says it is, at least in our local military ER where my friend's husband works.

Don't get me wrong. If we actually need help, I will go to the doctor, even the ER. Erin's had stitches 3 times, courtesy of the good ER doctors at Ft. Stewart. When Orren was 5 months old, we hauled him into the pediatrician's office because he couldn't keep anything down and was showing signs of dehydration. Our pediatrician gave him some anti-nausea medication, and advice to bring him back in the morning for an IV if the medication didn't work. For a fever, though, no, we would not do that. We have a very no-BS pediatrician. He sees medication as a last resort, is all for the hands-off approach whenever possible, and the thing I like the most, he doesn't mince words on what's REALLY going on. I know that if I called our pediatrician about this thing, he would tell me to keep Orren hydrated and wait it out.

The fact is, what's going on with Orren right now is that there is some virus that is making him sick. What can be done for viruses? Nothing. Antibiotics kill bacteria. They don't touch viruses. Over the counter medications only treat symptoms. They don't kill any of the causes. The only thing that kills this type of virus is the immune system itself. The symptoms that people are so scared of are really about the best thing that can happen, since they mean the body is curing itself. This is where it becomes most important to have common sense and be rational about what's really going on. It sucks to see your kid not feeling well. I, for one, cannot wait until Orren is feeling better. I also trust that his immune system is strong, and will take care of this thing.