Edmund has been sick this week, so we haven't had too many adventures to speak of. Edmund has probably run a fever higher than 100 degrees once in his life, so on Wednesday when he spiked a fever close to 104 degrees I decided to take him to the doctor. Despite having a doctor in the family, I try to avoid doctors as much as possible. I know that for most children's illnesses, nature simply has to take its course. I also have this fear of being viewed as the over-reactive mother who takes her child in for every minor cold and scrape. However, in this instance I thought Edmund's high fever warranted a trip to see the doctor.
Edmund's illness seemed to be viral based on his complete blood count and symptoms. The doctor did hear a slight rattle in his chest, so he wanted to err on the side of caution and prescribed antibiotics. We left the doctor and headed to Walgreens to pick up Edmund's prescription.
Fortunately, Edmund and I didn't have to wait long for his prescription was ready when we arrived. The pharmacist asked if Edmund liked cherry flavor. I said "I suppose so, but he hasn't had medicine very often, so I'm not sure." I should have asked if she could add chocolate, but although she asked, it didn't appear as if we had much of a choice.
The medication flavoring discussion in Walgreens brought back a childhood memory. To this day I despise anything grape or cherry flavored because most often the antibiotics I received for strep throat were sweetened with these syrupy flavors. My sister, Rebecca, was allergic to penicillin. For some reason this seemed to open up a plethora of flavoring options. It seemed she was always coming back from the doctor with some new, exotic flavor. After Rebecca was diagnosed for yet another ear infection (for which she later got tubes), she came back with bubblegum flavored anitibiotics. I remember wanting so desperately to steal a taste of the bubblegum medicine. Fortunately, I was a child who understood that medicine is only to be taken when sick. There is certainly a reason for those childproof caps, for had I been a child of less restraint, I'm not sure I would have been able to stand the allure of the pink stuff beckoning to me from the refrigerator.
All this is to say, it probably doesn't matter if Edmund likes cherry flavored medicine. In fact, his medicine should be disgusting enough that he doesn't see it as some delicious treat, yet palatable enough that he doesn't spew it on me each time I have to administer it. I may have been the only child in the history of the world who was jealous of her sibling because of medication flavorings, but pharmacists do your clients a favor and flavor siblings' medications the same way. Perhaps you can spare at least one family an unnecessary case of sibling rivalry.
Edmund Update:
Edmund is feeling much better today and was fever free as of 8 am. We have had another mommy and Edmund day at home because our school's policy states he must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. I love Edmund to pieces, but I'm so glad he has his preschool friends to keep him entertained and encourage sharing. He's starting to get a little bossy with mommy. Just a few more days and his friends will put him back in his place. Until then, I'm just thankful he's feeling better.
