IS NOW THE TIME TO START WORRYING? **UPDATE**

Noooooo! Guess who came home from school yesterday with a fever?? Trombone-playing, has-a-competition-tomorrow, teen son, that's who!! AUGGGGHHH!!!

So, is now the time to panic?? I have 85 doz cookies, 35 bags of chips, 12 bags pretzel rods, a gazillion grapes and bananas and relishes, gobs of drink to make, and the reason we are doing this is sick! I think I need a Xanax! HA!

Okay.....now is the time that I need to just take a deep breath and relax. His band director said that if he is feeling better tomorrow, then he can perform. So, I am pushing the liquids, cough medicine, breathing treatments, ibuprofen, and hoping for the best.

Anybody got any other tried-and-true methods for me to try to ease the congestion and cough??

**UPDATE**

We just got back from the doctor's office, and teen son has H1N1...NOOOOOO!! Based on his history of asthma, he meets the criteria for Tamiflu, so I rushed uptown to the pharmacy, and he has already had one dose. But, did you know that when you have this, you have to be quarantined for 5 days (while you take the medicine), then you have to be fever free for 24 hours. Then you can be un-quarantined. But, if you develop a fever on that 6th day, you have to wait until you are fever-free (with no meds to bring down the fever); then you can go back to school.

Needless to say, teen son is NOT happy!! NOT AT ALL! All those days of slaving away in band camp, in the heat and humidity, then perfecting his routine at the small competitions, then the early morning practices in the cold and rainy dampness, it is all for nothing (in his eyes). Because, tomorrow is the BIG U OF I COMPETITION and he can't go. I feel so bad for him, but, unfortunately, I can't make it all better for him. I told him we have to just focus on getting him well.

**A.Marie**