Barbara’s Bulletin #1: Gloved Hands & The Runny Nose
Hello everyone, Babs here. I am part of a large group text that consists of most of the women on my mother’s side of the family. It includes my mother Babs Senior, her sisters, and most of my cousins. They are embroiled in a large debate as to whether they should be wearing rubber gloves to work and school. Monday morning, before I headed on my way to work, I decided I’m not quite yet paranoid enough to start wearing gloves when I am out, but I did think it was a good idea to throw a band-aids over a couple of small cuts I have on my hand. Couldn’t hurt right?
Lydia had been suffering from a runny nose on and off since November. We took her to the doctor twice already and both times I was reassured that there was nothing serious was wrong. Her nose was swabbed in December and tested negative for the flu at the time.
Bob and I have been keeping a close eye on Lydia. On days when she’s really wasn’t feeling well we gave her Tylenol. I set up the humidifier every night before we go to bed. We took turns cleaning out her nose, even though it’s the only thing that REALLY grosses me out.
Last week we took Lydia to her two year check-up. Her doctor reassured us that toddlers are just susceptible to constant runny noses. We hadn’t experienced the constant runny nose situation with Adam so this was new to us. So much of what we deal with and experience with Lydia is so unlike Adam and new to us. Bob and I, I am sure, will go into those differences in the future. Regardless, her doctor seemed almost comically unconcerned about the Coronavirus.
Lydia now seems much better. Her runny nose has all but subsided now, she is not running a fever, she’s staying hydrated and eating well, is full of energy, laughing, playing, and back to ruling all our lives with an iron fist. Sometimes she will still seem a little rundown in the middle of the day but a nap seems to fix her right up.
We hadn’t been keeping Lydia locked away because of her runny nose but we had held off on taking her to any indoor play places. I didn’t want her to get another child sick, even if it was just a cold, and I didn’t want her to push herself too hard. We still took her out shopping and to a few restaurants and we also been played outside on nice days. I feel some fresh air and sunshine was good for her.
I’m hoping that the runny nose doesn’t have the lasting effect of weakening her immune system and leaving her more vulnerable to the Coronavirus. I will be staying on my toes in case the situation gets any worse and will be sure to keep everyone posted.
Thanks for reading!
Xoxo xoxo
Babs