We had quite a crazy situation last night.
Carson's been sick for the past few days with a bad cold. Heavy cough, stuffy nose & fever. I know we have a cheap humidifier, but when we moved in it got put in the attic, so I haven't used it for a long time. I asked Trent to hunt it down, which he did. I filled it up and I remembered from the last time I used it that you are supposed to add salt to make it steam, and I hadn't added enough salt. I remember having to take it apart twice and add more salt. So, this time I figured I would just add a bunch of salt. Who needs to measure? Trent was reading Carson his bedtime stories, I plugged in the humidifier, and it was steaming away.
MEANWHILE, you should know that about 3 or 4 times a year, I get a wicked headache. It is always behind my left eye, makes me very nauseus and there is no cure but to puke my guts out, take advil and sleep for about 5 hours. I hesitate to call it a migraine, because I'm think real migraines are worse, so I'll just say they hurt so bad they make me vomit every time.
Well, I was in the throws of one of these headaches last night. Sydney was down, and all I needed to do was sit/lay with Carson for a few minutes as part of our nightly ritual. I was talking to myself the whole time, telling myself I did NOT need to throw up. I could wait. Carson, being rather sick himself, was already sleepy, so I left quickly and BARELY made it to the sink in the bathroom. EWWWW! So, so gross. I knew I'd be the one to clean it up, so I transferred quickly to the toilet.
I'm sorry to be so graphic, but to truly sense the craziness of this moment, you need to know that I was on my knees, worshipping the porcelain gods as they say, mid-upchuck when THE SMOKE DETECTOR STARTED GOING OFF! I'm not kidding you. Loud and shrill as the day is long. I immediately knew Carson would be freaking out, because he is so scared of loud noises, and I also knew it was the steam causing it, so it would be coming first from the detector in his room, as well as in the hall outside all of the bedrooms. Still, I took half a second to wipe my mouth with TP as I ran into his bedroom. (Trent was out in the living room, on his way, I figured.) Feeling like someone out of a movie who has a horrible hangover and is in pain with loud noises, I cringed as I walked into the loud, steamy room, yanked the power cord from the humidifier, pulled the curtain and blinds up, opened the window, and then held Carson. I took him into the other bathroom where I promptly rinsed my mouth out with water and brushed my teeth. I'm sorry, sweetie, that you are horrified and crying, but it needs to be done.
The alarms stopped after a couple minutes when the steam died down. Sydney was wide awake too, but fortunately not scared. I fought against the pain for another 20 minutes getting everone settled, then fell into bed. So, how was your night?
9 comments:
I get migraines so I feel your pain. Why does it work out like that? Last time I had one the neighbors home renovation was like hammering through my head:) Hope you're feeling better. I know how dreadful it is.
O Sweet Jen. I think you do have migraines. I think it's time to admit it and be okay with it. Because that sounds pretty nasty.
Sidenote - when I am really, really tired... I get eyeaches in my left eye. left eye only. Weird huh?
Anywhoo...that steam/salt thing kinda freaks me out. I think we have the same humidifier. Be careful not to put to much in...I remember the directions saying it could start a fire or something... I actually thought that is where your blog was headed. Glad to know it was just steam.
Poor little family. I hope you feel better today. ALL of you.
I agree with Kristi---totally sounds like migraines. My mom used to get sick like that when she had the migraines. They affect people differently, but if it is making you "toss cookies" then my diagnosis is migraines. I know that imitrex helped her a lot. with 2 little ones, you might want to look into it.
I can't believe that you were able to deal with all of that though. you are quite the wonder mom!
Definitely migraines. Sorry, but it's true. Classic symptoms. Also, if you start thinking irrational thoughts, such as, "If I could just use that cordless drill to drill into the side of my head, then I would feel better," it is definitely a migraine. I get them on my left side, too, complete with nausea and vomitting. And unfortunately, there's not a lot to do about them except sleep it off in a dark, quiet room.
Hope today is better for you!
Oh wow.... You poor thing! I hope you're feeling better soon. And I think you should get a new humidifier...
Take care - feel better!
not a fun night but a good story. the only think that would have added to it is if you rubbed icy hot on your bod.
So sorry Jen!!! That is horrible! Why were you even doing anything, other than laying in bed. You should have asked your husband to take care of the fam... poor girl! Also, just go get a humidifier (not a vaporizer like you have that blows hot steam)... they work the same and blow cold air (or so says the doctor that they work the same). I switched after Rach touched the vaporizer and got massive burns covering her entire hand... yeah, apparantly, not a good thing to have around the little ones because the nurse totally chewed me out on the phone! I couldn't believe it! Anyway, get those migrains checked out- they sound horrible!!!
Well, everyone else has already said it, but girl! You can totally say you've got a migraine!! Not only do you deserve to say it, you'll get more serious sympathy for it. :) I'm sorry - they really suck. As for the humidifier...good grief! Ours doesn't take salt, so I'm curious about yours. It doesn't sound like a fun night at all, but I'm glad you made it through the night to blog about it. I can honestly say that your stories top them all!!
At these moments, I always think, "I'm starting to really get the idea of the book of Job." Those "perfect storm" moments of parenting are just doozies!
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