Libby started running a fever on Sunday afternoon and fell asleep on the couch. I kept her home on Monday because of the fever and noticed that she was complaining a little about her throat hurting. She rode along with me to bring Zack back to MSU. She slept pretty much the whole way there and back. When we got home she went to her own bed and slept. At dinnertime I pulled out a flashlight to get a look in her throat. She was very swollen, red, and white ick (that is a very medical term) was on her tonsils.
Tuesday morning I got her into see the doctor. They did the swab of her throat for strep and swab of her nose for a virus. The strep test came back negative. The doctor looked in her ears first and found that she had an ear infection in her left ear. Then she put her hands on Libby's neck to feel her glands and her reaction was shock. I hadn't even thought to feel her neck and when I did I couldn't believe it. Her glands were so swollen it felt like baseballs. Then she looked in her throat and again couldn't believe just how swollen her tonsils were. The doctor ordered blood work because she was quite certain that Libby had mono. Apparently it is going around by us although I haven't heard of anyone else that we know with it. She looked just miserable. She also tried to answer the doctors questions with motions because it hurt too bad to talk. The doctor sent us off with 2 prescriptions, one for the ear infection and prednizone for her swollen glands.
We headed over to have her blood drawn. Poor thing was already becoming dehydrated from not wanting to swallow so it was really hard to find a vein. The nurse ended up finding one in her hand to use. Libby had been doing fine but the minute she realized that the nurse was going to put a needle in her hand she lost it. The look of fear in her eyes just killed me. The nurse stopped for a minute and I explained to Libby that it was really no big deal and it wouldn't even hurt as much as her flu shot. Libby calmed back down and after it was done agreed that it really didn't hurt.
On the way home we picked up her medicine. The pharmacist told me the prednizone had to be taken with food. That would be a challenge since Libby won't hardly swallow water. So we got home and I seen that it could be food or milk. We went for the milk. Then I gave her the liquid medicine for her ear. Then it was time to take the prednizone, 5 of them. They are really small pills and if you have ever had them you know how awful they taste. They must not be coated. So we both agreed it would probably be best to take all 5 at once since they are so small. BAD IDEA! She started gagging on them right away. Up came everything, milk, pink medicine, and the pills. Ugh! Then she ran to the bathroom and continued to heave. Poor kid!
I called the doctors office and they suggested I bring her back in and they would give her the first dose of prednizone via injection. I knew that was they best option but I was so not wanting to tell Libby. She took it fine. I think by then she had lost all energy to fight. We get to the doctors office and Libby pulls up her sleeve for the shot and the nurse says, "I'm sorry hunny but this one has to go in your hip". There was that look of fear again but no tears this time. She did say that that one stung bad.
Long story short she does have mono. She has been doing a lot of sleeping. Hasn't had much of an appetite. Her swelling has gone way down. Her fever left yesterday. She is regaining energy. She has gotten a week off school. And we have told her she has to stop kissing boys. Wink! Who would have thought a 10 year old would have mono? Not this mom.
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