Friday, January 11, 2008

Someone Here Hath Murdered Sleep

Well, I had The Talk with the kids tonight. All 6 of them. I sat them down and told them, "Remember - either be a doctor or marry one." That way, they won't have to watch one of their children cough her lungs out all night long, again, because they can't get their hands on any codeine cough syrup.

The doctor did prescribe some other cough medicine over the phone, some namby-pamby crap, and I told him, "It won't work. You may have 8 years of med school, but I have 16 years of raising children. Give me the good stuff." No dice.

My lord, I am so pissed off. I really feel sorry for whichever doctor we finally see tomorrow morning.

Am I crazy, or should a sick kid be able to see a doctor the same day that the kid is ill? I do have superpowers, but I am still not able to predict a day in advance that my child is going to be up all night coughing. I'm just not that good. I admit it.

And, in case you think I'm sounding a little insane, you're right. Chronic sleep deprivation will do that to a person. Do you know how long it has been since I have had 4 hours of unbroken sleep? Have you any idea? Prisoners of war are treated better than this.

You know, friends don't let friends blog sleepless. I'm signing off.

(But, oh yes, Larry caught our little rodent friend this morning. And disposed of him. Once again, I am glad that I get to be the helpless female. While he did the dirty work, I hid in the bedroom. Of course, now Larry is suffering from what I call his Hemingway Syndrome - the way he's acting, you'd think he'd bagged a cougar.)

23 comments:

  1. It just drives me crazy that our doctor is too busy to see us when we're sick. But he'll call in whatever we want without seeing us. Make sense? I was thinking we need a new doc, but it sounds like there are many like him out there.

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  2. I am so there with you. In Dementia Land. I either get some sleep tonight or Scout gets it. I'm not joking. Ask my painter. (If you can find his body... mwuhahaha.)

    And good GOD, my word verification is vtkbghay. WTF?

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  3. Helpless female? You are so full of it. Remind me to take you on my next doctors visit. I think I'd getter better service and a more thorough exam.

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  4. Oh, the persistent coughing is the worst. Fight for what you know works for them (and maybe some for yourself so you can get good sleep while they do!)

    Sometimes propping a kid up to sleep at night (in a lazyboy, for instance) will help keep them from having coughing fits from mucous drying and tickling their throats. Hot steam baths morning and night (with a towel over a pan of hot water) help to loosen up that junk, too.

    Yay for your brave and victorious rodent hunter! Lol, that's worthy of a miniature plaque, made of a small piece of wood with a (Cat Toy) mouse on it...like a taxidermist would do with any other animal, presented with much fanfare.

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  5. I feel your pain. I haven't had a full night's sleep in 14 years. I hope you get enough sleep that you don't go off the deep end and string up the doctor tomorrow.

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  6. I'm dealing with the whole sleep deprivation right now also.
    Am I crazy, or do the children have a harder time hearing what I say to them when I am tired. It seems that the more sleep deprived I am, the less the children listen to me, and the grouchier I get until I yell, then they wonder why I am yelling.

    YES! I think sick children should be seen the same day you call the Dr. Our pediatrician is really great about this. There are several doctors in her practice, so we can always get in to see one of them. They even have extended hours, so we can go in evenings and weekends.

    I'm really glad you caught Mickey.

    Jill

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  7. I hope your little one's cough is better soon.

    I guess I should consider myself lucky, we have a great doctor with a small practice and we can always get in the same day if we call in the morning.

    Hope you got some sleep last night!

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  8. I hope you get that cough taken care of once and for all. That's so frustrating. I have pity for the doctor you'll see today.

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  9. You know, I am terrible frustrated with the medical community continually removing medicines that really work for my boys. Every spring they need a decongestant, JUST a decongestant, and to get it I have to ask the pharmacist, who scrutinizes me to see if I'm telling the truth, who then disappears into the back to get it out of a locked cabinet, and THEN I have to sign a sheet and show my driver's license. My brother is a doctor and I get on his case about this all the time.

    BTW, we may not have mouse problems, but we have SQUIRREL problems! We thought we solved the problem last year, but they're back! They get into our eaves, and spend the night running back and forth. They are SO LOUD. I used to think squirrels were so cute . . . not any more. What really makes me mad (yes, mad) is that we have tons and tons of trees in our backyard, but no, they have to use our roof.

    Can your husband come over to solve our "giant rodent" problem? You know, since he's Hemingway, and all!

    God bless!

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  10. OK, I'll admit the first sentence got me all excited. I love hearing about other people's sex talks, so I was sorely disappointed. Sorry about the lack of sleep, it makes EVERYTHING seem worse!

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  11. becky - I like the trophy idea! I'll have to do that.

    jill - The more we talk, the less they listen.

    bia - yes, we are constantly on the great Sudafed Hunt ourselves. Drives me crazy.

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  12. LOL! I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at your pain. But you sound exactly like me when my children are sick - and that Dr. fiasco! UUUUURRRRRRGGGHHHH!!! Let's not talk about it, tempers might get out of hand. ;P

    I, too, am familiar with the 4-hour-block-of-sleeping pattern. Twin babies will do that to you.

    Sheesh. I hope her cough will get better soon! Or that you'll be able to 'get the good stuff' to help her. That's miserable - I hate it when my kids are ill.

    Rant away, Hun!

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  13. Rub Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottom of your child's feet and put sock on (the child). Slather them, liberally. My mother in law told me this trick and in a moment of sleep-deprived depravation I tried it. It REALLY works. And I don't only use it at night. Sweet dreams.

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  14. Ugh. I have been sorely tempted to change doctors... the kids', and mine... several times, but never have because I am afraid it is at least as bad everywhere else.

    No advice here, just sympathy, and best wishes for some good sleep for you...

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  15. My doctor is pretty busy too. It is a pain to get in there. I am lucky and the kids don't get too sick too often. You poor kids have had the croup for a while now. I totally understand the no sleep thing. I have a four month old that refuses to sleep through the night.
    A cougar huh? They are almost the same size!! LOL!! Glad you caught him, but there are always more!! We live in a field. There are always more!!

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  16. Oh, I so sorry! Hope she's feeling better, and that you get some sleep. Congrats on the rodent-catch. I was giggling at the cougar line. Those men!

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  17. I hope you get some sleep. I have four and when a cold runs through my house it take forever to go away. I can not imagine adding 2 more to the equation. Great advice, be a doctor or marry one.
    I hate mice too, I would be hiding right with you.

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  18. I'd be a friend and not let you blog sleep deprived, but there's just something about listening to a sleep deprived person rant...OK since you already did it I will ground you till you get some zzz's.
    As for the Dr, if I don't get an appointment in time I just say it won't work because the patient will either be dead or healed before then. Luckily there are so many kids in my area, most of the pediatricians ganged up together and rotated backup so we can almost always get in somewhere.

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  19. My sister's baby has a cold and so does she. Her baby thinks the answer is to forego sleep all night, try to nurse, get frustrated because he can't suck and breathe at the same time, let go and bellow his frustration...All.Night.Long....
    then she gets to get up and face a day with 29 third graders. Good times.

    Tonight she called because his breath sounded rattley. What did I think, oh mother of three, should she be worried? No. "Fine," she screamed at me, "side with my husband." Sleep deprivation can be ugly.

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  20. My 5 year old doesn't sleep. Even when he is healthy he doesn't. He wakes up in the middle of the night because he is "bored." Little punker.
    You should try mucinex. It''s great stuff!

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  21. Once upon a time I did get a cough syrup with codeine. It became known as "liquid gold" in our house and my daughters would beg for it if they were feeling the need for a night of enhanced sleep. I cherished it , rationed it, and we used every drop... and have not been able to get it again. Screw meth, I love the syrup!!

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  22. Here's a tip I learned online through an email. It works, everyone I tell this tip to, tries it and it works. All you do is rub Vicks on the bottoms of your feet and put on socks and your coughs stop...for the night...all night...We've used this tip time and time again and yet to have it fail us. We don't even dose them with cough syrup. Just the Vicks. Hope this helps, it's saved me countless sleepless nights. You'll be a believer, promise.

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  23. Do you really have six children???? No wonder you are sleep deprived. But yeah - sleep deprivation makes the world seem a very hostile place.

    It is the same here re the doctors. Although to be honest I think most children just recover and unless someone has a broken leg or can't breathe or something major, you are better off just letting them ride it out. Drug them up so they can't avoid sleeping and leave it at that. Well, that's what I do - but then I only have four!

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