Sick? Or Maybe not.

Kamryn had a runny nose all weekend. She had hockey practice at 7 am Sunday morning - so an early (6 am) start to the day. Last night right before dinner she came to me all teary-eyed (I suspect Daniel yelled at her over something she shouldn't have been doing) to complain about being tired. I chalked it up to getting up at 6 am to go and play hockey but Mommy - instinct made me take her temperature before putting her to bed at 7:30 pm. 99.5F. Now I don't count that as a fever. If I did Kamryn would never leave the house because she runs a low-grade temp if she skins her knee. Yes, her system is that sensitive.

Still I figured it was the start of something and that there would be no school (or work!) today. This was good because it meant I could conceivably spend the day studying and bad because I'm saving my "family days" (we get 5 a year) to use for when the kids get H1N1 (I don't want to have to use vacation time). Anyway, resigned: I didn't make lunches; I didn't plan my wardrobe; and I didn't prepare the myriad of letters and folders and notes that have to be signed and sent back to school on Monday mornings.

You guessed it. Kamryn flounced into my room happy as a clam this morning. Fully dressed and raring to go. When I went to take her temp (99.1F) she informed me that last night she was "just tired." Her nose is still running like faucet but she insists she feels fine.

So I sent her to school but I've watched the phone all morning for "other developments." It's almost noon though and neither my office phone nor my blackberry which I keep staring at has rung so that's good news.
It's always hard with Kamryn because she NEVER acts sick. With a temperature of 104F she is always "fine." If she complains then I worry terribly because something is very wrong.

As a rule I ignore any temp under 100 F. My doctor tells me I should throw away the thermometer and just treat symptoms. Unless a child is complaining let the fever do its work she counsels. I can't ignore that 100 though. Because invariably its followed by 101, then 102, then 104 and tepid baths with a screaming child in the middle of the night as I desperately try to get a rising temp under control.

Thing is though - is it fair to ignore those non-fever fevers when it comes to deciding whether to send a child to school or not? I don't want to expose other children but really all she has is a cold. She was acting normal, playing fine and I only took her temperature because I'm obsessive. She missed so much school last year (for much more serious illnesses) and it had an effect. I don't want to start that again this year if I can help it. And as you may have picked up - I'm waiting for H1N1. I'm not being flippant. Our city has been identified as a hot spot. Hoardes of children are absent from the childrens school. No vaccine is in sight for our family. I figure a conservative estimate is a week of missed school per kid. I don't want her to miss school for a minor cold if she needs to use that sick time later in the term.

So she's not sick enough to keep home. I still feel a little guilty having sent her.