Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Slightly Blasphemous again!

Ok, if you missed the original "slightly blasphemous" post, you need to read it.

Back already? Tonight I REALLY wanted an indicator light!!!!!!!!

Toph is having asthma issues. We've beefed up the meds. He's taking "rescue inhaler" hits as directed. He's taking treatments on the "hooka" (that's our term for a treatment on the nebulizer). He's still coughing his guts out!

My experience with KID asthma is almost entirely my own. Toph's usually responds to home treatments, so I don't have to worry much..... "Back in the day," they treated kid asthma attacks with adrenaline shots, then a breathing treatment or two, and another, long-acting adrenaline shot. Back in the stone age. This was before most asthmatics had nebulizers at home. This is not the way they treat asthma in kids now.

I don't have a pulse-ox machine. Trust me, if cost weren't an issue, I think I'd invest. That would certainly take the guess work out of it! Kid coughing--takes meds--still coughing (his sign of asthma doom)--hooka treatment--still coughing--water and water and wondering if we'll have to visit the ER--blessed silence of coughing. He's still breathing; I checked a few times.

THIS SUCKS!!!! At one point, he asked me to call the doctor--yeah, they don't really answer the phone at 10:30 pm. I believe we've avoided an ER visit tonight. We WON'T be missing a trip in to see the doctor tomorrow. He's been religiously taking the meds, so I think it's time to kick it up a notch--yuck, that means Prednisone! It sucks, but what keeps you alive is what you do.

I still wish I had those stupid indicator lights, so I'd know if it was "just" coughing, or if we needed to seek medical attention NOW. My internet medical degree is being challenged too much! I am but a mere mortal Mom--I guess we'll have to go with our beloved Dr. Jone's motto: Always trust the Mama Instinct. It hasn't failed me yet.

1 comment:

grandpa halfdime said...

Maybe they will find a cure for both of you. Until then I will say an extra prayer for both of you.