Happiness from bad news

Last night, Carolyn went to bed saying her joints hurt.  I kissed her forehead and noticed that her temperature was a bit elevated and that her cheeks were getting splotchy.

You have got to be kidding? 

Those are the first signs of a kidney infection!  

I said nothing to her, other than good night.  But, I felt deflated and let a few tears roll down my cheeks as the house became silent and dark.

Needless to say, I did not sleep well as I kept sneaking into her room to check on her, watching to see if the temperature continued to rise or whether she had vomited, the next signs that a UTI is traveling to the kidneys.   When the sun came up and I was again poking around to check her temperature, she opened her eyes.  I could tell she did not feel all that well.  I could also tell that she, like I, was scared because the fever was undeniable (even though it stayed fairly low, around 101 and 102, all night).

I suggested to her that we should go to the doctor to do a UA, just in case.  Without a word, she agreed with a sad, slow nod.

As we were driving to the clinic, she still had not said more than a few words all morning.  When she did talk, though, I noticed a little hoarseness in her voice.  That gave me a glimmer of hope.  Maybe this was just a sore throat, not the start of a new kidney infection?

And, guess what?  STREP THROAT!

Her pediatrician and I were so relieved, even excited, when the rapid strep test came back positive.  I am not sure if it actually happened, but I feel like there were high fives exchanged in that tiny examination room.  The resident working with the pediatrician was a bit confused by our celebratory reaction.  Carolyn, too, was confused as to why I was in tears (this time of joy and relief) when I told Steve that it was strep throat.

AAhhhh. 

Imagine a sigh of relief, like no other.

This probably should not rank up there as one of the happiest days of my life, but it might be. It feels like such a weight has been lifted.  Could it be?  Could this be a turning point for Carolyn, where all she has to deal with is normal childhood illnesses?  God, I hope so.  She deserves a break.   And, when there has been nothing as easy or routine as strep throat in the past two years for her, I am taking the moment to celebrate how normal this feels.