Pink is Definitely our Color...

And no, we don't know yet whether Number Five is a boy or a girl.

But lucky us...pink eye has invaded our family.

It started with Number Three. She had a really bad nose cold. New standards say that children under the age of five (or something crazy like that) shouldn't have Dimetapp, and any other wonder decongestents. They should just hang out with the humidifier. I tried to be obedient to these new standards. I don't know that I will be next time.

Because, of course, the mucus ran amok, turning into pink eye Monday, and a double ear infection Tuesday. She is now on three prescriptions...one for eyes, one for ears, and a decongestent.

Number Four started with the yucky nose two days ago. And today, he developed pink eye.

At 11 o'clock, as I was running out the door to pick up Number Two from Pre-K, the school nurse called to tell me she had Number One in the health office with...you guessed it...pink eye.

Pink eye is obnoxious, but so is the cure.


Here is the ugly math:

7 days of drops. 3 times per day. 2 drops per eye.

84 drops per child.

3 children, currently, including 2 under the age of 3 which makes it difficult to administer.

252 drops.

If Number Two doesn't get it.

If she does, that number will increase to 336.

Lucky me.

UPDATE OF ORIGINAL CALCULATIONS:

Of course, I assumed that Number One and Number Three would be given the same prescription as Number Two. Not the case. Theirs cost $15 more each (no generic available), and must be given not three, but FOUR times daily. Oh, the pain. (Although, I am most grateful for the $350 give or take that we have saved on these prescriptions this week because of our insurance.)

So now, adding 28 drops per child (2 drops per eye once more per day for 7 days)...

308 drops...IF Number Two stays in the clear.

I get luckier by the minute.


Note 1: I did try to encourage excessive handwashing to prevent the spread of the lovely conjunctivitis. Apparently, it didn't work out for us.

Note 2: These are not the drops we are using, but finding an image online was easier than pulling out the camera to take a picture of the line-up of prescriptions on the counter, and posts with pictures are just better, you know? Just be glad I decided against the yucky eye image featured on wikepedia.