Cough and Fever and Chills...Oh My!

L1 is sick. Very sick. Not just that 24 hour kind of sick. He started with a cough on Monday, deep in his chest. Tuesday he came home with a serious headache. Then this morning he came home after swim practice and had a high fever and an extremely sore throat. I am probably responsible by jinxing him. I had just been commenting the other day that our family is pretty healthy, usually lucky enough to avoid the various bugs that travel around our schools and workplaces. The really sad thing for him is that the Regional Swim Meet that he qualified for is this Friday. Right now he can't even breathe when he is swimming, that is if we can even get his fever to break enough for him to get in the water. I feel so bad for him and he is so sad and scared that he won't be better in time. He also hates missing any days from school. He usually has perfect attendance because he has a good immune system and he hates to try and catch up with all that he would miss. I really think what he has is a virus but his dad always thinks antibiotics will fix any hint of illness. That is so not true! I'm not sticking this kid on antibiotics just because I have access to them. That type of misuse of antibiotics by the general public is what has resulted in super infections, which is bacteria that are immune to the most common antibiotics out there and in some cases, to all antibiotics. I am a conservative vet myself when it comes to putting animals on drugs and I am the same with my kids. I think that rest, lots of fluids, Vitamin C and some ibuprofen to help with the aches and fever will do the trick. I just pray God will speed up the process of healing just a wee bit so he doesn't miss his meet. I don't want him to have shaved his head for naught!