when Harrison was sick

Harrison was sick for a few days.

He kind of just broke down on Friday afternoon, while we were at a park with friends. He had been engaging in play for an hour or so and then his demeanor slowly and subtly changed to lethargic. He sat in my lap for a while, observing some other kids. He continued observing for longer than he typically would. We walked to a picnic table to eat a snack, and he sat listlessly, ignoring his food. And shortly after he started crying big heavy tears over something so trivial I can’t even remember what it was. All so out of character. I picked him up to comfort him and realized he had quickly become a tiny heater, the type of high temperature easily assessed by just being near someone. The slight sunburn on my legs was reacting to his skin against mine. 

We packed up and got in the car. I turned on the air conditioning and took a few moments to send some texts before driving home. Harrison is usually very vocal about me driving off immediately, but not even 30 seconds in to me getting in to the car I looked back and saw both Dylan AND Harrison had given in to sleep with just the cradle of their carseats. My “few moments” to myself lasted much longer that day, even if they were while sitting in the car. (Actually who am I kidding, the car is one of the only places I can have those moments these days anyway, and even there Harrison has started talking a mile a minute to me most of the time and requires a lot of engagement). 

I find a thermometer when we get home, only to realize the batteries are dead. I search around and eventually find another. 101 degrees. Highest temperature I’ve ever seen him have, and only the third time he’s been sick to the point of a lethargic afternoon.

Cause for concern? No. I believe our bodies are more than capable of healing themselves if we give them time and the right tools. A fever is generally a good thing, though we are taught to fear it. It is our body’s immune response to fighting off whatever is making us sick. Our body is using that heat to help us feel better. We don’t want to suppress it, within reason. I personally don’t feel the need to intervene with a fever until it reaches 103-104 degrees. Slightly lower in a young baby. Lowering a fever prematurely is taking away one of the things the body needs to heal.

Harrison sits on the couch for most of the afternoon, reading books, watching some Daniel Tiger, driving his cars, singing songs, talking to me. He’s not interested in eating, and getting him to drink is a chore but I do my best. He refuses bone broth, which is a bummer. He drinks it often, but being sick has changed all of his typical preferences apparently. He gets some watered down kombucha instead, with a few immune-boosting supplements mixed in. A whole-food vitamin C powder, echinacea drops, and a wellness support tincture that involves a few different herbs. I’m out of Elderberry syrup and though the ingredients are in my pantry, I don’t have the opportunity to make any (did I mention I was solo-parenting Thursday through Tuesday night?) It’s the perfect time for Elderberry, but oh well. We’ll work with what we have. He also takes a dose of Oscillococcinum. I assume his lethargy means he’s feeling compounded by flu symptoms and all the aches and run-down feelings that come with them. I also let him nurse far more than I would generally tolerate during the day. In fact, I actually invite him to nurse a few times because he’s not even asking for it like he usually does. Never underestimate the power of breastmilk.

7pm- bedtime- approaches quickly and I get Harrison and Dylan in bed not a moment too soon. Harrison is asleep in minutes, without effort. On any normal day, his 20 minute car nap would mean bedtime pushed to 8pm or later. Today is not normal.

Saturday morning after Harrison gets 13 hours of sleep (out of the ordinary again) he has some energy. For a short while. Food is still not interesting. Then I realize I have a little heater on my hands once again and this time the thermometer is closer to 102 degrees. We continue the supplements and quiet play and rest.

I find my throat is becoming a bit scratchy and I take a dose of Throat Calm every 15 minutes for an hour. It’s very broad-spectrum so I’m hopeful I can avoid an actual sore throat. By the end of the hour everything feels normal again. Success!

Harrison lays on the couch for a long period of time throughout the morning, eyes glazed over, passively existing while Dylan and I play in front of him and I check in every so often. We get in the car for just over an hour round-trip, and he naps for a bit. Home and we take a short walk around the block; he’s been asking and asking for me to drive toy cars with him on the wall down the street. I oblige and he laughs and laughs while we make the cars drive and fly and crash in to each other. Home again and he quiets down once more, going around the block was a bit too much. No appetite, we make it to 6:45 and he lays in bed in his daytime clothes to wait for me to get Dylan ready for bed so that I can help him next. I turn around to set Dylan down and Harrison is already asleep.

Between 8-11pm he’s in a strange state of consciousness. He’s crying out and moving around more than usual and I lay next to him and pull the hair up off the back of his sweaty neck and tell him I’m right there next to him and he settles for a short while and then starts back up again. Is this what a fever dream is? I do my best to comfort him. Dylan thankfully sleeps through it all.

6:30am and Harrison jolts awake, loudly insisting he wants us all to go play in the living room. I stayed up too late trying to get a few minutes to myself and sleepily tell him it’s too early and that he needs to go back to bed and I keep my eyes closed. This never works after 5:30am. But then I’m woken again at 7am but this time it’s by Dylan, and Harrison is fast asleep on the other side of me.

Dylan and I go into the living room to play and eat and whatever else we do on Sunday mornings and I anticipate Harrison’s awakening at any point. He never sleeps past 8, so there my assumption lies.

A smiley, noticeably cheerful Harrison walks out of the bedroom, stuffed animal in hand, at 8:30am. Who is this kid? 13.5 hours of sleep did him well, his body temperature feels normal, and he asks for food. We share breakfast, we facetime with Jeremy, and I find I have my toddler back- full of intense, happy energy, ready to take on the day. We made it!

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Reflecting back on this, I am continually amazed by how our bodies work. A healthy body can handle so many things with such ease. We are so quick to medicate sometimes that we don’t give our bodies a fighting chance to work the way they were made to. And then we find ourselves needing to heal twice- once from the sickness, and once from the medicine. Harrison, at almost 3.5 years old, has never taken an antibiotic or any over-the-counter medication (“not even” Tylenol or anything of the sort.) He takes cod liver oil daily, eats a nourishing diet (which includes lots of healthy animal fats and animal protein), and gets real food and herbal supplements as needed, along with some homeopathics. Dylan is the same. I am thankful for my family’s health and the confidence that I have to take care of us in the best way that I see.

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Also, I am slowly getting more in to the world of homeopathy and it seems to be the next rabbit trail I am heading down. I keep Arnica, Chamomilla, and Ledum in the diaper bag so I can administer them anywhere anytime for falls/cuts/scrapes/bruises, fussiness/teething, and bug bites/stings respectively. Homeopathics are great for supporting the body through so much more than illness, and doing so without disrupting gut flora or interfering with the body's natural response mechanisms.