…is my four big molars….or so would sing Elisabeth, if she could sing, if she had any teeth to help her sing….
Elisabeth’s dental progress has plateaued at seven teeth now for quite some time but I’ve noticed more tenderness and swelling in her gums, right where her molars are due to erupt. Reading through my journals reminded me that this is the about the age where my other two daughters also got a bunch of new teeth. Elisabeth seems to be slightly slower than her older sisters in the dental department, but I’m sure she will start cutting them soon. She loves to brush her teeth, standing for hours – if we let her! – in front of the mirror, toothbrush in the back of her mouth. I imagine she has the best dental hygiene of any toddler. Unlike the other toothbrushes in the house, however, hers does not have any bite marks on it, although it spends much time in the back of her mouth (no molars!)….to me this joyful habit indicates probable teething pain, along with the fact that when I ask “teeth” she seems to assent….and her nose has been running a lot….
…one thing Elisabeth does not want for Christmas is another ear infection. Soon as she finished the amoxicillin late last week, her nose began running again. I thought it was teething, along with her swollen gums and crankiness. But today, on a follow-up check-up, the doctor discovered that her left ear is still infected. How she screamed when he examined her ear! There are cries of boredom, cries of frustration and anger, but this was Pain. The doctor said that it was just highly innervated, but I had never seen her cry like that for any previous ear examination. It hurt her so: I had to brace her against my chest, my hands around her head.
He prescribed a stronger dose for our second round of antibiotics. When I took it to the pharmacy to be filled, however, I was told that our insurance would not cover this new drug, and the cost seemed quite high to me (wish I had remembered the name, starts with “c” is all I can recall, ceftin, perhaps?). So I asked the pharmacist to call the doctor to see if he could find an alternative. Not that I won’t pay the price to help my daughter get better, and but I am concerned about the high cost, and, antibiotic fan that I am, now I’m wondering about this drug that is so expensive and uninsured. Apparently, last I heard tonight, the doctor was busy and also “stumped”, trying to figure out what else he could prescribe. So I figure tomorrow I’ll go and pick it up, expensive or not, if he can’t find another option. I certainly want Elisabeth to have healthy ears for Christmas – and teeth too!
