Soo, No Frontline for the Kids?

2:08 AM Elizabeth Seckman 11 Comments

Photo credit Pixabay

I totally forgot today yesterday was Friday. I blame it on summer. The warm, sunny rain-soaked days, the lazy nights, and the blood-sucking parasites.

Last Thursday, my son complained of jaw pain and a headache. I got him sinus medicine. It helped, but the headache kept coming back.

My next thought was toothache. I told him not to worry, he had a dental appointment on Wednesday. On Monday, he woke up and the headache was no better. I told him to get showered, he was going to the doctor. When he got out of the shower, the left side of his face was paralyzed. We skipped the doctor's office and headed for the ER.

Initial diagnosis was Bell's Palsy. He was nervous, worried that his face would stay numb forever. I told him not to worry, he'd just look like Sylvester Stallone.

His next worry was that he'd never hear the end of "Yo Adrian" jokes. He was wrong. His brothers got bored with that by midnight.

On Thursday night, a nasty rash appeared and covered most of his torso. Friday morning, we were back at the doctor's office.

His blood tests were back. He had Lyme Disease. As a mom, I was feeling like I dropped the ball on that one. My kid was being infected by a parasite and I was confirming dental appointments. I also found it unnerving that my dogs have better protection against infestation than my kids. And no, you can't use the flea and tick killer on your kids...I checked.



He has to take antibiotics for three weeks. One of their side effects is sensitivity to the sun. With his
red hair and fair skin, he'll have to take vampire-level precautions.

My poor baby.

Now, I won't say pity has gone to his head, but once we were home, Cole was taking it easy on the couch. He asked for a bottle of water-- icy, not from the tap, with a bendy straw. As I was walking out of the room to fetch it, he said something I'm pretty sure was smart-assed, snarky, or gloating...or a combination of the three. I paused and asked, "What did you say?"

"Uhhh, that I have Bell's Palsy and Lyme disease?"

It's good to see the offending tick didn't drain him of his orneriness, though it is draining the wallet. Add up the hospital bill, the medication, the pizza, the ice cream, and the beer it takes to get healthy and the costs go up and up.

But as long as he's getting better, it ain't no big thing.


My morning glories are growing! I posted a few weeks ago about these elusive little flowers and how much they hate to grow for me. As of right now, I have vines galore. 

Less than a month before it's beach time! I love to dig my toes in the sand, so I'm ready to get ready. 

And finally, I'm celebrating the health of my family. Sure, we have the one who is now a stat for the CDC, but it's curable. He's going to be okay.