Last week, when we needed to give Rocephin shots to Zac thanks to a double ear infection, I was sure we were about to endure another FPIES reaction. After all, he’d reacted to his last round of shots.
Imagine my surprise as each day passed with NO signs of a reaction whatsoever.
Finally, on Saturday night, he started having some diarrhea. It had mucous, and was kind of stinky, but no blood, no bizarre colors, and no acidity or diaper rashes.
Even though it persisted through Sunday, it never got worse. Since diarrhea is typical for any person taking antibiotics, I had to step back and acknowledge that Zac appeared to be having a non-reaction to the Rocephin.
This was dreadfully confusing to me!
Then I went back over my notes from his last Rocephin experience. Looking at it in hindsight, he did begin to have diarrhea from the shots…but the green, mucousy, acidic diapers didn’t start until AFTER he chewed on a stray bit of crayon he’d found.
It seems as though I made a rash assumption last time he got the shots. I assumed the ‘reaction’ was from the shots AND the crayon, when apparently it was only from the crayon.
Boy, am I ever glad to be wrong about something!
And can I just say: I was so frustrated with the lack of safe antibiotic options available to us last week, but now am so grateful to have been “forced” back into the shots!
Now I know they still work for Zac. We still have a safe antibiotic for him. Praise God!
Now, I’m just not sure what to make of the inside of his ears.
Thanks to the Dr. Mom Otoscope, I took a peek into his ears the last two nights.
One ear still looks like it has an infection. The other looks like it is ruptured. Since I’m new to this otoscope-ear-peeking, though, I may be misreading the signs.
So today will have a call in to our pediatrician to see if this is concerning, or if we should wait a few days before heading back in for an appointment.
Does anyone know how long it should take Rocephin shots to kick out an ear infection?
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Meanwhile, in Jed’s world, he seems to be all better.
Physically, at least.
Behavior-wise, he’s been a pill.
He refuses to eat ANYTHING I make for him. He’ll go so far as to proclaim loudly that he doesn’t like a dish, calling it “icky”…even when we’ve never served it to him before!
He’s combative and argumentative, announcing “No” at every opportunity.
He’s regressing on some basic things he’d already mastered or almost mastered. Potty training is a no-go. Dressing himself is a battle.
He tells us he doesn’t want to grow bigger, he wants to “grow little. Forever!”
I’d say he’s acting fructosed, and at times it does seem that way, but we are being very strict on his diet and there isn’t that…frustrated desperation in his actions that comes with a fructose reaction.
No, this is all Jed.
And I have no idea how to nip this behavior in the bud.
Does he want/need something from us and is acting out to get it?
Or is he just being THREE and this will pass in time.
Either way, he’s losing trains at an alarming rate each day, and Darrel and I are at our wits ends.
When he’s being good, he is SO wonderful to be around!
When he’s being difficult, he’s so hard to deal with.
It’s frustrating.
Anyone else’s three year old ever act like this? Please say they grow out of this stage!
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If all goes well, I will be able to reveal the exciting project I mentioned at the beginning of the month (that bad weather and illness has delayed) tomorrow. I’m so excited! So check back to see this coolness unveiled!
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Glad to hear the Rocephin appears to be safe for Zac! We have the Dr. Mom otoscope – those little pictures are pretty hard to compare to a real ear of a squirming kid! Look on Dr. Google for images of ruptured eardrums, normal eardrums, infections, etc. – they will give you a better baseline.
With Jed saying he wants to “grow little forever” – this seems like a pretty normal phase. They want to be big and independent, but at the same time realize that’s a pretty scary prospect, and then he’s seeing Zac still being completely taken care of, which is appealing. Add to that all the attention Zac has been getting lately with the infection – Jed might be needing more “Jed Time” right now. It will pass. That’s the nicest thing about little kids growing up. Whatever stage they’re in right now will eventually pass (and maybe even move on to something worse…). Good luck!
Thanks for the tip on the ears; I googled and am still a little confused by one thing I see in his ears, but I’m just going to keep an eye on it and see if it improves. It doesn’t look like anything the photos said I should be concerned about. Funny thing is, now Jed wants me to look in his ears every time I look in Zac’s, so I’m getting a REALLY good baseline picture of what his ears look like when they’re healthy! LOL
Yes, I think you’re right and Jed needs some one on one time. I’ve been trying to spend a little extra time here and there throughout the day with him this week, and it seems to be helping somewhat. He still needs a little more, though. Thanks for the advice!
Carrie, I do think this is actually normal 3 year old behavior. They want to be independent but then they want to do it all themselves. I still have this with my 9yo LOL She wants to do it all and then turns around and won’t make her own milk.. (And hello it’s water and scoops of formula not hard) 🙂 I think your mom sense is right, he just needs more mom time! Maybe there is something you can do just the 2 of you! And again, this isn’t going to change 🙂 I schedule quarterly dates with my now 14yo son!
Thanks, Katrina! Yeah, I think you all are right. I’m brainstorming ways I can spend some one on one time with Jed now. He loves his little brother, but I think he does miss being the center of our universe at times. 😉
Love that you still “date” your son! That’s awesome!
I’m with Ruth. That sounds like all three of mine at one time or another. And usually it was because they perceived that they weren’t getting enough attention. Probably because little brother was sickly and needed extra cuddles.
Nice to hear from so many of you that this is normal. Up next: time alone with Jed. Hopefully some more attention will make things better. 🙂