Bubble Baby

CC hanging out with her friend Siberian Tiger

It is a well known fact that there are over 200 serologically different virus types that cause the common cold (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.).  And because these viruses have a tendency to continuously mutate, it is impossible to become completely immune to the common cold.  When I was in medical school, particularly after finishing my paediatric rotations, I was pretty sure that I had come very close to experiencing the 200 virus types.  By the end of residency, I was almost certain I had.  After my first year of practice, I was experiencing only one cold per year...and was convinced I would soon be immune.

All that changed when I had our baby.  Not right after delivering her, but during the second half of her first year.  We were very careful who and what she came in contact with initially, but then the frigid, snowy Montreal winter descended upon us.  I felt the urge to join playgroups, as I could not navigate the snow and ice-ridden sidewalks for our daily strolls, and found it difficult to stay at home all day long.  In fact, I found a playgroup to join every weekday morning except for Friday.  And so began our daughter's foray into the world of viruses (and I realized after catching everyone of her colds, that I was far from immune myself).  She caught her first cold at seven and a half months, and thereafter at a pace of one cold monthly until her first birthday.  In the days preceding her first birthday, I remember telling my husband that I was hoping our daughter would be cold-free on her birthday.  They say watch what you wish for...sure enough two days prior to the big day, our daughter caught a different type of virus; a gastroeneritis.  She stopped eating, stopped walking, and stopped playing.  She vomited after every attempt at feeding.  For five days.  She lost 0.5kg.  The only good thing that came of it was that my husband and I also got sick and lost some weight that until then was stubbornly refusing to drop.

I blame daycare bugs for my daughter's viruses.  She does not attend a daycare.  But my friend's children do; so do the siblings of our baby's playgroup friends.  These bugs are ubiquitous. They are on playground equipment, toys and door handles.  They are on library books, grocery carts and elevator buttons (which my daughter has recently and proudly learned to press). "Oh well, it's good for their immune system" claim the parents of these kids.  But in fact, if there are an unlimited number of cold viruses due to mutations, then what in fact is the use of catching one cold a month for four years?

Our daughter's first and most recent colds came courtesy of the same child.  My friend's adorable two-year old son.  At seven and a half months she played with this innocent looking daycare attendee with a runny nose.  Within two days, she had her first cold.  It lasted for two weeks.  My husband and I got less sleep than usual for about four or five days, and then life returned to normal.  She seemed not to notice her cold, and was her usual self.  This was the case for her subsequent 4 colds, right up until the last cold.  This last Saturday, we had dinner at this same friend's house.  We had been trying to set up a get-together for a few months, but someone was always sick!  Finally we found a date that worked for all those involved, and everyone was healthy.  But in the hours preceding the dinner, both of her children came down with yet another common cold.  Our baby had a great time at their house, playing with my friend's lovely kids and their germ infested toys.  By Monday morning, she was experiencing some nasal congestion.  On Tuesday at 2AM, she woke up, and according to my husband was breathing rapidly and felt very warm.  Her temperature was 38.9C at the time.  Since then, we have had virtually no sleep.  No amount of nasal saline spray, acetaminophen and ibuprofen have adequately alleviated her symptoms.  She is cranky, is not playing and is refusing to eat.  I took her to the paediatrician yesterday, who reassured me that it was in fact a nasty daycare virus, and that our daughter did not have a pneumonia, nor an otitis. She is persistently cranky though, and her appetite is far from normal. Her temperature one hour ago was 40C.  I hope my friend's kids, the seasoned daycare attendees faired better!

"You can't live in a bubble" another friend of mine said the other day.  Why not, I asked?  I would like to invent an invisible anti-viral, anti-bacterial bubble for my baby.  One that would not limit her movements.  I guess it wouldn't be in the shape of a bubble then...perhaps a full body suit?  Joking aside, I am seriously considering quitting our playgroups, and limiting her contact with other kids.  Healthy, non-daycare babies would qualify.  I think that when this cold resolves, and I get some sleep (all relative, see my first post), I will realize how irrational I am being.  Or maybe not!

This post was written several days prior to publication.  Our daughter's fever has finally subsided, although her nose is still running.