I think I need a new pharmacy.

So here's what I'm dealing with today.  He looks so peaceful.  He deserved it after last night.

Cole sick with his second ear infection in two weeks.

Two weeks ago we took him to the doctor for a "severe ear infection" in his left ear.  The doctor took one look in his ear and said "whoa!".  Insert super mother's guilt here.  So we were given a 10 day prescription for Amoxicillin.  That ended this past Sunday.

Last night we were up all night again with a screaming child who first mentioned his ear hurting at dinner time.  Let's just say by 9:30pm we were ready to take him to the emergency room because of the way he was writhing in pain and screaming.  Luckily the doctor's answering service nurse talked us down and we just made a late night trip to CVS instead for some children's Motrin (they said it would probably work better than the tylenol we were giving him.  They were right!)

So today's doctor appointment started with the doctor seeming to question me a bit about it being another ear infection so quickly after finishing his medicine for the previous infection.  And yet, one look in the OTHER ear and he saw BLISTERS!!!  WHAT?!  How could my child have a blistering ear infection when he JUST mentioned his ear hurting at dinner time the night before?!   So his left ear is now fine, but the right ear has the kind of ear infection that doctor's only see once in every 20 or so ear infections.  (ps-- there's a story about this at the end if you care to hear more about ear infections- and learn how I'm not such a bad mom after all).

So... this time it's a prescription for a more potent antibiotic-- Augmentin.  Off to the pharmacy we go.  We just have our prescriptions sent to the Target pharmacy since it is literally right across the street from the doctor's office.  I think this is a mistake because it's Target and I can't go in there without buying something that I don't need!

See that rubbery dinosaur on the floor near the bottom of Cole's "nest"? (that's what he called the little place we made for him to nap in today-- he couldn't get comfortable anywhere except on the living room floor- go figure)... that's the kind of stuff that happens when I go into Target.  I nickel and dime my way to a bill that was twice the cost of the prescription.  Granted, our grand total today was only $21, but our prescription- which was the only thing we went there for, was only $10.  Insert cheapskate's guilt here.







OK-- quick ear infection story (if you care to keep reading).  I think the doctor could tell that I was feeling pretty bad about having missed a SECOND ear infection (maybe it was the tears welling up in my eyes-- whatever.  If you have a child, you TOTALLY know what I'm talking about.)  So he told me a story of a little girl who came into his office for a routine 3-year old well visit check-up.  He took care to thoroughly examine the child-- including looking in her ears.  The appointment ended around 11:10 a.m.  At 3:30 p.m. the mother called the doctor saying she thought her daughter needed a prescription because she was in a lot of pain in her ears.  The doctor having JUST seen the girl asked the mother to bring her back in so that he could show her through the otoscope that her daughter was just fine.  The mother obliged and brought the girl in.  Though it had only been 4 hours since the doctor gave the girl a clean bill of health, to the doctor's surprise the young girl had a full blown ear infection!  He said he'd never seen anything like it, but that he has since learned that ear infections can (at times) come on so quickly that they go from not there to severe in a matter of hours.  So... I guess I feel a little bit better.  And I hope this story makes some other mothers who have been in similar situations with their children feel a little better too.