Not sure if I have mentioned that #3 is on a clinical trial through the University Hospital Rainbow Babies & Children-Pulmonology Department? If not. He is.
He has never been officially diagnosed with asthma..or anything for that matter, but there HAS to be something wrong with his immune system SOMEWHERE! Here is a run down of his sicknesses:
First time getting a breathing treatment:
Right before he got his tubes in:
Running total:
Double Ear infections (4) + Ear infections (6) + Croup (2) + H1N1(1) + Pneumonia(2) + Bronchitis (2) + wheezing (13+)= one sick kiddo
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Here is the actual month-by-month sick count:
2009
June: Born (hard time and very scary-was blue and not breathing)
July 2009: He started all of this sick "business" when he was 5 weeks old. He had a horrible cough NOT normal for a newborn. The dr. knew it wasn't "right" but said not to worry about it...
October 2009(4 months old): Gets H1N1
1 week later it turns into a bronchial infection and wheezing
December 2009: 3rd-Ear infection, low oxygen levels, wheezing.
-10: Turned into a double ear infection (while on medicine), wheezing was incredibly bad= Atypical Pneumonia
2010
February 2010: croup + ear infection (medicine prescribed
Two weeks later: ear infection hasn't gone away, wheezing didn't go away (we had 3 different medications and they didn't work)
Referred to the pulmonologist
1 week later: Pulmonologist said that you probably have asthma, but they wouldn't diagnose in a baby so young
March: healthy!
April: double ear infection
3 weeks later: cough, wheezing,
June: ear infection
July: Bonchitis
August: Hand, Foot & mouth Disease
September 2: Small fever + cold turned into a major scare:
Sept. 6: low pulse/ox levels, wheezing, ear infection. Started throwing up. Dr. wanted to put you in the hospital, but didn't want you to get worse. Sends us home.
Sept. 13: double ear infection
October: cold, but was able to fight it without meds!
December: Double ear infection=Surgery to put tubes in
2011
January: tubes
January 28: sick
February 11: croup
March 7, 22: ear infection/ear draining + cough, runny nose
May 19: Flu
July 12th: Put on the clinical trial
August: sick
September: Very sick. Almost sent to the hospital
October: coughing again
December: cough
2012
January 23, 2012: cough + wheezing = 3rd time to start the clinical medicine. After 4 days, it didn't get better so he started the NEXT medication. We went in to the dr. 2 days later and you he was running a fever, the medicine hadn't made anything better...and they found that you had pneumonia :(
UPDATE 2.16.2012: You finished the APRIL, OCELOT. The Amoxicillan was finished this past Saturday, 2.11.12 and started coughing AGAIN on Sunday..and now have a double ear infection, with wheezing, coughing, runny nose. We need to get you better!
3 comments:
Yeah, Ben wasn't "officially" diagnosed with asthma until last year when he was hospitalized for five days after his THIRD bout of pneumonia in a 12 month period. He was 3 years 6 months at the time and had a very similar history to your little one. I was able to find a pediatrician with a pediatric pulmonology specialty that we now see regularly. Our current strategy is one of aggressive, early treatment. Poor Ben so much as sniffles (literally) and I immediately start nebulizer treatments of 2 different steroids every 4 hours, plus, depending on the size of the sniffle an oral steroid and antibiotic as well. I then continue this treatment up to 2 weeks, or until the symptoms abate,at which point, I then wean him off all medications again except albuterol as needed. With this strategy, he has definitely stabilized this winter and without illness is now going up to 8-10 weeks symptom free. The key with him has been starting treatment BEFORE the wheezing really sets in because once it does, he will end up in the ER or hospital. Of course, all of these steroid treatments have side effects, most notably for Ben, poor weight gain. He is now 4 years 6 months and just weighed in at his all time high of 29 lbs! Evan has asthma and was very much the same as a kid. Now he runs marathons and seriously NEVER gets sick! So, Ben's doctor hopes Ben will eventually "grow out" of a lot of this too! Good luck! I think our kids share the same asthma DNA!
my nephew has asthma and was diagnosed young too (less than 12months old) but the only thing that really helps him, is NOT being in Utah. They told my SIL that it has to do with the elevation. When they go out of state, the kid never has to take his meds. He's on lots of stuff too, steriods, inhalers, and every time he's sick, he's in the hospital. Poor guy. Good luck, I would get a second opinion if they won't diagnose him.
I am so sorry, Katie! I cannot even imagine what that has meant for your little family! I had no idea! Poor little guy!!! Sending some healthy vibes your way (and maybe even some doterra oil samples too if you seriously want them!) :)
My baby woke up with stridor this morning.:( Any time he catches a cold, it always narrows his airway. We tried nebulizer treatments with a few different meds, but it didn't work. I even tried letting it go and seeing what would happen and he still had stridor a week later. The only thing we found effective to open his airway was a steroid, so by the time he was 8 months old, he had 6 episodes (and therefore 6 doses of steriods). EEEEK! BUT we felt stuck in a hard spot feeling without options to keep his airway opened. We thought that the steroid was the only way to treat it...
This morning, I quickly grabbed my box of oils and applied the perfect combination of oils. I figured out what he needed and where to apply it this summer and since then, the stridor usually goes away within 24 hours. It's awesome!!! It was so cute to see him just take deep breaths and smile...because he could finally breathe. :) That's how I always feel after an asthma attack has been treated...I CAN BREATHE! :)
I know the situations aren't the same, but the same general concept of whatever is going on with my baby and your baby...the narrowed air way...whatever is causing that for both of them. PLUS treating any viruses or bacteria and PREVENTING them and working on building his immunity are all things that oils can do. (Not to mention helping to ease with symptoms like congestion or pain from the ear infections, etc).
Anyway, let me know if you want to pick my brain. I would seriously mail you samples of anything you want to try. PS...I haven't had to take my kiddos in to the Dr. in 10 months (other than well checks) and it's all because of my oil stash to treat and prevent illness at home! :) It's been a complete 180 from where we were a year ago. I used to budget $100 every month in co-pays because we ALWAYS used it. :)
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