Rocephin

What in the world is Rocephin you ask? Well, if our lives were a novel, it would be the dominant character of the week. Sometimes it was the hero (as in: Rocephin will help us!!!), and sometimes it was the villan (As in: Oh no, more Rocephin!).

Rocephin is an antibiotic injection used to treat an infection that won't clear under normal antibiotics. We had to take Addie into the ped this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for shots of this stuff. Addie did very well actually. She of course hollered and screamed when getting the shot, but I think that was mostly from being held down against her will. She would cry hard for about 30 seconds and then be done. What a trooper!

I must explain, though of course it is just to brag on my great kid, that Rocephin is notorious around the doctor's office for being a very painful shot. I guess it really hurts. Each nurse that had to administer the shot would come into the exam room with a look of pitty and regret on her face. She would apologize to Addie, to me, then to Addie again. They have NEVER done this when Addie gets her vaccinations, so I knew something was different. And both nurses we had did this.

After the shot, Addie wasn't allowed to leave the doctor's office for 20 minutes, to monitor for any reactions to the shot. "What reactions?" I asked. Oh, a rash... or aniphylatic shock. "OK" I said, "we'll just wait here then." There is a special waiting area in the back hallway of our doctors office for just such an occassion. We would sit on the padded benches and watch a video while all the doctors and the nurses of the practice walked by on their way to treat other patients. So we saw almost everyone of our other family this week. They all know what that special waiting area is for so they would walk by and say "Oh no! Why are you here? Poor baby!" One doctor was confused about why we were there because Addie was sitting so calmly watching the video. When I said that yes, she had just had a shot of Rocephin, he couldn't believe she was so calm.

Sometimes I forget how tough Addie is, or how much pain she feels due to her reflux and ear infections. It's been awhile since I had bad heartburn or an ear infection, so I have to remind myself how intense that is. Usually I have to remind myself when she is acting out from pain or won't go to sleep and I'm frustrated. I also wonder what she will be like when she isn't in pain anymore (will that EVER happen?). Hopefully after her surgery next week, her reflux will have a chance to calm down (each infection irritates her reflux worse), and then we'll get a peek at what our healthy kid is like.