This past week has been crazy! On Wednesday when I found out I had strep throat Craig and Pheonyx also got tested too at the ER, since we don’t have a doctor readily available in our town (it’s really hard to get an actual appointment). That day we ended up waiting a few hours and I didn’t like the idea of having my little baby in a hospital that long so we left. Plus, it was almost time for Serafina to be picked up from school. They said they’d call back with the results and when they did, they said Craig and Pheonyx’s tests were negative, only mine was positive.

The next two days Craig got worse and worse sick and Pheonyx seemed more sleepy than usual. I told Craig that he should go off to another town to try and get a doctor to redo the strep test since he couldn’t swallow or breathe without pain and wasn’t eating or sleeping well. He went and after waiting hours and hours his test was positive.

At that point I was pretty freaked out and wanted to get Pheonyx retested too since the nurse who originally tested us three couldn’t get a good swab of Craig or Pheonyx and I didn’t want to risk anything. We drove 30 minutes back to that hospital and waited more hours. We took all the kids and wanted them all tested but the admitting lady thought I was just a crazy paranoid mom and said they would only test the younger two because none of the kids really had any symptoms. That really annoyed me but I settled for at least getting Pheonyx and Serafina tested since they both can’t tell us how they feel. On top of all that, I pulled my back the day before and walking around and holding a baby for hours in the ER was really not what I needed to be doing, but I had to for my kids.

Finally, their results were back, both positive! We got them their medicine and drove back home, four out of six of us sick with strep throat, wondering if the other two have strep as well since the admitting person wouldn’t listen to me and just test them all.

I had been so anxious about Pheonyx being sick. Being so little, I was worried he wouldn’t be ok. He’s been taking his antibiotics and he seems to be doing better. I have been disinfecting the house and doing loads and loads of laundry. I have been very paranoid that the strep would come back again or spread further because this is my second round of antibiotics and I don’t want a third. Mostly, I really don’t want Pheonyx to get it twice.

Craig took Autumn and Kesa to our hospital for an appointment that we finally got on Monday and had them tested. The doctor gave a prescription of antibiotics for both of them, regardless of whether their tests would come back positive, saying, “If they don’t have it, they’re going to get it.”

So we are all currently being treated with antibiotics. I am obsessively cleaning everything and washing pillowcases and blankets and trying to just make sure I don’t kiss or breathe on my baby too much, just in case it turns out my strep is resistant to this type of antibiotics because I don’t trust it too well, since I did get it back a second time already after being on this a few weeks ago. It may have been that Serafina had it the whole time, or Craig, and gave it back to me again. In any case, I am paranoid and on edge about the whole thing.

I hate having to give the other girls antibiotics even though their tests came back negative yesterday, but for the sake of Pheonyx, Serafina, Craig, and myself, we are taking a preventative measure.

I sure do hope that it will be gone for good now and we can get back to regular life. I don’t need the added stress of this sickness on top of my usual stress mode as a mother. I want to get back into enjoying our days and feeling what it is to be healthy again.

Health really is life and when you are unwell, it makes it really difficult to enjoy the days and be at peace.

So far, everyone seems on the mend. I appreciate those who are thinking about us and keeping us in their prayers.

❤