Paranoia Pays Off

So, if you recall, at his 3 year well baby, the doctor discovered an ear infection that had been otherwise unnoticed by me. This had the two-fold effect of making me feel very, very small and also paranoid. And so this morning when I caught the kiddo rubbing at his ear I asked him if he hurt anywhere. He unerringly tugged on his ear and said, "In my ear."

Now, my boy can be a bit dramatic, and he's also smart as a button. Couple this with the fact that he *adored* the bubblegum flavor of his amoxicillin and was very sad when he did not get that twice a day and I just wanted to be a little more sure. So I said, "Does your tummy hurt?" And he said, "No, my ear." And I said, "Does your neck hurt?" Again with the "No, my ear." Still no fever, no change in behavior. But I tucked it away and thought, "I'll check again in an hour or so and then call the doctor if the story stays consistent."

And I did. And it was. So I called the pediatrician and they could get us in at 4, so I woke him a little early from his nap and then we trucked up to the doctor.

He does, in fact, have an ear infection (in the ear that he said hurt). And possibly strep. (The 5 minute one was inconclusive, so they're sending it out. As the CNP I saw said, "It doesn't change the medication I'm giving him, but it's always better to know." Then she said, "But since he's not had a fever and if that continues, he can still be around other kids."  That last one really made me feel better cause, um, well...we went to MOPS this morning even though he said his ear hurt.) That said, I'm glad I didn't talk myself out of taking him to the doctor. (And it was a near thing. We just finished the other antibiotics a week ago. So clearly they didn't actually totally kill it. I was pleased that they gave him something different this go-round. Though it apparently does not taste as good and will actually be a struggle to get into him vs. the oh-so-joyous bubblegum flavored amoxicillin. Oh well.)

When I told the nurse I almost didn't come because of not wanting to be the paranoid mom she just smiled and said, "Be paranoid. That's why we're here." I kind of like that attitude.