Allow me to take a moment and explain the full story. Around Thanksgiving we noticed a small spot on Ainsley's cheek near her temple. I didn't think much of it at the time. Almost a week later, it started to spread. I took a few pictures of it and sent them to Meagan asking her opinion and if her girls had ever had anything like it. After a few messages back and forth Meagan and I decided it had to be some sort of bug bite. I had been putting some essential oils on it since last week when I first noticed it starting to spread. We agreed that was best (I love that we share a love for EO's!) and we went to bed.
This was Wednesday 12/3
By Friday 12/5 it had turned into this!
So of course, by the time I saw it like that it was after work on a Friday... 6:00 at night. Her pediatrician was closed. I was worried because it just looked horrible. If it was a bug bite, it was spreading and I was in full on panic mode. Luckily, we didn't have to wait very long at the emergency room. We live in a small town, and they take pediatric patients very seriously. Within 30 minutes the doctor was in the room. She was very sweet and listened patiently to this crazy mom rambling on about how I felt bad for not bringing her in to see her regular doc on Tuesday. *sigh*
Ainsley did well with the doctor, too. She let her search all over her body for more spots. (I had already done that every single day since the week of Thanksgiving). As predicted, no more spots. The doctor beamed that Ainsley was the best baby she'd seen all day (yay). After about 5 minutes of examining, she declared, "It's ringworm." My jaw hit the floor. Wait, what?! Ringworm?
Word vomit. "How did that happen?" "Where does it even come from?!" "We have a clean house!" The doctor must have expected this because she just sat there. Waiting for me to shut up. I saw her face and understood. I listened. "Ringworm is a fungus. It doesn't come from a worm. It has nothing to do with how clean or dirty your house is." She explained wrestlers mostly get it from the dirty/sweaty mats. THAT'S when it hit me. The daycare.
They had sent home a letter about two weeks BEFORE Thanksgiving explaining that one of the babies (not in Ainsley's class, but the one under her in age) had a case of ringworm. They explained they'd be getting new mats and things for the daycare at the beginning of the year. I ignored the letter completely. It was the baby room. Ainsley is in the toddler room. I had ZERO clue how contagious ringworm is. The letter made sense now.
Ainsley has ringworm. The rest of us might end up getting it too. If we don't already have it. It's very contagious and in the days since Thanksgiving, we've been touching, cuddling, and wrestling with Ainsley like normal. Obviously now all bedding has been changed and hand washing has doubled if not tripled around here. But there's still the worry that one of us will show signs of it soon too. I'm trying not to think about that, but it's staying in the back of my mind. Every time Zander wrestles with Ainsley now, I make him wash his hands immediately after. Where as normally, he wouldn't.
Even throughout all of this, I'm trying to stay grateful. I'm trying to stay positive. The good news is that I did take her to the E.R. I'm grateful to live in a world that we have access to doctors and nurses 24/7. I'm grateful that Ainsley was seen quickly. I'm REALLY grateful that it wasn't a poisonous spider. Even though if it was there is anti venom / treatments for those. I'm also grateful that ringworm is treatable. It's a fungus. So Ainsley has an anti-fungal cream for the area.
I'm trying to stay positive, so even though this is a rant post to get out my frustration with the situation, I'm linking up with Emily for Grateful Heart. Because even though this sucks, I'm grateful I still have my little girl. I'm grateful that she will get better and I'm grateful for doctors and nurses!
