1st Shots (Oct 15th)

So, Mommy wasn't the smartest woman in the world, planning John's two month shots for the Monday we returned from Montana. Unfortunately as John's 2 month b-day was on a Saturday, and we left the following Monday the soonest we could get in for his 2 month shots was the 15th. Mommy was also not very smart, in that she scheduled the shots for the morning, so he would have the whole day to think about them and hurt (instead of being able to sleep most of it off). Everything started out ok. The girl giving the shots was really quick, which was nice. He did scream the minute he got the first (of four) shot, and didn't stop til she was done, and I had fed him. The pediatrician encouraged me not to give Tylenol, unless I could see that he was in pain, or unless he had a fever.
He received the shots at 10, and did fine until 1:20, when he started getting a little fussy. I gave him some Tylenol, and he took an hour nap. When he woke up, he screamed and screamed. Nothing could console him. I tried giving him a bath, mainly because I thought his band-aid was irritating him, as I noticed his left leg was red around the band-aid. I also knew that he usually gets calm in baths. He did good for about 20 minutes, then started screaming again. I wrapped him in a towel and just held him. I remembered that the pediatrician said to also try applying heat to the area, so I heated up my rice bag, and hung it over my shoulder opposite from his body, so that I wouldn't burn him. All this time, I cried and cried, telling him how sorry I was, wishing that I could help him understand. He eventually wore himself out screaming and fell asleep. I didn't want to move. Finally after about an hour, I laid him on our bed, still wrapped in the towel. I checked his leg, and it seemed swollen, but the redness had gone down. Here is a picture of him "peacefully" resting.



Well, shortly thereafter he awoke and immediately commenced to screaming. Also, in all of this he wasn't eating, and he hadn't peed. I noticed his legs were red from the knee to the hip, and both were swollen, the left greater than the right. I knew that his whole leg wasn't supposed to be swollen, and the internet said to call the doctor if the redness is greater than an inch (which it was about 4 inches). So, I did, and the lovely person who answered the phone (who I could barely hear even though I put John down, went into the bathroom and closed the door) said it was normal and I could go to the ER if I was worried about it. Good grief!!! My kid is screaming, his legs are swollen and red, and the best news you can tell me is "It's normal and it will go away within 48 hours." Really makes me want to give him his next shots! I knew going to the ER would be useless, since he was breathing fine, and he had good capillary refill in his toes, so I called my friend Norma over to check him. She had been an EMT at one point in her life. Yes, I know I'm a nurse, but 1.)I've never worked Pedi & 2.) I've never been a mom before.
Well, the minute she gets there, he calms down, smiles & coos for her, and shortly thereafter proceeds to eat. I was trying to keep myself calm as I know that he gets worse when I'm tense, but apparently I wasn't doing the best job! Or maybe he just needed a new face to look at. He was able to get his second dose of Tylenol, and even though he was extra fussy & crying for the rest of the night, he didn't scream and scream like he did earlier that afternoon. Thankfully for Chris, as he had a hard day in training.
So, lessons learned. 1.) Always, always, no matter what the pediatrician says, give your child Tylenol before they receive their shots. 2.) Get the shots later in the afternoon 3.) See if you can break down the shots into two different visit, so both legs won't be hurting (may make changing a diaper & holding him easier!) We will try these things at the next appointment!