Surgery Tomorrow

...so tomorrow's the big day. Adenoids out. We're off to the Children's Hospital of NJ first thing tomorrow morning.

Bryn and I have talked about it, and he seems to understand. ("My add-en-oids are making me sick. The doctor's going to take them out. I won't go to school, but I can watch Thomas videos all day.") He's such a good boy...I hope this doesn't suck too much for him.

I'm nervous as hell. I'm glad we opted to go to the children's hospital, where they have a pediatric anesthesiologist on full-time. We could have donet his outpatient, and a lot closer to home, but we would have been taking a gamble with the anesthesiologist. And, as my dad astutely pointed out, anyone can take out adenoids. It's the anesthesia that's tricky. And, might I add, especially when you're dealing with an asthmatic preschooler.

Really, what's worst for me is the idea of watching him go under. I did this last year, when he had a optical surgery. I walked him to the OR and held his hand as he went under. To see him walk down the hallway in that blue gown (which was too big for him) looking so much like a little angel, and then to watch him so agreeably put on the mask for the anesthesia (this is, after all a kid who's been on nebulizer treatments for two years) then lie there so frighteningly lifeless on the table -- well, it was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen.

The "AngryAsthmaMama" is usually pretty good about handling the illnesses of her children. After all, like all parents, I do what I have to do, particularly when it comes to my kids' health. But that moment in the OR was haunting and terrible. I completely lost it. As I left the OR, leaving Bryn in the hands of relative strangers bearing scalpels, I positively crumbled. I felt so frightened and helpless. I wanted to rip him off the table and take him home.

This is the scariest part for me. Usually, I take the advice of my doctors - about 85% of it - and administer treatments myself. I call for backup when I need it; I offer all the hugs and kisses and positive reinforcement I have to in order keep my kid as healthy and wonderful as he is.

But in the OR, I leave Bryn (and myself) prone and vulnerable and in the hands of a doctor I suddenly don't know enough about. It's not a control thing - it's a protection thing. I want to be there, not running the surgery, but holding my son's hand throughout his ordeal.

God, I just love that little boy more than words can ever express.

Say a little prayer; pray that everything goes well tomorrow.

Adenoidectomy Scheduled

So...we're doin' it. Surgery's scheduled for Tuesday the 22nd. I'm not freaking out yet. But I am totally loathing seeing my baby under anesthesia. Did it last year when he had eye surgery, and it was just about the scariest damned thing I've ever seen. I don't recommend it.

Ideally, this surgery will mean fewer upper respiratory infections and hence, fewer asthma attacks (since Bryn's asthma is triggered almost exclusively by upper respiratory infections). My peds pulmologist admires my optimism.

I've read message board posts going both ways -- some have called the surgery a bona fide miracle, others have said it was a waste of a copay. I have to hope for the best. I don't take putting my son into surgery lightly.

We did find a doc who seems to be a highly regarded peds ENT. And he's doing the surgery at NJ Beth Israel, where he's head of Pediatrics (or just Peds Otolaryngology -- I forget) and where they have a peds. anesthesiologist on staff full time.

Y'know what? Maybe I am freaking out a little bit.

Anyway...they say he'll recover in 3-5 days, but he'll be home for two weeks. He's not allowed to run around at all, so I guess we'll be watching a lot of Thomas videos.

Poor kid. I just want to hear him pronounce his "m" and "n" sounds properly again. I've been "Bob" (instead of "Mom") since before Thanksgiving.

Update on the Boy: THIRD antibiotic for the sinus infection

That's right. Now we're on Biaxin, a completely evil and side-effect riddled antibiotic. Allow me to quote the sheet that came in the bag:

SIDE EFFECTS: Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, changes in taste, and headache may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects...

Oh my God! What am I doing to my baby?

I have to keep reminding myself that he's (a) had this infection since at least November and (b) has had two back-to-back, 3-week courses of progressively stronger antibiotics. He still sounds terrible, and I'm scared to death that the infection will trigger a major asthma attack or - since it's defying antibiotics anyway - spread to his lungs.

But there does come a point where you start wondering if the treatment really isn't worth than the illness itself.

....more after we see the ENT on Weds.

Another New Asthma Resource

About.com has a great Asthma resource center, and an even better forum. (People actually post replies on this one! Maybe they just hate me on the Parents' Center one. Let's face it -- I'm not exactly reserved with my opinions, am I?)

What did asthma Moms like me do before the Internet?

Best Asthma News Resource Yet - Breatherville.org

Although I've never mentioned it before, I've relied on Breatherville, the official site of the Asthma and Allergy Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, for everything from basic asthma info to discount spacers and nebulizers.

Now I find that they have the most current news on asthma -- complete with little analyses detailing how it affects you as the parent of an asthmatic child.

While the marketplace is still lacking in certain respects, this is definitely the best resource on the web for parents of the "respiratory-challenged."

Thanks to Blogwise

....for the listing!

Tailor Asthma Treatment for Kids

Yesterday's HealthDay snippet is a handy reminder that all treatments don't necessarily work for all kids. In other words, just because your neighbor's kid is thriving on Advair, don't think your kid can drop his Pulmicort/Singulair routine. Asthma triggers are different, as are symptoms -- so the effectiveness of treatments will vary, too.

TUESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDayNews) -- Specific asthma characteristics in children may help doctors determine the most effective treatment for each child, according to researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Childhood Asthma Research and Education Network.

Read the whole article.

(Omnicef) Two weeks down, one to go...

We've finished two weeks on Omnicef for Bryn's sinus infection, and honestly, I'm not seeing much improvement. His nose isn't running anymore, to be fair, but he's still got a wet cough and he doesn't look great. He's also a little lethargic, which also isn't like him.

We see the doctor next week....

Vitamin C can cause asthma?

From HealthDay: Vitamin Intake During Pregnancy May Affect Respiratory Health of Kids

But the shock came when they looked at vitamin C intake.

"Much to our surprise and consternation, we also demonstrated that a high
maternal intake of vitamin C was associated with increased wheeze in the second
year of life," said researcher Dr. Graham Devereux, a consultant respiratory
physician at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Now I'm trying to remember how many grapefruits I ate during my first pregnancy....

Magnesium Infusion Helps Kids with Asthma Attacks

I don't know how I missed this!

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For children who need to go to the ER because of a severe asthma attack, giving them an intravenous infusion of magnesium sulphate along with conventional medications provides an additional benefit, Hong Kong doctors report. (Click here to read the whole article)

Carmen wrote in to let me know about this, as it was reported on HealthDay on January 7. According to her, "the last time my daughter had an asthma attack I gave her 1 - 2 tsp (5 - 10 ml) milk of magnesia every day and could decrease her breathing treatments by about 75% !!!!!! she just didn't wheeze as much, period!"

Note that this was administered *in addition to* regular asthma meds.

Love to hear from anyone else who's tried this!

Combo Therapy Gives Asthma Relief

From HealthDay News:

Combining an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-lasting beta2-agonist seems to provide consistent relief for people with asthma, says a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

I think a lot of us knew this already, but confirmation's always good!

New Resource - ParentCenter's Asthma Board

Look -- I'm not the only parent in the world with an asthmatic preschooler! ParentCenter's got a whole message board dedicated to the topic.

Hallelujah! (You'd think someone who's been on the Web as long as I have would have found this sooner...)

Omnicef and Adenoids

Poor Bryn. At 3-and-a-half, he's been on countless courses of antibiotics, he's been in the emergency room 5 or 6 times had RSV, occular (is that right?) surgery, and a six-day hospitalization. In the past year alone, he's switched schools, moved, and had to adjust to a new baby brother. And now this.

His sinus infection was kind enough to return after a 20-day course of amoxicillan. Nice, right. So we went to a pediatric otolaryngologist (ENT) on Saturday. Now he's on a 21-day course of Ominicef (broad-spectrum, super-strength antibiotic) and if that doesn't work, the doctor recommends having his adenoids removed.

Oh, yea. Another hospitalization.

The poor kid. He's obviously not feeling well, although he says he's fine. (He's 3.) He's lethargic, coughing his cute little head off, and wiping his nose every 5 minutes. I so want him to get better, but the thought of another surgery.... He's really brave and *such* a good sport about all this stuff, but I hate to do it to him.

I really need to read up on this. I mean, if the tonsils and adenoids are filters, wouldn't removing them mean that the bacteria/allergens/viruses (whatever the hell they're filtering!) would go right to his lungs? Wouldn't that make his asthma worse, potentially?

I'm not sure I understand this.

I know I'm jumping the gun here -- I'll just pray the Omnicef works. I don't need to worry about the adenoid removal -- yet.

All Asthma Meds Created Equally

Here's a really, really useful article for a change:

http://health.yahoo.com/search/healthnews?lb=s&p=id%3A67463

I wonder how true this is when you're talking about children. I'm willing to wager that a mask-on nebulizer treatment is WAYYYY more effective than an MDI w/spacer when you're talking about peds.

Protein Can Protect the Lungs from Damage. (Will Tofu Work?)

A protein believed to cause lung problems may actually help protect the lungs
against damage caused by asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases, says
a University of Texas Medical School at Houston study.

This from HealthDay. Read it for yourself.

There aren't enough screams in the world...!

So we have - what? - two, maybe three days left of antibiotics left for the sinus infection(s). He sounded GREAT for over a week, and now, suddenly, he sounds all congested and has begun coughing again.

Not enough screams in the world to vent my utter frustration.

Whistle Watch, part II

Neglected to mention -- when I spoke to the pulmonologist (in a harried panic the night before we left for holiday) I asked her about the Whistle Watch.

Her take: it's a piece of crap. (She was a bit more diplomatic.) There's a reason they don't trust kids younger than 8 with peak flow meters -- and the fact that this one has a whistle doesn't make it anymore reliable.

So there you have it.

Holiday Update

So, while other families are sending out their annual Yuletide Newsletter, I'm sending you, my dear readers (and it actually looks like I have some!) my AngryAsthmaMama Holiday Rant -- er, Update:

1. Number One Son has a sinus infection "everywhere." That is, every sinus in his tiny three-year-old head in infected. So we've extended his current course of Amoxicillan (prescribed for the Strep) from 10 days to 20. Then, he'll probably get another CAT scan. If things haven't cleared up, he'll go onto a course of Clindamycin (yes, the same stuff they use topically to treat acne). Can't wait to see what that does to his bum.

2. Number Two Son finished his antibiotics just before New Year's. All seemed to be well, but once we got home from our holiday trip to Canada, he got all "snuffly" again. And he seems to only have congestion and coughing at night. Go figure.

3. Number One Son was looking so well -- until New Year's Eve, when he suddenly went all flushed. His cheeks developed these queer little red circles, almost like a cartoon elf or something. This freaked me out mightily, as the *only* other time I've seen those weird Raggedy-Andy cheeks was when he had pneumonia last year. While he felt a little warm that evening, he doesn't seem to be running a fever. But he hasn't looked well since. He's been looking very pale and wan, and he went all flushed again last night.

In a typical maternal fashion, I blame myself for the kids being less than 100% right now. We spent the week with the in-laws, just outside of Toronto. It should have been a fun, relaxing week with their grandparents. And mostly, it was. But of course, we had to drag them out 1. for lunch Tuesday *and* Wednesday; 2. for dinner at a cousin's house Thursday (late!) 3. for a New Year's party on Friday (another late night!). Gosh, I feel like a terrible parent just typing all that out. Especially when you add the 9-hour drive home on Saturday.

Way to go, running the kids down during flu season. Why don't I just let them hang out in wet clothes in the freezing cold, while I'm at it?

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!

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.