Why do we tend to underestimate our immune system? I remember when my sisters were little. They were sick all the time. Every time we would take them to the doctor, each would come home with their bottle of pink liquid. 10 days worth of antibiotics every. single. time.
So Dylan was recently quarantined. He sat 2-3 feet away from a child who tested positive for COVID. Ironically, about 5 minutes before we got the phone call from his teacher, he had told me he had a sore throat. The next morning he woke up congested. That night he had a 100.7 fever.
This mama mind immediately prepares for the worst case scenario.
Listen, rational me knows that there are a million other viruses out there that are not COVID. We also live in Texas where allergens are high, and it’s not unusual for us to get a little sinus infection because of all the drainage. All very normal. On top of that, he just started school, so every year kids are thrown back together into a petri dish. And these are a completely new set of germs for Dylan since we just moved here.
Under normal circumstances, I would let a few days go by and feel it out. No big deal. Despite what we may think, a little fever isn’t bad for the body, either. That means that our body is fighting off something that doesn’t belong in there. I was raised in a time that if you have even the slightest fever, you medicate to bring it down immediately. As long as it doesn’t get too high, the best thing we can do is to let it do its job.
Our situation also had more abnormal circumstances - this was the weekend that his sisters were scheduled to come down. So, to protect their health, I went ahead and scheduled a doctor appointment and COVID test. I’m the mama who has always said I would never give my kid a test that involved sticking something that far up his nose. Never say never. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as it was when they first started administering them at the beginning of this insanity. I saw many a student (and parent) in my school traumatized because of these tests.
I digress...
So two COVID tests later, it was determined that Dylan definitely does not have COVID, and just has a little sinus/throat infection most likely caused by allergies. Guess what the doctor sent him home with? Yep, the bottle of pink liquid. And it is still sitting in our refrigerator, untouched. Why? Because our bodies need to have a chance to fight it off itself first. There is a time and place for antibiotics, and I am thankful for modern medicine. As a mama, I chose to help support his immune system through essential oils and foods. Thieves on his feet and down his spine 4-5 times a day. RC on his chest to help open up airways. Minimize (if not completely eliminate) dairy and sugar. And next time his little body is once again subjected to a virus, whether it be one of the million out there or COVID, I pray that his immune system is stronger and more confident in fighting it off.
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