SICKNESS

This entry is full of me whining about my life, so if you don't like to hear whining...don't read it!Ok, so my children have been sick going on three weeks now. Actually, almost three and a half! It started as strep throat and by the end of the first week, all FOUR of my children had it. Then, after antibiotics were up....it was back and we had to take them back into the doctor...for more antibiotics. Then, last saturday, we thought Bella was having strep issues again, (she was), but she also had hand, foot, and mouth disease, on top of another positive strep test. This was AWFUL. She had about twenty sore's in her mouth and didn't eat, or drink really, for days. She lost 4 pounds. It really was a nightmare! On a good note,we think she is starting to do so much better. Next, Allie gets home from school this past thursday and is a little funky. She tells me she doesn't feel well. But, she also was really grossed out b/c a little girl in her class threw up at school. Allie is petrified of throwing up...for herself or anyone else. She didn't eat her lunch on thursday b/c her lunch box was in the classroom and Carly(the sick girl) was also in the class room. SO, of course, b/c of that her lunchbox and its contents have throw up germs. The kid literally chose not to eat all day because of this. So, I thought her feeling bad was in her head. We assured her she is fine and sent her to bed that night. Besides, by now I am in complete rebelllion and am POSITIVE that there is so way that we will actually get a stomach virus in our house after two full weeks of constant strep. Then, I am awakened at 3 am by my sweet little germ freak and she IS throwing up!!! The kid got the germs after denying herself food all day. Are you kidding me right now??? How could we possibly have this much sickness going on in our house. So, I made the lovely phone call for the thousandth time in two weeks to report her absence to the office at school. And I went ahead and kept Emma home. I was up all night with Allie. I wasn't about to load my kids in my car to get Emma to preschool. We spent all of friday watching her sleep and throw up. Then, today comes and she is still pretty sick, but not throwing up anymore. Just having a fever and hurting all over. Then, she also lets me know that her throat is killing her. I look in her mouth...it still looks pretty gross. Then, my lovely husband comes in and tells me that his throat is hurting him too...I check his and its pretty equally gross. I send them, together, to the urgent care and they come home with a negative strep test and no hope for me. The doctor there has no idea about this crazy strep we have going on. We've had negative tests...only to go back in two days and get a positive one. Plus every time we go to the doctor, (each kids has been at lesat twice...some three times, and now Alex has been once), its cost me $15 each! Plus, prescriptions..(each kid has been on two...plus a magic mouthwash=)) its been an average of about $25! We are broke. We really are. By this evening...my husband and my sweet daughter have been in bed and are both pretty miserable. I went into my bed to check on Allie and found my sweet girl with a washcloth on her face and I had to take a picture! She's too cute! She was sound asleep like this. Please pray that this will come to an end VERY VERY soon and that noone else will have strep, hand, foot, and mouth, or the stomach virus. I am broke and SO TIRED!!! And tired of doing laundry and buying new toothbrushes to control the germs!!!