Sicky is icky

Tonight, even as I grapple with a mindbending headache associated with my own uncooperative sinuses, I am contemplating the interesting new rash on Fiona's face. It appeared this morning right before I went to an elementary school to try to read stories over a room full of school kids eating lunch in their cafeteria. Fiona, who was blissfully unaware of the rash until she heard me inquiring about it with the pediatric phone nurse, couldn't possibly leave it alone once she knew of its existence.

Upon hearing the reason for my call, the nurse said, "Oh great. Another phone rash. OK, here we go." I guess she's been dealing with a rash of rashes. I felt for her. She ticked off all the important questions: where was it, was it raised, was it evenly scattered or clumpy, was it hot, itchy, or painful, was it crusty, blistery or uniformly red? How did Fiona feel? Was she febrile? Had she eaten or done anything out of the ordinary lately?

In the end, she concluded that if the only thing we'd done unusual lately was slather on some of last year's sunscreen, we'd just have to watch and wait to see what would happen next. On the one hand I feel relieved that we're a family with health insurance and the means to get our children proper medical care when they need it. On the other hand, I feel a little fanatical about all the Mystery Variables out in that big wide world that can give my children a faceful of spots or worse-- and I may have no clue what they are.

Ah well. The earth is going to keep on spinning, and hopefully by tomorrow the rash will be something I'll wish I'd photographed for the blog.