It was last Thursday when Samuel first started running a low-grade fever.  Matthew threw up the next morning and, well, you know the rest.  Samuel had to have a chest x-ray yesterday because of his extended fever (eight days and counting) but it was clear.  They were checking for pneumonia.  Peter took a flu test but it was negative.  They said it was too soon to test.

I do wish someone could explain this mystery to me: Peter’s test was inaccurate because it was only about six hours after the onset of symptoms.  But Matthew’s test, while registering the flu, came too late for the prescription of Tamiflu.  Apparently, you have to hit it at exactly the precise time in order to get the treasured medicine, sometime within the first 48 hours from the onset of symptoms but after the “too early” window, which is a real trick, especially when the pediatrician’s office pretty much just gives you the next appointment on the list.

Not only that, but I learned yesterday that only certain doctors within my pediatrician’s group are even prescribing Tamiflu!  So the odds of us getting Tamiflu are about as good as being struck by lightening while winning the lottery.

Which begs the question, why bother going to the doctor at all?  In our case, we have now invested $80 plus whatever we will owe for the trip to the x-ray people (probably $100 copay for that) for the grand prize of…ding! ding! ding!…being able to tell everyone that ONE of our boys has a confirmed case of the flu.

You know what that’ll get you?  A mask, some stickers and a pencil.

Leaving the x-ray place

Yes, that’s right.  They made all 3 boys wear masks at the medical center where we went for the x-rays.  And you want to know what’s sad?  The lady that runs the x-ray machine now knows me by sight.  She actually said “Weren’t you just here recently?”.  Oh yes, as the mother of 3 boys, I have now spent quite a bit of my life at the x-ray place.

On a happier note, today we had to get out of the house for a few hours so the cleaning ladies could come.  They were so welcome and appreciated, and I have never been as happy as when we walked through the door and smelled the fresh, clean scent of pine.  It was momentary nirvana.

While we were out, I decided to surprise the boys with a trip to “Picnic Hill”.  It’s in the adjacent neighborhood and the boys have been begging to go for a long time.  It was really a nice change of pace after being cooped up for so many days in a row.  I took some pics with my cellphone.

View from Picnic Hill

Picnic Hill

Boys eating lunch

Looking back toward our house.

So while we are still sick, at least we are sleeping on clean sheets tonight and using clean sinks and clean wash cloths, etc.  And maybe – just maybe – we will finally be on our way to getting healthy again.

But on the off chance that that doesn’t work, does anybody know how to score some black market Tamiflu???