So this is the scene every night up in the forward cabin. Elias surrounded by stuffed animals and Eric netted in to guard against any two-year-old's nighttime wanderings.
It looks pretty peaceful. But lately the sounds that have been coming out of the boys' cabin at night would turn your hair gray.
They cough cough cough.
They cough and then moan in their sleep.
They cough until it sounds like their lungs are just little bags of mucus.
They cough and their breath smells of rot.
Not uncommonly, they cough until they vomit.
They wake up at all hours, screaming unconsolably for us.
Sometimes, just for a change, they peak a fever.
For Elias especially, it's been going on for months.
We wondered about boat mold as a trigger, but during both of his stays in the presumably mold-free hospital, Elias kept on coughing. And we're told that other kids (and adults) in Hobart are suffering similarly this winter.
We've done the doctor visits (and the hospital for Elias). Some treatments seem to help a bit, but in the end the cough always comes back. So, we wait for them to get better. And at this point we're a bit tired of it all, tired of listening to them suffer through night after night. At times I wonder if Elias is getting any rest at all, since he seems to wake up coughing every two minutes.
At least it's nearly August. Spring will be here soon.
I hope they both feel better soon. I would think that if it were environmental, that you two would also be symptomatic, but perhaps not.
ReplyDeleteMike, On an unrelated note, please contact me at dcwritereditor hotmail dot com. I sent an email to you at a NOAA address I found online, but it bounced. Thank you, Michael
Hey MIchael - Good to hear from you.... and what's this about spelling out "at...dot com"? Embrace the spam, man! I find it's a fascinating stream of coms from strivers and incompetent con artists - a unique, and honest, take on our times...
DeleteWhen I was a child, I developed allergies, and the symptom that was most prevalent was coughing. I had allergy tests and found out what I was allergic to and took some medication for a time as well as removing the allergens from close proximity. For me, they happened to be feathers (pillows), fuzzy slippers, animal dander and a few other things which I forget. Eventually, I seemed to outgrow the allergies, but later in life I got asthma, which also manifests itself in coughing. I control it with medication, but it gets really bad whenever I get a cold. So, I don't know if you've talked to doctors about Elias possibly having allergies to something, or asthma. Just thought I'd share my experience. Love your blog, by the way.
ReplyDeletethanks for that...
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