@CAMidwestMom and @LKnomad hope your kids feel better soon.
I think I mentioned earlier that Iām a worrier and especially with D16.
When she was a newborn, infant, and all the way through her toddler years, I worried myself unnecessarily with the rare ailments that she had. Fortunately, sheās had only the normal childhood illnesses.
Knowing the stuff that I learned in school and through my training, the worse case diagnoses popped into my head whenever she had a sign or symptom of what ultimately turned out to be a normal childhood illness.
Swollen lymph nodes? Boom! Lymphoma was at the top of my differential diagnosis. I remember when she had a cough for a week and she was just 1-2 months old. I immediately worried about cystic fibrosis. I even remember licking her skin to taste if it was very salty. When she was a couple days old, she had some jaundice so I started running odd diseases in my head like Crigler-Najjar syndrome and Rh disease. My dad (also a physician)would laugh at me when I discussed my concerns with him.
Glad the tests are coming back favorable for now. I hope things get better soon!
Has anyone on the parentās forums heard anything about National Merit Finalists?
@helpfulandtrying I think they will be send out tomorrow.
Thank you, @Ballerina016 !
and speaking of the latest Virginia tragedy, I am still mourning for Hannah Graham and her family. I donāt know if I am ready to send my only daughter off to school next year. 
@helpfulandtrying It is daunting. My son will be attending school instate with the furthest school being 3 1/2 hrs away, his other choices 45 minutes away. I have good friends in the far away schools city , and heās a police officer. That makes it a little easier .
Oh goodness. It was such a positive Friday, now a wave of sad & scary news!
Hope kiddos are feeling better soon- @LKnomad & @CAMidwestMom!
Of course, congrats to @readingclaygirl - our teenage ray of sunshine on this thread.
Good luck to all if you are waiting on National Merit info (tomorrow possibly).
Thank you @bookmom7 especially for the nice compliment.
Congrats @readingclaygirl ! You are in the home stretch now 
@EastGrad Yes, you got it. A few famous people graduated from this high school, such as the actor, Ed Norton. It has had its ups and downs over the years. We are all ready to leave it in the rear view mirror.
Thank you @2filles
@Cheeringsection, sorry for your S and his friend realizing they are going separate ways.
@petrichor11 @Sophmore1 Congratulations
Yeah @readingclaygirl you go girl!!
@LKnomad hoping for the best for your S
Took S to dermatologist yesterday and asked for acutane and he suggested against it.
@Mysonsdad Thank you
Best of luck to those waiting to hear on National Merit qualification!
@mysonsdad Unless your son has very bad acne I would avoid it. S20 is saying that he is in a lot of pain because of the acne and that is why I went ahead and OKed. I am doing it as a last resort. We finally got approval from our developmental pediatrician and the blood work done so now he can start.
We just came from the dermatologist. My son just finished his 4th month on Accutane and his face and back are completely clear. He had minimal side effects, just dry skin and chapped lips. The derm had suggested it a couple of years ago and we werenāt ready to take the risks and tried topicals and antibiotics first. They worked for a short time but the acne always came back. I wish, as does my son, that we would have just gone straight to the Accutane. Accutane is the only known cure for acne.
@ChicagoSportsFn I can truly say he comes by it honestly. I have always been a worrier and have actually had a lot of odd/rare things happen in my extended circle during my lifetime. I can usually manage it, but Iāve lost too much sleep over stuff over the years. On the upside, I feel like I appreciate my blessings and try not to sweat the small stuff.
Good luck to those waiting for news, especially NMF.
We are ones who tried everything before finally going with acutane. I was not thrilled with the idea, but given the lack of success with other things and how distressed my S was, I felt we had to try it. His face is so clear now and I know he is glad he did it. I wish there was a treatment with less side effects.
Iāve always been a worrier, but it seems like itās gotten worse as Iāve gotten older. Itās probably a good thing that I had my kids when I was in my 20ās because I know too much now! I was more naive then and took good health, safety, etc. for granted. I find that my mind can spin a pretty crazy and irrational scenario if I let it.
Congrats @readingclaygirl ! I knew you would make it!
@LKnomad & @CAMidwestMom I hope your Sās get good news soon. LK-as I mentioned, I had pneumonia last year and just let me say-MAKE your son take it easy-nothing is worth his getting even sicker. HYDRATE-it helped to have a water bottle with me at all times. The antibiotics ruined my appetite and everything tasted awful for a week or two-it helped having popsicles and other simple foods to just snack on instead of meals. I hope the pending tests for both kiddos turn out clear.