Monday, August 14, 2006

Soccer Dad: Vacay Torpedoed by Sore Bunghole

Ah the wonder of kids. It's easy to get caught up in "every day is a miracle" type of groove. But nothing shines a klieg light of reality to a glowing parent than a stomach bug.

A week before our vacation, Maceo was sent home from daycare because of diarrhea. So we're thinking: a couple days on the "B.R.A.T." diet thing (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, plus lean meats and other healthy stuff) and he'll be good to go for our road trip. Well, five days later, he's far from regular, still shooting dirty brown dish water from his poor sore hole. We filled a Diaper Genie in two days. The diaper rash got bad--his butthole looks like Ronald McDonald puckered up and planted a big one on his starfish. Advice nurse says it takes 7-9 days for diarrhea to completely exit.

Now we're getting nervous, we don't want to drive him five hours with his bunghole and intestinal tract in disrepair. We postpone our vacation a day to make sure he's 100 percent. Though his rear end is healing, he's still crapping more than his fair share. Then today he got a fever. A day late and faced with a new potential malady ahead, we cancel our vacation to nurse our little guy to health. Dag!

I implore Desitin to investigate a new line of diaper rash soothers: Desitin Pookie Popsickles. Pull one from the freezer, roll them around the affected area. Cools, soothes, relieves with healing lanolin and protective zinc oxide. You see? With vacation shot and no work, my brain is left with nothing but time.

SD

11 comments:

daddy in a strange land said...

Dare I push a sore topic (pun intended), but where were you gonna go?

thisislarry said...

ouch. well, at least you guys had enough sense to cancel the vaca rather than force yourselves to go and ruin it in situ (glass half full speaking here).

honglien123 said...

Oh...I feel your pain, my sweet pea is going through the same thing and our vacation starts NEXT WEEK! Good luck! I find sticking Sweet Pea in a warm bath and then letting him run naked for awhile helps for a bit. Not sure about the road trip though.

Unknown said...

in a way, you're really lucky you only have one little patient.

i just put my oldest to bed (who just technicolor yawned all over the kitchen) and am hoping and praying that the baby doesn't get whatever she has. (honestly, i hope that i don't get whatever she has!)

and i'm guessing i won't sleep for longer than two hours for the next three days....

Soccer Dad said...

DIASL: We were heading to Carpinteria from the Bay Area. Now we're sticking around the house, hitting up the kid's museum, the zoo and a spa day on Thursday followed up with some brown rice sushi.

MaZilla: You are brave! You're right I can't imagine having two sick pups around.

Update: He's back to his regular crapping schedule, but still getting a bit warm in the afternoon. Instead of infant tylenol, we took a dip in the pool. Much more fun.

Anonymous said...

Triple Paste works WONDERS! It's like Desitin but thicker so it really protects the area that's healing. It's pricey but it's SO worth it!

Soccer Dad said...

We've found that a combo of Lotrimin (for the yeast and rash) and Desitin (for the lanolin and zinc) did the trick.

Maybe a Desitin Pop wouldn't be a good idea, especially if its summer and I'm looking for a tasty treat and not paying close attention. Bleah!

Anonymous said...

let the kid run around sans diaper if it's an option. both of the kids learned to potty train like that during the spring/summer/early fall . . . and diaper rashes weren't really a problem.

better to be safe than sorry on a car-trip based vaca though - good call!

frozen tundra said...

as far as the Montezuma's Revenge goes, you pretty much have to wait it out...just make sure the little guy stays hydrated (Pedialyte, etc)

trade secret from someone in the medical field:

if you can, try to get your hands on some Triple Antibiotic Ointment (Neomycin, Polymyxin B, and Bacitracin). A small dab applied BEFORE putting on the Desitin at each D-change works WONDERS for preventing rash... the nasty bacteria in the poop/pee get obliterated by the ointment...

FT

Anonymous said...

Poopsicle makes sense. Chuckling as I imagine running to the corner store freezer case to pick up a couple. Which "flavors" would poor little Maceo prefer? Cool cucumber, soothing mint or banana jello?
Bummer about the vacation--you're very patient. I would have started cramming blue cheese down R2's gob hoping that would constipate and cure at the same time.

Soccer Dad said...

I'd be partial to the Sriracha-flavored ones. Comedian Robert Schimmel has a bit about sticking a Popsickle in his butt after eating too many jalapenos. "But it was one of those square ones, I ain't sticking no dick-shaped popsickle up my ass."

As for Pedialyte, we got conflicting advice about it. Advice Nurse said there's no need if he isn't vomiting and is acting normal (taking fluids, eating well, happy demeanor). Doctor said give Pedialyte. Freaking Kaiser.

We did let Maceo tool around without a diaper, but because he still had some Hershey squirt schrapnel, he was confined to the wood floors, a beach blanket nearby.