Update on How My Daughter Is Doing

I would not be taking her anywhere for Thanksgiving and she would not be going to Disney. She won't be well enough to travel. Talk to her doctor about it. It's just too risky.

As for her school work, you should be able to get it from the teachers. Call the school and let them know you want to pick up all of her make up work from the teachers and will be by to get on an arranged day/time. Regardless, the school should give her a reasonable amount of time to get caught up on everything.

I see this as a sign for you and your whole family to slooooooooow doooooown. Homework can wait. Family trips can wait. No road trips. Even Thanksgiving can wait.

You have twins coming and a houseful of children to care for in case someone else gets sick. Circle the wagons and stay home and play games and just chill. Let your daughter relax and get stronger and just wait for the babies to come. You want this bug OUT of your home and everyone rested and healthy by the time those beautiful babies come.

If she was mine she would not be going to visit family or Disney. Please be sensible. It will take several weeks for her to recuperate. Send her to Disney guaranteed she wll just collapse and end up in hospital there. Have you mentioned all these plans to her doctor. Do not send her anywhere.
Worry about schoolwork later. She is too sick right now. Get your priorities straight please.

Talk to her teacher and principal.
Tell them about the illness and hospital stay (you can certainly get a doctors note - I think some schools require it).
They will come up with a plan regarding school work.
The important thing is that she gets better.
It would be nice if she could be home for the holidays but if she has to stay in the hospital to recover - so be it.
She will be too weak to travel - possibly for months to a year.
Whooping cough or strep by themselves can be pretty scary.
Together must be a total nightmare.
I'm not normally a praying woman but I'll make an exception in this case.
I pray your daughter gets well and has a complete recovery.
Additional:
Please consider the life threatening nature of your daughters illness.
She's in the hospital, and her temp is STILL going up.
The doctor can't answer you because he doesn't know.
It's not yet a matter of 'WHEN' she recovers.
Right now it's an issue of 'IF' she recovers.
With all modern science and medical discoveries and medications we have - sometimes people still die.
That's why I'm praying.

Now I remember your earlier Disney question . . . there is no way I'd allow her to go anywhere near Disney. Even when we are well at least one of us picks up SOMETHING in Orlando. It's the nature of the beast.

I'm also wondering if this is the universe telling you to slow down. It sounds like your family has several different issues brewing, and you probably need to circle the wagons and hunker down. Kids are lightning rods for tension and stress, and that can make them more vulnerable to illness imho (and I'm not suggesting you are at fault whatsoever).

Good luck and I hope things calm down soon.

A.,
I think you need to rethink any travel plans, especially the Disney trip.
Even if your daughter is released in a few days she is going to be weak and vulnerable for a while. I seriously doubt the doctor is going to say it's okay for her to travel so soon after an illness like this!
Also, there's a chance one or more of your other kids could get sick at any time, you know that, right? Or, God forbid, YOU could get sick?
I know you have all of these exciting ideas and big plans but PLEASE realize that you have a LOT going on right now. As a mom you need to be realistic and flexible when it comes to your expectations.
Oh, and the schoolwork will be fine. The teacher can put together a packet for her to work on in the hospital and/or at home. She can start working on it soon as she feels well enough :)

A., I would not worry about school right now. Get the teacher to let her catch up with all the schoolwork during Christmas break. You can "homeschool" her during the holiday. A little every day will catch her up.

Right now, she cannot focus or learn, not with the strep and the high fever. She needs to just rest. And yes, you need to keep your distance for your twins' sake.

It will take a while for her to get back to par after all of this. No roadtrip. She needs to stay at home, and you'll have so much on your plate anyway.

Don't worry about ruining anything for the siblings. There will always be another time, when everyone is healthy.

Good luck!
Dawn

I know that I hate to miss events because I am sick or one of my kiddos is sick, but sometimes it is just unavoidable. Your daughter is hospitalized with a fever reaching 105, I would be worrying about the long term effects of this and not worrying about the holidays or trips coming up.

Talk with her doctor AFTER she starts down the road of recovery and see what she/he says about the family visit and disney adventure.

M

Wow Momma! You have a lot on your plate! In all honesty, while you don't want your daughter to miss any of those wonderful events that are approaching, her health is more important. Even if she is better and out of the hospital by then, she might still be weak and tired easily. Her immune system might be weaker having battled all of this - do you really want to subject her to the germs that might be lurking around Disney? Just something to think about...Her body is fighting a tough battle right now and it will need time to rest and recover. Release from the hospital does not mean she is 100%.

As for school - I would keep in contact with them and her teacher to see what can be done. That will be tough as well, a lot of work, I am sure, but if I were her teacher (I used to teach!) I would try to be as helpful and accommodating and patient as I could! Maybe there are some things she could send home now that your daughter can do little bits of during her hospital stay? Maybe she can send a textbook and someone can read to her/discuss what the class is talking about so that when the work comes home, she is not so far behind. But again, it is important to remember she is in the hospital because she is very sick and really may not feel like doing school work!! (Can't blame her!) :-)

How old is the 5 mo y/o? I didn't get if she was 5 months or 5 years. Keep strong, Momma! For those babies who are still "cooking", for the rest of your children who need their Mom, etc. I am sending thoughts and prayers your way for a speedy recovery for everyone! :-) Take care and take it easy with the crazy holidays approaching!

I would not plan on a road trip right now either. Have family come to you - assuming everyone is well and noncontagious. I would not be traveling to visit family around Thanksgiving either. Have your own little relaxing family Thanksgiving at home and take it easy.

I'm so sorry A...you have had one major decision after another....

So, call the school and give them a heads up about your daughters health and prognosis. They will probably give her worksheets to take home over a few weeks to complete. So don't stress about homework. Also, it's common to just exempt those grades from the overall grade. Honestly, don't fret. They'll work with her at school once she returns as well.

Definitely cancel any Thanksgiving trips. But isn't the Disney trip in December? The warmth and humidity would actually be good for her. If the grandparents could split up and have her rest a part of every day, it would help her improve. She could play part of the day and go back and rest part of they day. Although, I'm leery of offering that advice because it is very serious that she has been hospitalized over strep and whopping cough. I would recommend you discuss the trip with your doctors before you postpone it. They will be able to ascertain whether the humid climate would benefit her.

Also, I would be very worried about bringing newborn twins home to a house with whooping cough, fevers and strep. That would be a nightmare. Your first priority is getting the kids healthy and well before the babies arrive.

GL!