Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Kids' Diagnosis and Note on ProAir

We saw my *least* fave pediatrician in the group. She diagnosed both boys with sinus infections, and said their lungs were clear. She said it might be viral, but she wanted to start antibiotics anyway.

I'm going to wait 24 hours before starting.

I'm also going to take Oz to the pulmonologist.

I don't believe in taking antibiotics for everything. If you're not SURE it's bacterial, why do antibiotics? Why risk developing resistance? Although I'd hate to put Oz at risk for another pneumonia...Would I be doing that? And Ig seems to be completely on the mend already.  Thoughts?

I did show her our barely functioning ProAir inhaler, too. She said they know it's an issue, and they've got calls into the manufacturer. She said to insist on either Ventolin or Proventil next time, although I'd be just as happy with the Warwick generic. But glad I said something.

I wonder if I can return the two ProAir MDIs I have for another brand...?

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Update: Went to the pulmonologist, who sent us for a chest X-ray. It was clear! Looks like we're definitely sinus infection/ asthma flare. The PP wants us to start the Biaxin, so I guess we will.

A word on Albuterol MDIs

Have to make this quick note on MDIs, particular rescue inhalers....First, I actually preferred the old aerosol MDIs as a parent, although I'm green as can be and I hate CFCs. But those things worked well, particularly if your kids need spacers. Whatever that ozone-eating propellant was, it *worked.* Some of the new ones work well, too - but not as well as the old ones.

Since I've been diagnosed, I've had free samples of Ventolin and Proventil. I liked how well these worked, and I also liked that they had counters. But of course, my insurance doesn't cover name brands.

There are two generics I seem to be able to get from my pharmacy. One is Warwick. I like this one. Despite the fact that there's no counter! But it works well and reliably.

The other generic I get is ProAir. I do NOT like ProAir. It comes in a red case - maybe you've had it, too? What I find with this product is that you can not press the product down hard enough to get a decent amount of the medication out. Additionally, it clogs. All. The. Time.  To me, this is a big problem. If I actually need my rescue inhaler, I probably need for it to actually work.

What's worse is trying to use ProAir with a spacer. My kids' asthma is FAR worse than mind, and half the time I can't tell if they're actually getting medication.

So in the spirit of brevity: Makers of ProAir  - albuterol is albuterol, the meds are fine, but PLEASE - give us a better MDI!! (And maybe include a counter?)

Please don't let it be pneumonia. Please don't let it be pneumonia. Please...

Home with the two younger boys today. Ig started coughing over the weekend, started running low-grade on Sunday. He's 99.3 now, but his cough is awful. He has to draw in a huge, narrow breath, and then he lets out this long spell of deep, resonant, slightly muffled-sounding coughs. He only weighs about 40 pounds, so they seem to take over his entire little body.

Oz had his usual dry, asthma for a few days, and we were giving him albuterol, but yesterday he really needed a neb before school. At 1:30, he was sent home from school. His teacher said he hadn't been himself all day - too quiet, low on energy. When the nurse called for us to pick him up, she said he was running about 99.

He needed a neb the second he got home, and he was running 99.9.  Overnight, he was coughing his head off, of course, and I had to give him albuterol and ibuprofen overnight. He was over 102 at 5:30 this AM.

Ig was up a lot overnight, too. I gave him Dimetapp.

This morning, Oz's cough was soooo bad. I gave him a neb of Xopenex, but less than an hour later his was still coughing violently, so I gave him another neb - DuoNeb this time. The DuoNeb has alwasy worked well for us, but it really hasn't slowed the coughing today.

The sound of the cough is different since that neb - it sounds more resonant. Maybe it's loosened up a bit? I can't say for sure, but it sounds AWFUL. And he's still coughing til he gags, pretty much.

This is NOT going to be a fun day. This seems so similar to what we went through in January with the pneumonias - I'm just praying this isn't the same thing!

I'm calling the doctor as soon as they open at 8:30 ET. I'll let you know how it goes.