Wow! Today has been one of those days where I gave it my all, and spent myself into a hole. I’m feeling really stressed out, overwhelmed, and worried. 

There’s a lot to discuss but for right now, I’m going to focus in Emmett. We learned something today that has me very, very concerned. This is one of those times, where what should be good news, is actually bad news. 

Elliott went to school and was perfectly healthy. He wasn’t happy, but he was healthy. Lizze was supposed to start class today, but a mixup with scheduling, postponed that start by one day. 

While Emmett wasn’t running a fever this morning, I was able to get him in to see his pediatrician. Lizze stayed home with Gavin, so as not to expose him to anything, unnecessarily. 

I was feeling unsure about what Emmett had going on, but the best thing to do was get him checked out. 

Emmett had an appointment at lunchtime. We arrived at Akron Children’s Hospital a few minutes early. When we got back to the exam room, the nurse did a swab of Emmett’s throat to do a rapid Strep test. 

Shortly after, a resident that came in, took Emmett’s history, and did an initial exam. He wasn’t running a fever at that point, but when she went to examine his throat to look for signs of Strep, she said something to the effect of, oh my goodness, his mouth is full of sores. 

Without even thinking, I reacted outloud. I said, son of bitch, this is a fever flare. I never curse in front of my kids but I wasn’t really prepared for that. 

When she was done, she went to get the doctor and they both came back. They were amused by my reaction to the mouth sores, because it was like I was thinking outloud. 

Turns out Emmett doesn’t have Strep throat and never did. Turns out Emmett wasn’t/isn’t sick at all. This whole thing has been a goddamn fever flare, or rather the start of one. 

To be clear, this is the worst fever flare Emmett has every had, and that scares the shit out of me. 

This means that the 105°F fever for the last couple of days was part of the flare. It means the headache, nausea, vomiting, and sore throat were all part of the fever flare as well. 

The last time Emmett reached a fever of 105°F, was a few days after his surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. 

Taking all these new symptoms, add to them his elevated SED rate, and something is definitely going on.

Poor Emmett has sores going all the way down his throat. The reason Lizze or I didn’t notice the sores is because they popped up overnight, meaning we’re just getting started. I have no idea what to expect at this point. 

Shortly before bed tonight, Emmett spiked a fever of 103.3°F and appeared to go downhill. 

I’m exhausted after today and I want the ride to stop, just long enough for me to catch my breath. Emmett is the sweetest kid in the world, but he’s a hellion when he hits a flare. 

I’ve no idea what to expect. I do know the next step involves rheumatology, and I’ll probably make that appointment in the morning, assuming the referral when through. 

That’s it for me tonight. Stay tuned for more updates.