Even before we left for our whirlwind trip to the US and back last week, Benjamin and Liam were a bit under the weather.  They both had a minor case of the sniffles, but we took them to the pediatrician to get them checked out before we left, just to make sure there were no budding ear infections or anything else to be concerned about.  They both got a clean bill of health, and we were given some nose drops to administer before takeoff and landing, to clear their sinuses and reduce pain from the pressure changes.

And, all was well.  They did great on the flight, and seemed to be in good health (if a little sniffly still) while we visited the States.  Our trip back to Austria was uneventful as well (we gave them the nose drops, just in case) and by Tuesday morning, Benjamin was back to good health.

Liam stayed sniffly, though, and his runny nose got progressively worse over the past few days.  This morning, he woke up fussy with a little fever, and as the day went on, he stayed grumpy and sad (very unlike him).  Then, his fever went up past 102 and wouldn’t come down, even after Ibuprofen.  At nap time, he wouldn’t sleep (even though he was obviously tired) and when he would start to doze off, he would wake up suddenly, screaming.

I was worried.  Partly because he got worse so quickly, partly because the medicine didn’t help, but mostly because of the screaming.  So, we called the doctor . . . and she came to our house.  On her way home, after her office hours, she just came by.

It was great.  I didn’t have to drag a miserable Liam to the doctor’s office.  I didn’t have to fret about whether Dan would be home on time, or whether I should take Benjamin with me too, or whether I would catch the right train at the right time.  She was able to check his lungs, his heart, his ears and his throat (all fine) in the relative comfort of his own room.  She even gave him an on-the-spot blood test to screen for bacterial infection (clear).

So, it turns out, he probably just has a nasty cold.  But, now we know, and now I don’t have to worry (quite so much).  Hopefully we’ll all sleep a little better tonight.  And we didn’t have to go anywhere.  House calls are awesome.