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H1N1 (and seasonal flu) shots have been in short supply in the Bay Area. Certain clinics have them, but ours did not until we had the first bout of symptoms in the house. For the past three weeks, the kids have been taking turns being fluey. Sylvie started it three Tuesdays ago waking at 5AM screaming that her chest hurt. For the next 5 hours, she laid about looking near death. By our 9:30AM doctor visit, she was perky and her fever had dropped to 99 degrees. 5 days of Tamiflu later, she was back to normal.

Will’s set in the following Tuesday with a 103 degree fever that could not be abated. We alternated Tylenol and Motrin, spent 5 hours getting to know the on-call doctor by phone, and finally just ended up weathering the following 36 hours of fever and paralyzing aches.

It is Sylvie’s turn, again, this week. Monday, I was called to the school early to fetch the feverish kiddo. She was asleep in the loft. (Loft: the classroom quiet space used for diving off onto teachers or quarantined sick children). Typically a fever trailing another illness is the work of pneumonia or an ear infection. Not so, today. After a negative H1N1 swab, normal O2 levels, and clear ears, the devil revealed itself when Sylvie’s body attempted to exorcise itself while waiting for an (clear) xray. She ruined her clothes, and we learned that they don’t sell kiddie clothes in the hospital gift shop. I need to explain to her that there are easier ways to get a new pashmina toga… We’re back home, recovering. Sylvie is beginning to look perky, again. Wonder what we’re in for, next?