The no good very bad cold

Grace Louise caught a cold virus a few days before my dad came to stay with us. She generously shared it with everyone in the house, including me. Surely our immune systems were taxed from recent stress, but this was the hardest hitting virus short of the flu I've ever experienced.

Unfortunately the baby started getting chest congestion too, followed by a stuffy nose, lethargy, and suddenly, a red and swollen eye. After fighting the cold for days with plenty of mama's milk, saline nose drops, and essential oils, I finally took him to the pediatrician. His eye was completely swollen shut when he woke up that Monday morning! Turns out he had double ear infections (his first), a sinus infection, and periorbital cellulitis, a bacterial infection in the soft tissue around the eye. 

Brace yourself for this tear-jerker...

He was pitiful, but turned around in a few short days. 

 It's always hard to have sick babies. Thank the Lord I rarely do! 

We rested as much as we could. Minimal housework. Lots of movies. A few firsts- Sound of Music, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Neverending Story. Everyone seemed to be bouncing back but me. A lingering sinus infection. I could whine for days about how bad this sinus infection was, but suffice it to say that it was my first and hopefully my last! The sheer amount of mucus could take over a small country. Not to mention the unyielding pressure headaches, fever, aches and pains.

After a week I was an MD (per Google) and was beginning to really tire of the remedies. Nothing seemed to be working, as the fever and leg pain kept returning... and the mucus, heck it never left. Finally, I started taking super doses of probiotics (ProBio 5 from Plexus) and pouring the contents of the capsules into my neti pot. I also started holding the saline/probiotic solution in my nasal cavity for 30 seconds several times a day (by putting my head upside down in the shower... no, seriously). Had this not worked I was antibiotic bound last Monday. Thankfully, I woke that morning with some relief and have drastically improved since (though, I'm telling you, this thing wants to hang on if only by a thread). If you suffer from sinus infections, take note! I tried every remedy under the sun- essential oils, alkaline foods, OTC meds, etc. Probiotics and nasal rinse was the ticket!

Glory to God who heals through many means!