Tuesday, December 21, 2004

They both have strep...

...and Bryn, the older one, is going for a CAT scan of his sinuses today.

Golly, this is going to be the best Christmas ever!

Monday, December 13, 2004

Quick update on the baby....

Okay, with respect to last week's post, the baby has....Acid Reflux. That right. Baby Awstin has joined the masses of infants on a daily dose of Zantac. Is that bizarre, or what?

In conjunction with his new meds, he's now being fed smaller meals more frequently. And, since I'm still nursing, I've had to go on a low-acid diet, complete with (GASP) reduced coffee intake. I was at two cups, maybe three a day max - perfectly within the limits recommended by La Leche League, mind you - but I've cut it down to one small cup a day. Barely enough to satisfy my cravings for my dark aromatic lover, yet still enough to keep the withdrawal migraines at bay.

While the Zantac will take another week or so to kick in, the baby has been vomiting less. He's still coughing a lot at night, though...so, in my eyes, it remains to be seen whether or not this is really Reactive Airway.

But I'll give it the full two weeks. I may be paranoid, but at least I'm patient. Occasionally rational, even.


Whistle Watch?

I was in CVS the other day and I saw this thing -- the Whistle Watch -- which, basically, is a peak-flow meter for preschoolers.

For $15, I'm going to give it a shot. I'll post the results. And if any of you, my dear readers, have tried this thing, please let me know your thoughts!

Steroids Key in Avoiding Hospitalization

Here's Health Day's latest yeah-we-knew-that news flash:

http://health.yahoo.com/search/healthnews?lb=s&p=id%3A66489

According to the article, kids who miss one in four doses of their inhaled steroids are WAYYY more likely to end up in hospital.

And parents who let their kids miss one in four of their inhaled steroid doses deserve every last penny of those hospital bills.

Monday, December 06, 2004

A moment to bitch and moan...

...after all, that's why I started blogging, right?

My infant, now nearly 8 months old, has been suffering from something asthma-like for the past month or so. Snurfling through the night, coughing until he vomits, etc.

And while I'm unbelievably concerned for him - his long-term health *and* his comfort - my rant has to focus on this: I haven't had a full-night's sleep in at LEAST six weeks. I feel like utter poo. My sleep sensor is set to "light" since I need to be prepared to race in and rescue the baby the moment he starts couging. So I'm up at least once or twice a night, usually more frequently, for an hour or more.

So while the baby is wonderfully happy, sweet and peaceful throughout the day, I now feel (and look) a little bit like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

To the guys I work with: Good luck.

Helpful Asthma Info

This may seem really obvious, but those parents out there with asthmatic kids know how nebulous the definition of pediatric asthma can be.

Here's a helpful article straight from the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/faqs.htm

It's surprisingly clear and useful.