POOR SICK PUDGE, 4 BATMANS AND FRED FLINTSTONE

Poor Pudge has been sick since he started nursery about six weeks ago. His immune system has been tested to the extreme. He has caught colds, coughs and has had three chest infections. I seem to remember that is par for the course. It makes you feel bad but the advantage is that their immune systems have usually met almost everything before they start school at five and so they never miss any school once they have started. And of course he had that dreadful allergic reaction in NY 10 days ago. At the time I asked the docs if it could be an amoxicillin allergy, given he had finished a course of antibiotics 2 days earlier and given that Marcel is also allergic to amoxicillin, although Charlotte isn't. The doctors on duty that night all ruled it out but they were fairly young and inexperienced. I had my doubts, but often believe a parent of 3 kids could probably fake their way an average GP shift as long as the patients were all small children. So tonight I took Léon to the doctor's again because he's been sleepy, roasting hot and not eating again for another 2 days. The doctor said it was a viral infection but when I mentioned the allergic reaction he said he was 90% sure what I had mentioned was an amoxicillin allergy. He even described the symptoms to me. He could of course be wrong but at least I can now ask my own GP to do specific allergy tests and therefore hopefully avoid another week of this:
Driving back from the doctor at 9pm on the Saturday before Halloween was an experience, that over and above the potential allergy diagnosis, was in itself interesting. I passed 3 Batmans or (should that be Batmen?) walking along the street hand in hand beside a Fred Flintstone complete with one large, hairy club. An interesting choice of costumes - I would have imagined that if four friends had decided to go out to a Halloween party together they would either have gone as 4 Batpeople, or alternatively Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty. I then passed several brides and grooms, some with daggers through their heads, assorted witches and ghosts and Superman who seemed to be out for a walk with a man wearing a karate suit. It is just a pity you forget to take your camera when you nip out to the out-of-hours doctor's surgery with a sick baby!