Friday, February 29, 2008

Hark! I hear a cough!

Just heard a NASTY cough from down the hall...think it was Ig.

No surprise. He was wiping his nose on his hand (love that) and digging his finger way, way into his ear while I was reading to him tonight.

Might I just add that the timing is ideal, since I started a new job on Monday. I absolutely need to tell them I need to work from home ALREADY because one of the boys is sick. Nothing like showing the new boss what a liability you are early on.

At least she's got kids, too.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

New Vaccine Risk from Merck

Y'all k now how much I love Big Pharma and unnecessary vaccines... (Polio=necessary, chicken pox=unnecessary.)

Here's some exciting news from our friends at Merck!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Ig Again

On 1/21, I posted that Ig had Scarlet Fever.

On 2/7, he was diagnosed with Strep AGAIN! And he ruptured his eardrum - AGAIN. What kind of luck do this boy and I have? And is it luck, or is it just daycare?

He's been on antibiotics since Thursday, and I started nebs on Saturday because his cough just had that edge to it. It only took two nebs for the cough to all but disappear, but I'm keeping him on albuterol for a few more days to be safe.

On another, sunnier note....posted a new link in the side bar to The Shortest Blog in the World. If you need a good laugh (like I frequently do) check it out!

Friday, February 01, 2008

Jennifer's Question on RSV/Asthma

Had to post this one -- probably a lot of this, now that it's Flu/RSV season:

Hello,
I came across you blog by searching google for asthma treatments. My son 8 months tomorrow has had RSV once and now pneumonia twice. This since early December.My head is spinning thinking that this is potentially a lifetime problem. He is on Orapred now with albuterol Not to mention Amox. for an EI. He was on singulair after the first bout with pneumonia. I thought it was working, but then he came down with a cold and within a day it was in his lungs. The dr. is going to switch him to pulmicort now I just have so many questions. I was wondering if you could perhaps help me or just talk me through it

OK...so the best advice any parent of an asthmatic child can give you is find a pediatric pulmonologist or asthma/allergy specialist, if you haven't already. Pediatricians are generally wonderful, but because asthma - particularly in a child as young as yours - can be VERY subtle, a specialist (if you have access to one) is the way to go.

I've found that finding the right combination of meds is an exercise in trial and error, even with the best doctor. I admit surprise that your son wasn't put on Flovent or Pulmicort from the start, but all docs have their own preferences.

It could be that your son will be what seems like a LOT of medication for a while. My oldest was best on Flovent 220, Singular and Nasonex when he was 2-4 years old. I've never met a mom who was happy about all this maintenance medication, but the good news is, it typically is NOT a permanent situation.

B was on a ton of medication for a year or so before we were able to lower the Flovent and phase out the Nasonex. And once we took his adenoids out (sinus infections were his biggest trigger) we were able to phase out the Flovent as well.

Now he's just on Singular, and has maybe two asthma flares a year -- and they've been mild ones, too.

My other guys are still on Flovent, but comparatively low doses, and they're doing well so far.

I do think that our PP is more aggressive with medication than others, but it seems to have worked will for my boys.

One resource I highly recommend is the Allergy and Asthma Network. You can call them directly with your questions and concerns. (They also offer discounts on medical equipment - definitely a bonus!)