Chase's first cold

Chase had his first cold last week. It was very mild, thankfully...just some congestion which resulted in a lot of snorting while he was trying to eat. Other than that, he showed no signs of being sick. Maybe it was the ragweed (it's bad this year)? Teething? Nah, I won't blame it on these modern day excuses. It was probably just an old fashioned cold. I'm sure Addison is bringing home all sorts of yummy germs from preschool!

Asthma update

Thanks for everyone who threw up a little prayer for Addison. She is doing great - she's made almost a complete 180 since yesterday! Other than a little cough once in a while and some breathing that is just a little "off", you wouldn't even know anything was wrong! Those breathing treatments make such a difference. Whew!

In other news, Addison pulled another de-robing during her nap today. I wasn't here to witness it as my mother-in-law was watching her, but apparently she took her pants and diaper off and peed in a corner of her crib. I wasn't planning on transitioning her to her big girl bed anytime soon, but I have a feeling it's not going to be long before we will have to do so. She really seems to be taking this "keeping her pants dry" thing very seriously! She's kept them dry for days now (except during sleep times) and is getting better at telling me she has to go, which she usually indicates by pulling her pants down. Plus, she seems to be consistently holding it longer, which is a huge step in the right direction. Go Addison!

Asthma

Remember back in May when we had to take Addison to an out-of-town hospital because of difficulty breathing? Here...this might jog your memory. Well, when we got back home and I reported this to our pediatrician, we talked about the chance that the episode could have been asthma related. Being a preemie and having been born with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), Addison did have a much higher risk of developing asthma early in her life. Dr. B said the following about that first, isolated episode: "First time it's a fluke, second time it's a coincidence, and third time it's asthma."

Well, for the last 2 months, Addison has been sick more than she's been well. Addison rarely used to be sick, so this has come as a surprise to us. It started with the flu in early September and since then has been what we assume were colds. All of these colds (4 to be exact) have been rough on her (and us), especially in the breathing department. They've all gone straight to the chest. I'm not one to rush to the doctor with every sniffle or cough, so I've just nursed her back to health on my own. The symptoms last 7-10 days and then seems to return within the week. I have been dumbfounded as to what is going on with her immune system. The last bout at the end of October had her coughing, wheezing, and struggling to breath. I told a number of people that I thought Addison had cold-induced asthma. (For those who don't know, I have a really good track record at diagnosing.)

3 days ago, after only 3 days in a row of good health, she came down with another cold. As usual, it went immediately to her chest. I decided I would call the pediatrician first thing this morning to have her looked at.

Addison has asthma. Cold-induced asthma (we believe), to be exact. This basically means that when cold air enters the lungs, histamines are released which triggers asthma symptoms. Even more so, viruses (especially those spread in the winter) such as influenza and RSV can trigger asthma. What might pass through a non-asthmatic toddler with that child exhibiting little to no symptoms, turns into what appears to be a full-blown, bad cold for Addison, resulting in an asthmatic episode that lasts for days or weeks.

So what happens from here? Well, my sweet baby girl will be on daily breathing treatments (Pulmicort) indefinitely (at least through this winter), regardless of whether or not she is asthmatic at the time. If she is asthmatic, a second medication (Albuterol) gets thrown into the mix and is given to her as needed (via the nebulizer), as it was today.



Her airways are currently so tight and aren't contracting as they should. The idea is that this medication will expand her airways, therefore allowing her lungs the ability to prevent such severe reaction to cold air and viruses. The long-term hope is that she will eventually outgrow this, which seems likely given no family history. Thank goodness!

This diagnosis is almost without a doubt due to her premature birth. Though it is painful to see my baby suffer from this unfortunate circumstance, I say that if this is the worse side-effect that comes from her losing out on 9 weeks in utero, we are blessed!

Addison did great with her first breathing treatment. She enjoyed reading the book about Bubbles, the fish with asthma and kept telling me (muffled) "I big girl, Mommy. Doctor gim me mecine. All bedder."


Because she is currently displaying moderate asthma symptoms, I immediately followed the Pulmicort with a dose of Albuterol. One of the most common side effects to this medication is trouble sleeping (along with nervousness, tremors, headache and nausea, to name a few). Addison was due for a nap about an hour later and I didn't want her to lose out on more sleep, but knew she wouldn't sleep well without the treatment. What's a mom to do? So I gave it to her, thinking an hour would be enough time to give her lunch and hopefully avoid any side effects. She asked me to hold her during this treatment and about 2 minutes into it, she was out. I put her down for a nap and she woke up shaking and starving. POOR, POOR girl.


If you would please keep Addison in your prayers, we would really appreciate it. I know she will be fine and I thank God for modern medicine. I just hate to see her like this and don't want her to have to deal with this too far into her sweet, little life!

Not a good start to our Memorial Day weekend

This weekend is a big one. My Aunt Beth's graduation yesterday and my Gammy's 60th birthday party Sunday with some other visits and excursions mixed in. It was supposed to be a really fun weekend with lots of friends and family.

What started as a runny nose turned into a high fever 24 hours later. Along with the fever came major troubles breathing. With each breath (which I was taking about every second), my chest would cave in and my belly protrude. It was really scary for everyone. I woke up this morning crying and never really stopped. I have only had a couple colds in my life, so this pain and discomfort is very new to me. Aunt Julie, you spoke too soon a couple weeks ago when you said I have the immune system of a robot. :)

Mommy and I slept very little last night and we didn't want a repeat tonight, so we (me, Mommy, Daddy, Gammy and Poppy) headed to Children's Outpatient Care Center, where we spent a good portion of our day.

Here are the details of what happened:

- Almost immediately upon arriving, a nurse tested my O2 Saturation in the waiting room. O2 sats were low. This brought back too many sad memories of my time in the NICU. The nurse then listened to my chest and heard a lot of wheezing.

- I went to an exam room and met the doctor. She, too, listened to my heart, lungs, belly, etc. and looked in my ears and throat. I have an ear infection in my right ear and my left ear canal looks red. I've never had an ear infection. No wonder I didn't sleep last night! She confirmed wheezing and ordered a breathing treatment.

- While waiting for that treatment, I was given an oral dose of Ibuprofen, which I spit back out all over Mommy. I ALWAYS take my medicine and vitamins with no problem. I was definitely not myself today!

- I was then given an oral dose of Prednisone, a steroid that would open my lungs. I also spit that out all over Mommy. A Prednisone injection was ordered.

- An RSV test was ordered. They stuck a catheter, which was at least a foot long, through my nose and down my throat to get nasal secretions. This was the worse thing EVER. I was not a happy camper, as you can imagine. The RSV test came back negative. THANK GOD! If it were to have come back positive, there is a good chance I would have been admitted due to the dangerous side effects I could suffer because of my still underdeveloped lungs and airway passage.

- I began my breathing treatment with Albuterol. I was hysterical and it took 3 people to restrain me and hold the mask on my face. After a minute or so of crying and Mommy and Daddy singing to me, I gave up and fell asleep for the remainder of the 10 minute treatment. Mommy and Daddy continued to sing. The nurses said they sang beautifully.

- While asleep, the nurse tried to sneak in the Prednisone injection. My thigh felt it and I woke up screaming.

- I went in for a chest x-ray. Mommy didn't go but Daddy and Gammy said I just laid there, strapped and weighed down, without making a peep. Chest x-ray came back clear. THANK GOD!!

- The Doctor checked my wheezing and still heard a decent amount. She ordered another breathing treatment. I took this one like a pro.

- I was sent home with an Rx for my ear infection and was told I wasn't contagious. I sure hope this is true because Noah and I are in the same house all weekend. I definitely don't want to get Noah sick.

If you would, please pray for me. Please pray that I get better soon (maybe even soon enough that I can attend Gammy's birthday party for a bit tomorrow) and that the breathing problems don't continue. I was born with Respiratory Distress Syndrome and am at high risk for some serious breathing issues, such as asthma. We definitely don't want this! Also, please pray for Noah and everyone else who has been around me that they don't get sick.

Oh, and can you please pray that I start to take my medicine. I spit my Motrin and my Amoxicillan (antibiotic) out tonight. My ears need to get better, so the antibiotic is especially important. PLEASE PRAY!!! Thank you!