I never thought this day would come....

So with some cooler weather and the start of school, we had the first illness creep it's way through our house. First it was Sunshine, then Bug started to get it. Then last but always the worst, Peanut got it. Poor little Peanut with his asthmatic lungs just can't handle the common cold very well without it really bothering him. So tonight we had to drag out the old nebulizer that has been dormant for most of the summer. We were sort of dreading it because the last couple of times we used it, he really fought us on it. He didn't want to sit in our lap and take the medicine. He got so worked up that the event of a treatment was almost as bad as the actual asthma attack.

So when we heard him wheezing this afternoon, we started to get that little bit of panic of what we should do. We knew that we needed to give him his treatment, but that it probably wouldn't be pleasant. So we got all situated and both Rockstar and I in place to fight the good fight and hold him down kicking and screaming if we had to.

We fired up the nebulizer and he just grabbed it and decided he was fine with the whole idea of it, as long as he got to do it himself. So he sat there and held his own nebulizer just like a big kid. We also had a spare mask for his bear "Boo Boo". That helped and kept him occupied. I don't know why I didn't think of the "I do it myself" idea sooner.

 

Funny thing is, he knew exactly what to do. We have done these treatments hundreds of times before (sadly, that really isn't an exaggerated number) so aside from doing his own dosing, he just hopped right up there and breathed deeply for a 10 minute treatment.

I guess I never really saw an end in sight of not having to sit down and help him with these. It never occurred to me that the day would come when he no longer needed my assistance.

Ok I am now going to go and cry on my big pillow.

:(

 

Night from H-e -double hockey sticks!!!!

So as expected from working in the daycare last week, my kids picked up some sort of creepin crud. They are like chickens in the pen. If one gets sick, they all get sick. They have all been fighting off some sort of sniffle. But it seemed like it was sort of on it's way out.

Problem is....all it takes is a little sniffle to completely throw Peanut into respiratory distress because of his asthma. He's on a wide assortment of meds, but they are mostly preventative. I do have a few medications as a rescue method, but when they don't work as well as I like, I have to pull out the big guns. The ER.

Needless to say I had to work at the mall last night (Unexpectedly. I didn't know I was scheduled. But that's another story) So We just thought we would give him a good rescue nebulizer treatment and see if he settles for bed. He did for a while, but when I got home at ( last night I could hear that he was still sort of struggling. So we made the decision to take him in. We have made this trek many, many times, so we are no stranger to the ER.

So I changed my clothes and headed back out. It's funny just how comfortable we have become in the hospital. I just feel so much more confident knowing that there are people in white coats around me that are far more qualified to administer life saving treatment. Not that I really doubt my own instincts as a mother. I know my kids better that anyone else, but the true wisdom is knowing when to seek help.

They got us in and gave repeated breathing treatments and a whole lot of monitoring. Around 1:30 am they sent us home breathing regularly and exhausted. My husband took the day off to juggle the other kids and let me sleep. What a rock star!!

So today he is feeling much better. He's still running a fever, but a fever I can handle. So now it's just a day of recovery and back to normal.

Just another day in paradise :)

Feeling a little bit better ** Please note that these pictures were from last year!!

****DISCLAIMER***** PEANUT IS FINE. THESE PICTURES ARE OLD!!!! THESE ARE FROM LAST YEAR!!!!
















I realized after I posted this that someone was just going to look at the pictures and freak out without reading this post. Not in the hospital again. Repeat....He is NOT in the hospital!!!

Peanut is feeling a little bit better. His cold symptoms are almost gone. But the asthma attacks just keep hanging on. I have emergency medication I keep on hand for this very occasion, so I'm pretty skilled in handling this.

Last year from the day he was born until his 1st birthday we accumulated 9 visits to the emergency room and a total of 8 days in a specialized pediatric ICU. Hooked up to breathing ventilators and feeding tubes. His first visit to the PICU was at 25 days old. It was really scary. I took a couple pictures while he was up there just to remind me how REAL it really was, because at the time it felt very surreal.

I keep this picture in my bible to remind me to count my blessing and remember gratitude. Sometimes it's easy to get caught in the "drama of the moment" with silly day to day squabbles. When you get faced with life threatening moments regarding your child, nothing else really seems as important. I don't care if my cable bill gets paid on time or my laundry sat wet in the washer overnight. Nothing is quite as important as making the most of my time with my kids and husband and truly appreciating them.

Of course I say that as I have my back turned to a giant pile of dishes and about 75 loads of laundry that still needs to be folded and put away :) Tonight I am going to ignore that stuff and play with my kids.

Poor little Peanut...

My poor little Peanut has asthma and even the smallest twinge of a cold sends his lungs into overdrive. He was a little sniffely last night, but because it was Halloween and all I didn't let it spoil the night. But we all paid for it today. Poor Peanut had been wheezing all day. I have been giving him breathing treatments every 4 hours all day. Then I gave him some cold medicine to hopefully let him sleep it off. He's a sad little camper though. When he gets grumpy, he cries and when he cries he gets worked up, and when he gets worked up it sends him into an asthma attack. It's sort of a vicious cycle.
So if you're the praying type, I just ask that his little lungs heal fast so that he can get back to laughing and playing like he normally does. He's a little trooper. He's so used to these breathing treatments, he doesn't even fight them anymore. I'll keep you all updated on how he is tomorrow.