Our Monday-itis just got downgraded. Looks like the fraud attempt might have been on an old, canceled card. So that’s good.
And I canceled Simon’s doctor’s appointment, which is ever better. The appointment was made because, as of Friday morning, the school report was that he was still a little low-energy and was still struggling with loud noises. So I called the doctor and arranged to come in today… and he had a great Friday! And then he played basketball with high energy Saturday morning in a very loud gym. In fact, after his game he got into a little scrimmage with some players on the other team and had a blast. Then we returned home in time for Matt’s band practice. He sat down and played audience for nearly two hours. THEN we hit a birthday party, and only once or twice did he seem upset about the noise. But you know, he was one of only two boys at a party with about 17 kids over-all, and when those girls shrieked it was loud and high-pitched. I gave him a pass on that one.
Sunday was less busy day that drove Simon a bit batty. Matt wanted to watch Man U vs. Chelsea; Simon wanted to actually play. His color is better. His eyes look better. All signs point to better. So when I picked Simon up at school today and heard that he had a great day, I made my decision. Barring a relapse for the ages, whatever he had seems to be mostly gone. I see no good reason to take a blood sample from a child’s arm to find out what exactly is in the past tense. And in the absence of poor color, eye bags, and other signs of fatigue, we’ll be treating noise sensitivity from here on out as a mental habit brought about by reduced coping skills during sickness.
So the car-door is still dented and my calves are still in agony, but fully half of our Monday-itis symptoms have been sent packing.
I still haven’t read to the end of the Simon doesn’t feel so hot story…but I am thinking about his varied reaction to noise. I know it was an issue when he was younger, but this time around, I wonder, could their be a physical component? Could something related to his tonsils and his low-grade infection make certain sounds more painful to hear?
Here’s what I think: The noise thing is part physical and part emotional. Simon does not like loud noises and has never liked them. The higher pitched they are, the more they bother him. He gets this from me. When I hear girls shriek or sirens or alarms go off, it doesn’t just bother me, it’s physically painful. (I thought this was universal until a couple of years ago, fyi.) If I could cry or crawl under furniture without looking insane, I would do so. I’ve learned to cope, but noise is still a stressor. I think Simon has mostly learned to cope as well, but that it becomes a recurring problem if he’s tired, sick, or otherwise is operating with diminished coping skills. As to whether his illness physically amplified or worsened the offending sounds, that is entirely possible: I would think any fluid in the head or infection could do that. I do know that he took a hearing test in the middle of this and scored at over 100% for the normal range of hearing, and that the last day he complained of noise was a day he was pooped from swimming and then got to bed late.
Loud noises when you have an ear infection are definitely worse, I speak from experience. Added to the fact you’re already tired and not coping well–that’s everyone (well, at least me, and I think I’m pretty normal) not just Simon.