Noah has asthma. He has had allergies since he was a baby, and when he was in preschool, he stayed sick all the time. That is when the doc diagnosed him with asthma. We had a few scares...where he would get really bad and we would have to go to the hospital to get an updraft treatment. So, this had a lot to do with my decision to first keep him home and homeschool him. I wanted to see if he could keep from getting exposed to every little cold going around, if he would get better. And he got a lot better. And then we moved from southeast Ark, and his allergies improved, thus his breathing did too. And we started seeing pediatricians at Children's hospital, and had trained respiratory therapists teach me how to keep it under control. And it has been much better...to the point that he once had to use his inhaler 2 times a day, and now the doc has him using it just at night. And then, his momma thinks she knows better b/c he has been doing so well, to just forgo it to just a couple times a week. And then about halfway through pollen season, she is reminded, once again, that the docs DO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT when they tell me each time I go that him doing well means that the inhaler is WORKING...and not to stop it! So when he got pretty sick with it 2 weeks ago, and has still had a raspy cough, everytime he coughs, I feel guilt welling up inside me. IF I had been giving him his inhaler EVERY night like the doc says I should, would he be sick now?? Would we be having to test his breathing to make sure that it is staying above 100 so that we don't have to take him to the emergency room?? (BTW...we have a peak flow meter, where we test his breathing. It is suppose to be around 250 when his breathing is good, last week it got down between 100-150....if it goes below 100 and we can't get it better, then it is time to go to the emergency room and at that point, you are wanting to take him b/c you can see him struggle with each breath, very SCARY!) We had to give him several doses of his albuterol inhaler last week....which is his emergency inhaler, and makes him act pretty loopy and bounce off the walls!
My doc in Warren one time told me after one of our emergency room visits that asthma is just as severe as diabetes, and that I need to take it very seriously. I just tend to forget that whenever he is well, and I am hoping that he is growing out of it b/c I don't want him to have to be on a steriod inhaler and singulair every night for the rest of his life.
This photo is of him doing his nightly treatment. That is a channel that attached to his inhaler that helps him make sure he breaths all the medicine in.
Karsyn has asthma too. She has been taken to the ER 3 times, and dr's office once, not breathing. When she has an attack, she doesn't even try to breathe at all!! Normally hers is trigged by rapid changes in weather, and allergens. We have only one attack per year THANK GOODNESS, on average.
ReplyDeleteShe also has Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia from being on a ventilator for 6 weeks.
Breathing problems are scary!
Yes, Girl!!We should still use the spacer,but,the school loses it,so we just keep it at home....he keeps a rescue inhaler with him at school and when he feels like he needs it,he has it.
ReplyDeleteJaxen's has gotten much better with age,at one point he was on advair too but we have cornered the main times of year that he has difficulty and we only use rescue now,occasionally.Praise God.
Most kids do outgrow it unless a parent has it.So I'll be praying for him!!
Poor baby! I hope he gets better! I am afraid that Oakley has asthma... Vinnie had it when he was little, and it was pretty bad. She has been so sick this week coughing and not being able to catch her breath. She also has an inhaler with a channel on it like Noah's. I feel so bad when she has her attacks because she looks so scared! Poor Noah and Oak!
ReplyDeleteoh mama. don't feel the guilt. i'm so sorry. you are such a good mama.
ReplyDeletePoor little guy! I hope he does outgrow it! That's so scary.
ReplyDeleteAsthma can be so scary for a mom and a kid. You are a great mom, no guilt needed! I hope he outgrows it or at least it gets better as he grows.
ReplyDeleteYou better take care of that little fellow! He is so sweet!
ReplyDeleteWow, I guess I never realized asthma could be so scary! Don't beat yourself up though--all of us let things slide at some point. The only thing I am consistent with is being inconsistent!
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