Insane rant here so I don't wrap my hands around somebody's throat IRL.

The BBQ Pit
1

I have an 11-month old. Currently, he is on his 4th round of antibiotics for a persistent ear infection. If this fails, it’s time for tubes. My wife and I are worried sick. The Ogreling is absolutely miserable. His ear hurts. Nothing helps. He has a nasty cough and sinus drainage. Now, because of the antibiotics, he has severe intestinal issues. Diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, and gas. We’re trying to replace some of the flora with yogurt and culturelle, but the shit we’re pumping into him to kill the ear infection is destroying the good stuff faster than it can be replaced.

He has been alternating between a low whine, miserable crying, and outright screaming for about 3 days now. No one in the house has slept for more than a couple of hours since Friday.

So I get to work (late) this morning, after having to leave early (doctor’s visit) yesterday, unshaven, red-eyed, and barely hanging on to my temper by a thread. Seriously, I had some very, very dark thoughts about the moron who cut me off in traffic this morning.

So, to my boss, who is single and whose dog woke him up last night, so he thinks he understands: FUCK YOU.

To my office-mates, who are young, hard-partying singles, and who think they understand because they stayed out too late at their favorite bar last night: FUCK YOU.

To the needy colleague who has interrupted me no less than 4 times this morning: FUCK YOU. OK, maybe not, you’re actually OK, but GO ASK SOMEONE ELSE.

To the asshole (single, uncommitted, selfish bastard) colleague who had the temerity, after asking me what was wrong, to look me in the eye and say, “Well, you knew having a kid would be tough!”:

Well, FUCK YOU isn’t enough. Stay the fuck out of my way.

2

Poor Ogreling. That’s no fun for anyone.

IME, tubes are fabulous. I was very hesitant going in, but the surgery was quick, results were immediate and permanent, and recovery seemed to be painless.

Good luck.

3

Poor baby. And poor you, losing sleep and watching your little one hurt. Bad enough having to deal with the bad stuff when you’re in good shape. I hope something works soon.

4

“Dude, what is up with Ogre? All I said was ‘looks like somebody had a little TOO much fun last night’, and he starts gritting his teeth and going ‘REDRUM… REDRUM!’”

5

Much sympathy to you and everyone in your household, Ogre. Here’s hoping you can get some sleep soon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be staying the holy fuck out of your way.

6

Yeah, when I’m overtired, I’m bitterly angry at the world. Laugh it up, assholes, you’ve had sleep!

Mind you, I am not saying I know how you feel. No way. :slight_smile:

7

I think it’s time for your wife/whoever has the Ogreling during the day to have to make a trip to your work to pick something up and bring the baby with them. Perhaps something involving a long conversation where the Ogreling might get impatient. Perhaps something where you may need to hand upset baby over to a coworker for a second.

8

Good luck. Hope your kid gets better soon.

I had several years of a child that wakes 2-5 times a week for 2-4 hours at a time. Now it’s better living through chemicals.

I feel for ya.

9

Hang in there Ogre! Seriosuly, I thought I was a very sympathetic co-worker, until I had a child myself. One simply cannot understand until having ones own children.

The ones I want to flay are the ones who have older children and have either forgotten, or never really involved themselves. (A lot of the older guys in my workplace were military with stay-at-home wives.) I remember one in particular who couldn’t understand why I didn’t just let the kid cry alone in her crib and go get some sleep. His logic: She’s going to be crying whether you’re awake or not." This guy had 4-5 children. Og help us all. . .

Hang in there, and don’t fear the tubes, two of my friends got them for their kids and they are nothing compared to the ear-ache pain.

10

I feel for you, **Ogre, **really I do.Maybe all those people in your OP were just trying to relate? In other words, they’re doing the best they can to establish common ground with you. Sort of an “I feel your pain because (due to circumstances) this is the closest thing I’ve experienced to it?”

If I’m wrong, go ahead and throw things at them.

11

I’m so sorry Ogre, I totally feel your pain.

My boy is now 8 months and he’s had a persistent cold since what feels like Thanksgiving. It turned into bronchiolitis and an ear infection, which we treated with albuterol and antibiotics, but he’s been waking up coughing like crazy every 2 hours for at least 3.5 weeks. I’ve been into the pediatrician’s with him once a week this month, and this week they have finally determined he’s likely going to be asthmatic (just like his mom and aunt!).

So now he’s still coughing a horrible, hacking cough, and we have to give him prednisone every day this week (cue the forced vomit because medicines suck), and a nebulizer treatment twice a day for the rest of the winter.

The nebulizer is 10 straight minutes of screaming crying. Twice daily. It’s been INCREDIBLY trying. We are exhausted and the baby is exhausted and I’m so, so sad that he can’t stop coughing.

So I feel you, I really do. May we all get some sleep soon and our babies get better VERY quickly.

12

All three of my sons have had similar problems. Believe me, I understand.

In my experience, ear tubes are worth it. They do not eliminate all the ear infections, but they dropped to occurring once every three months.

And sooner is better than later. Fang got his at 14 months, Spike and Squeaky got theirs at 9 months. Fang had to have two years of speech therapy. Spike is speaking clearly… when he wants to. Squeaky says “Ball!”

13

Tubes aren’t so bad. I had them as a kid. I went in the hospital had the surgery and was out the next day. I don’t remember any pain at all. I was told I slept through most of the hospital stay.

14

We had tubes put in the second child. My only thought on it is “Holy shit, why didn’t we get this done on the first child?” They are amazing, and work quickly. Go for it.

15

Doesn’t part of you imagine just reaching behind you, grabbing the squawling baby and handing to them and walking away? “knock yourself out, dude”

Lord I remember wanting to do that so many times to folks who wrapped things up in a simple little parenting cliche.

Parent this, bucko.

I feel for you, Ogre.

16

Well, somebody’s got a case of the Mondays! (I’m sorry - I had to.)

That sucks. I hope it gets better soon. I haven’t had any experience with tubes, but a lot of parents I’ve met whose kids have had them have had great experiences.

We just got over some serious sinus infection/teething where our daughter would sleep 45 minutes max at a time, so I feel your pain. And I’ll stay out of your way.

17

Damn, dude. I’m impressed you’ve restrained yourself so far. I don’t think I could have. The only thing I have to offer is that this, like all other babyhood stages, will pass eventually. Just keep telling yourself that.

18

I don’t have kids and don’t know what it’s like but I do know what I’m like when I haven’t enough sleep. Want help with the throttling?

Poor Ogreling. Few things suck as much as ear infections.

19

Czarcasm and I both have had all the pain, fear, lack of sleep, and anxiety that goes hand in hand with chronic ear infections when Kid Czarcasm was an infant. Our pediatrician recommended that we put tubes in his ears, no more ear infections and he out grew the tubes and no loss of hearing, or scarring.

20

I remember telling myself that as long as he’s crying and screaming, he’s taking deep breaths.

I also remember the sleepless nights and dealing with the earaches. I can’t recommend the tubes enough as long as your pediatrician feels it’s appropriate.

I am sorry. If looks could kill, some of my best friends would be dead when they compared my incredibly sleepless, ER visit, no sleep nights to how they felt about their pets and would gladly do anything like that for them. Ooooh I’m getting angry just thinking about it. It will pass, and one day it will seem funny. Like, in ten or twenty years. And you are drunk.