Clinically Speaking

Eyelids barely allowing small slits of her eyes to peer into the brightly lit room, she tosses and turns beneath the thin sheet. Her body is warm and the heat aggravates her. One leg rises in the air as she impatiently kicks off the sheet to let the air conditioner send a coolness over her body. Carrie is sick. It started during the night and continued all day  Tueday. Bouts of diaherra and vomiting followed by a few hours of restless sleep and a repeat of the evucations, she complains of a sore stomach. Sips of water and Sprite are offered; a bowl of crackers sits on the tall stand by the bed within easy reach. Any other foods are waved off when offered. Carrie is sick.

The daughter called for me to check on her and I took what little pediatric nursing skills I had and went to visit.

Clinically, a low grade temperature, lethargic but responsive to tactile and verbal stimulation. Abdomen soft and not painful but tender to touch. Palpation of the abdomen absent of hot spots or pain. Lungs clear to auculstation. Carrie is sick.

We are waiting until she wakes up this morning when she will get dressed and make a trip to her doctor to be checked. A viral infection is immune to medications. The doctor might not want to interfere with the elimination of the gut's content. Fever will be monitored and liquids encouraged. She will be checked for dehydration and that might be enough of a concern to have her IV hydration. I'll be making that trip to the doctors' office with her. She has been drinking sufficient amounts of fluids. Let's hope the doctor doesn't order a hospital stay.

I'm out of bed way to early this morning. My Ambien should have lasted a few more hours. I'm debating on making a pot of coffee or going back to bed to chase another hour or so of sleep.

Meanwhile I'll catch up on a little CNN news.