And we're back home. See my earlier post - don't know if it is a newly developed allergy or just that antibiotics can upset the stomach, but about an hour after Scott took the first antibiotic he started vomiting violently and having serious diarrhea, and serious stomach pain. After about 4 hours, he called the doctor, who said he was at serious risk of dehydration; after we got to the ER around 4:30 p.m. he was in the bathroom 4 times and the last time reported he was vomiting blood. He's OK now - the blood was capillary blood, nothing major. They gave him an IV to replace fluids, and added an anti-nausea med and pain med to it. We were there about 3-1/2 hours - fortunately, we are in a relatively quiet suburb and our hospital ER doesn't have a lot of alochol/drug related traffic until really late at night. The meds worked, they took X-rays to check his stomach and chest, did the blood work, and discharged him with an anti-nausea prescription that they say will make him very sleepy. So we'll be spending Christmas at home, and Scott will be having tea, gingerale and toast for Christmas dinner. Ah well - it could have been worse.

A friend who is going to my son&dil for Christmas and who doesn't live far from me will stop by to pick up the Christmas stuff for us, so everyone else will get their gifts and I imagine Scott and I will go out in a couple of weeks for a quiet afternoon with my granddaughter and to share gifts.

By Mom2three1968 on Monday, December 24, 2007 - 10:34 pm:

Oh boy what a Christmas Eve you've had!! I'm glad that your son is alright! That must've been scary for the both of you!! Hope he gets the rest that he needs.m

By Chai~latte on Monday, December 24, 2007 - 10:55 pm:

Oh no! I'm so sorry Scott is unwell, prayers for a quick recovery and a happier New Year!

By Karen~admin on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 08:12 am:

Ginny, I'm so sorry! Poor Scott! And you are both missing the Christmas celebration with your granddaughter. :-(

I have a question - was it erythromycin that Scott was taking that made him so ill? The exact same thing happened to me when I took it, maybe 18 years ago. I list it as a drug allergy now.

I hope he's on the mend soon! Merry Christmas, Ginny.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 09:06 am:

It was Amoxicillin or a generic version of same. He is sleeping quite nicely right now, and slept all night. He was able to keep down gingerale and crackers, so he tried some toast with grape jam (lots of sugar, which he certainly needed), and that stayed down, so he went to bed. I don't know yet what we'll do today - whether we'll go to NJ or not. It's really up to Scott. I do know if we go, he'll be eating jelly sandwiches and chicken noodle soup, not filet and the heavy chocolate cake desserts we got. Fortunately, he baked a lot of bread, so at least he can eat his home-made bread.

It was really scary, for both of us. I must say, there are advantages in living in a relatively quiet suburb. There were only two other people in the waiting room when we got there, and from the time we got to the hospital until they started the IV was about 40 minutes. We actually spent about 3-1/2 hours in the ER all told, and were lucky that a pharmacy a couple of blocks from the hospital was still open. Of course, it might have been different - in terms of waiting time - if we had gone later in the evening, but at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve in our area, people are mostly in church and at home and not in bars. Even when we left, the ER was fairly quiet. The staff were all great - friendly, kind, explaining what they were doing and why.

Yes, we are concerned about a drug allergy, and Scott will talk to the doctor about an allergy test. But, it could just be that sometimes antibiotics can do that to one's system. The ER doc said it could be either, and to not just add the "cillins" to his allergy list without some testing. But testing is definitely on the menu, just to be safe. Scott has had a quirky immune system for years, and in recent years has become allergic first to shellfish (which means he can't have iodine-based contrast dyes for radiology procedures), then to salt-water fish, and now even to fresh-water fish - which is a shame, because he loves shellfish and fish in general. And he has developed an allergy to horse-serum based vaccines, which wouldn't be a problem for most but because he works with animals he has to have a regular rabies vaccination, and that's one of the few horse-serum based vaccines around - fortunately they also make a bovine-based rabies vaccine.

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 10:11 am:

And more. When I called my dil to say we definitely aren't coming, she said she is actually postponing the Christmas celebration for our family. She has a terrible tootache, and the root canal she had scheduled for a week from now will take place tomorrow. In the meantime, she is trying to find a pharmacy that is open so her doctor can call in a prescription for pain meds for her.

Scott woke up, and although he slept most of the night he feels pretty shaky, so even before I called my dil he was clear that he wasn't going. He, of course, said "you should go". I, of course, said no way. I am a worrier, and I would definitely not be an hour away by car and leave him home alone - I'd be worrying the whole 4-6 hours and would not be able to have any fun. And now my poor dil!

Ah well, we'll have Christmas some time in the next week or two. The cakes are in the freezer (I got frozen desserts from Trader Joes), so the only thing is Scott will have to make more rolls, and he loves baking anyhow so that's a non-issue.

Scott's going back to bed after he eats a little bit. I'm going to the supermarket to get some chicken soups with rice and with noodles for his poor tummy. Good thing I got a couple of DVDs from the library.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 11:39 am:

DIL and Scott are both in my thoughts and prayers this morning. Stinks being sick on the Holidays, been there done that.. Take care of yourself Ginny, hopefully Scott isn't catchy.

By Yjja123 on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 12:06 pm:

(((((hugs to you both)))))

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 01:49 pm:

Keeping your family in my prayers. I hope Scott and your DIL feel better soon.

By Nicki on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 01:56 pm:

I'm sorry Scott became so ill! I'm glad he's resting. I'm sorry to hear your DIL is hurting, as well.
It will be so nice when all of you are feeling better and can celebrate Christmas.
Ginny, you are such a caring, loving mom. I am a worrier, too. Scott will be in good hands today. I hope he feels better soon.

By Karen~admin on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 02:43 pm:

Ginny, sounds like Scott has the same allergies to shellfish and saltwater fish and iodine that *I* do.

Sorry to hear that your DIL is having troubles too!

Merry Christmas anyway, take it easy today.

By Conni on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 06:11 pm:

(((Hugs))) to you both. I hope he is continuing to improve today.

I hope your dil's root canal goes smoothly and she heals quickly.

Keep us posted!!

By Brooke327 on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 08:16 pm:

Oh Ginny, i am so sorry to hear that. I just sent you an email before I read these posts. tell Scott I hope he is feeling better soon. Tell him to get lots of rest and fluids.

By Nicki on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - 12:42 pm:

I hope Scott is feeling better today.

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 - 01:52 pm:

Scott's feeling pretty much OK except some residual soreness in his stomach muscles. The doc said that since his x-rays came back clear, he won't prescribe another antiobiotics. Scott's keeping on a light diet for another day or two, and then will be, we think, back to normal.

Thanks, ladies, for all the good wishes. Actually, given what other women and families on this board are dealing with, our problem is pretty minor, but was awfully frustrating while it was happening.

By Rayelle on Friday, December 28, 2007 - 12:24 pm:

How are Scott and your dil doing now? I had a root canal last year and the toothache I had leading up to it was awful. I think I'd rather have a baby!

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, December 28, 2007 - 01:48 pm:

Scott's doing fine - job hunting now. My dil is doing well enough to reschedule our Christmas for tomorrow, so I'm guessing she is feeling OK. Thanks for asking.

Of course, we ate up all the rolls and biscuits Scott made for Christmas, so he will be baking tonight and tomorrow morning. He has a great recipe for cheese biscuits if anyone is interested.

By Karen~admin on Friday, December 28, 2007 - 02:06 pm:

I'd love the recipe, Ginny. I'm glad to hear everyone's doing well now! Enjoy your Christmas celebration tomorrow!

By Jewlz on Friday, December 28, 2007 - 04:57 pm:

id love the recipe also love cheese biscuits glad he is feelin better and u all weill be together

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, December 28, 2007 - 06:55 pm:

OK:
This recipe makes 5 full sized muffins. Scott multiplies it by 4 to make 20 generous biscuits/muffins.

1 cup self-rising flour **
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (don't say yucch - the mayonnaise substitutes for egg and shortening)

** If you don't have self-rising flour, use 1-1/2 teaspooons baking powder and 1/2 teaspooon salt in a measuring cup; add enough all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup.

Combine flour and cheese; stir in milk and mayonnaise jut until moistened. Fill 5 greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes until golden brown.

(If you are only making 5 muffins, fill the empty muffin cups in your muffin tin 1/2 full of water. It makes for more even baking for the muffins.)

It is obviously a really easy recipe, other than grating the cheese (heaven forbid Scott should use pre-grated cheese, but that's him). They came out a lovely golden brown. Because we didn't have them with Christmas dinner last Wednesday, Scott has been heating two muffins in the microwave, at full, for 30 seconds, then splitting and putting butter on them, and saying "yummmm".

The recipe is Cheddar Cheese Biscuits from the allrecipes.com site. I noted some comments at the bottom. One person doubled the recipe but used half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour, and added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp sherb seasoning, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Another person had a fairly empty cupboard and substituted 1/4 cup cream cheese and a sprinkle of shredded parmesan instead of the cheddar cheese, and said they were great.

By Dawnk777 on Friday, December 28, 2007 - 08:48 pm:

I'm glad everyone is feeling better!

By Tunnia on Saturday, December 29, 2007 - 08:00 pm:

How scary! I am so very glad that Scott is feeling better. I'm glad you dil is better too!

By Karen~admin on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 10:29 am:

Ginny, how was your Christmas at your son and DIL??????

Thanks for the recipe!

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 11:57 am:

Sort of OK. Brooke was sick - nothing serious, but a chest and head cold and a low-grade fever, and my usually happy granddaughter spent most of the time she was awake crying, saying no-no-no, and clinging to either her mother or father. She wouldn't go to anyone else, not even Unca Scott, whom she usually adores. I felt sorry for Brooke, and almost more sorry for Lori. My dil is a wonderful woman but when she is entertaining she is sort of driven, wants everything to be perfect, and it is hard to be a perfect hostess with a crying baby clinging to you. We all understood, of course, but that didn't make any difference to Lori.

To top it off, my dear children gave me a total of 6 sweatsuits. I had asked for sweatsuits, and can certainly use them. But I appear to have lost enought weight (not from working at it) that the pants are all too big, so I will have to do the return thing once they give me the receipts.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 04:28 pm:

Ginny, I'm sorry your holiday wasn't quite as good as you would liked it. Returning stuff can be a pain.

By Mlee on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 11:07 pm:

Ginny, It sounds like it was, all in all, a fairly rotten Christmas! Could be worse, of course, and while one is grateful that it wasn't, still...sigh.

I remember those times with the sick little ones. Lori is lucky to have a MiL who thinks she is wonderful and understands about crying babies. Maybe she'll mellow after a few more years of motherhood and give up being a perfect hostess during family events.

I had to laugh at your 6 sweatsuits. My DD told every one she needed pants, and then was a bit overwhelmed by how pants-oriented her gifts were. I think she only got five, though. How cool that you've lost weight! I don't think I'd mind returning things for that reason!

Has Scott already left his job or is he looking for something while still at the vet's office?

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - 11:16 pm:

Scott's been in school for the past year, Mlee, but is job hunting now, for two reasons. First, and I hope the most important, because he started school in January he is "out of synch" and the next set of classes he needs to take are not offered until next September. Second, and certainly equally important, he has run through his savings. He gets free room and board from me, but still needs to get a job to save money so he can pay for things like gas, vet bills, dog medicine, and just general running around money. At his age, he doesn't want to ask me for an allowance. He has a couple of interviews lined up at vet practices and, push come to shove, there's always Wawa or Target.

By Mlee on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 - 05:01 pm:

My DD's girlfriend, whom I call here my DsemiD, is also out of synch. In fact, I've lost track of when the next application deadline and next set of classes is for her. However, I'd better find out, because I know I'll be involved in helping her get them in on time. DsemiD has dyslexia and is the world's worst proscratinator about anything she has to write.

By Karen~admin on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 - 05:10 pm:

Ginny, sorry Christmas wasn't very "Christmassy" for you this year. I hope everyone is on the mend, and hopefully in the next week or so, you can have a *good* visit with everyone. Good luck on your returns!