Thursday, January 05, 2012

Video of Dr. April Wazeka, Our All-Time Favorite Doc Ever!

MorristownGreen, the news site for a nearby town, posted a video of our absolute favorite pediatric pulmonologist, Dr. April Wazeka!  I'm so happy to be able to "introduce" her to all of you!


Dr. Wazeka looked after my boys when they were younger, and really got them on the path to recovery. She's the best of the best, always taking time with us, listening to me, and respecting my choices. There's no doctor I recommend more highly....I can't imagine anyone not being impressed with her. (For the record, the ONLY reason we don't see her anymore is that she's now got two children of her own and works limited hours. Since my work hours aren't as flexible as they once were, it's just harder to see her. But I'm sure as her kids enter grade school, we'll manage to sync back up!)

Monday, January 02, 2012

Happy, Healthy New Year.

So...eight years into this blog, who is the most seriously asthmatic in the family?  The mama, natch! B and Ig aren't even on asthma meds anymore!

I'm now on Qvar 80, 2 puffs a day. Oz is down to Flovent 100 (diskus, not MDI now) but he hasn't been sick in AGES.  I just had a major flare in November, so I WIN. Whoopee!

The flare in November felt a lot like what I had previously thought was my twice-annual bronchitis. Stupidly, when the doc had started me on Qvar over the summer, I never filled the prescription. I honestly thought he was over-prescribing, since I only got bronchitis in the winter and spring, and had really mile exercise-induced asthma. (Nothing a puff of albuterol couldn't handle after a rough workout.)

But when the cough got really bad in late October, I realized I probably needed the steroids. I was coughing till I gagged, and could barely get through a sentence without coughing. I called the doctor and tried to schedule an appointment, but due to our freak snowstorm here in the east, I couldn't get in. After phone tag with the doctor over the course three days, I got my Qvar Rx filled.

Within 48 hours of starting the Qvar, I was 75% better. It took a light course of orals to get me the rest of the way through, but the experience taught me something critical: I've probably never had bronchitis.

All those times I was diagnosed with bronchitis, it's likely I was just flaring. Thank God, my GP always assumed it was viral and never put me on antibiotics, but it's amazing to think I'd been misdiagnosed for so long.

So, while I'm not thrilled about being on Qvar every day, it beats the Symbicort and Asmanex I've been on the past. I didn't like the way they made me feel, or the unfortunate yeast infections they seemed to cause. (Ick. Seriously. ICK.)

Meanwhile, while I've always eaten well and exercised daily, I'm taking my diet even more seriously now. No more processed foods. More sleep. Whatever I can do to improve my health overall, I'm doing it. I have three boys to take care of - which is a TON of work all on its own, a full time job, and a singing career that (while small) is still really important to me! I need my health!  And I don't want to be on inhaled corticosteroids forever.

The boys are going off processed foods, too, much to their chagrin. No more KD, candy or packaged cookies. It's whole wheat pasta and 100% fruit leather from here on in! They'll learn to love it. Maybe.

So...wish me luck as I start this new year with optimism and a healthy new direction for my family and me.