Update on Will

So we saw the pediatrician again today. She had three opinions of what might be causing Will to have fever for this many days. 1) It could be strep that is not completely responding to the amoxicillin, and therefore we would need to try a different antibiotic. 2) It could be mono. The mono spot test came back negative, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the virus that causes mono is not present. 3) It could be the flu.

She did a nasal swab to test for flu. The result was negative. She said that rules out flu. However, it seems funny to me that both the strep and the mono tests produced a negative result too, and the doctor said that you could get a false negative on those tests. I don't understand, but then again I'm not the doctor.

Futher testing for mono would require blood work which would take two weeks to confirm the results. She decided to continue to treat Will for strep throat. Mostly because his throat looks better, his tonsils aren't swollen, and his lymph nodes aren't tender to touch anymore. In her opinion, that means it did respond to the antibiotic. But there could be a "pocket" of infection that isn't responding to it, hence the continued fever.

We will try the new antibiotic over the weekend, and if he continues to have fever we will go back to her office on Monday morning for blood work and further tests.

So Will and I didn't go to Kate's basketball games tonight. We still aren't sure if he's contagious. The doctor said if it's strep, then he is not contagious, in spite of the fever, because he has been on an antibiotic for several days. On the other hand, if it is mono, then as long as he has a fever he is contagious. So we will stay put for the weekend. Just in case.

Not that he would have felt like going to the games anyway. His temperature is back up to 101.4 now. And he is tired and achy from the fever. As long as his fever is down he feels ok, but when it goes back up, he feels pretty rotten. I'm praying that it is the antibiotic, and that this new one will work. We should know something by about 5:00 tomorrow afternoon, because if it is strep the fever should be gone within 24 hours after starting the antibiotic.

Please join me in praying for him. This has been one long week.