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Debbie's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 12/15/99 -------------------- 12/8/99 12/1/99 11/17/99 11/10/99 11/3/99 10/13/99 9/29/99 9/22/99 9/15/99 9/2/99 8/26/99 8/19/99 8/16/99 8/9/99 7/23/99 6/25/99 6/11/99 6/4/99 5/21/99 5/15/99 5/8/99 4/30/99 4/22/99 4/19/99 -------------------- Debbie's Introduction

May 15, 1999

Alas, it has been a stressful week in Schellville. Our little Nathan got his very first illness of his almost five-month-old life. It started out as an occasional cough a couple of times a day. Me, being the nervous first-time mom that I am, began to worry right away. Rich, however, was much more levelheaded and decided that the cough was just the result of baby Nathan swallowing the wrong way. At first, that seemed like a reasonable explanation, as well as one that would allow me to convince myself not to overreact. As one day turned into two, and then three, I knew that there was something else going on. No one swallows the wrong way that often...and if they did, it, too, would be cause for concern. To make matters worse, Nathan began pulling on his ears in frustration/discomfort. AH HA!! My son obviously (to me) had an ear infection.

On the very day that I intended to call the pediatrician, I got an unfavorable report from my mother (who watches Nathan while I work) on his activities that day. Granny reported that the little guy slept most of the afternoon and had a runny nose. Now I was really worried...not only did he have the ear infection I so expertly diagnosed, but he also had a cold. Despite the fact that Nathan had no fever or decrease in appetite, I was convinced my little boy was seriously ill and wasted no time in calling the good doctor.

As I relayed Nathan's systems to the doctor, I was already thinking ahead to trips to the pharmacy, social obligations cancelled, and perhaps a few missed days of work. I almost didn't hear the doctor when he pronounced that Nathan was relatively healthy...definitely did not have an ear infection...and suffered only from a mild cold (didn't even get any medication). How could I have been wrong!?! I read all the baby books and magazines. Oh well, this is probably the reason I went to law school instead of medical school.