A Diagnosis

One of the many and hardest challenges of parenting is watching, taking care of your sick children. Their helpless eyes look at you behind heavy lids wanting you, begging you, to help them feel better. As a parent, you so desperately want to take away their pain and ease their discomfort. However many times all you can do is hold them, cuddle them and wipe their brow. We have been blessed that we have not had to deal with severe childhood illnesses or diseases but minor infections like common colds and bacterial infections. Besides regular well child check-ups we have not taken them in to the doctor until last year. Our daughter after a few months of life was deemed allergic to soy and dairy. So food modifications were made and diligent label checks were preformed. Once we had a handle on that, life was smooth sailing again... Until last fall when our son started his first year of preschool.

I knew going in that he would have many more viruses and we would be making more trips to the local pharmacy. And within a matter of days it became true. However starting around October something seemed different. I consulted my favorite physician, who agreed it was time to take him in to the pediatrician. I was sure that his virus had ended but he continued to have a dry cough. And it didn't make sense. He coughed every morning upon waking and every night when he laid down. He would cough when exerting himself but otherwise he would not cough at all during the day. Our nights were the worst. He would cough and cough, unable to catch his breath until he would vomit. At which time he would seemingly have some relief from his cough for a short time. I took these symptoms and events in to his pediatrician again but was just told it was a post-viral cough and those can last 4-6 weeks post viral infection. Frustrated we were sent out with the recommendation to continue to do what we had already been doing to try and alleviate his symptoms. This went on until December when the coughing to vomiting events became more and more frequent. He was sent out that time with instructions to return if symptoms become worse. They said he likely had "reactive airway disease" exacerbated by cold viruses but they just needed to watch and see what happened. Frustrated my husband called him in an inhaler and some Zyrtec in an attempt to make our little guy's nights easier. Normally we go to our doctors for medications but we felt like we were getting nowhere and so we went this route. At his next follow up appointment I informed his doctor that he now had an inhaler and was on Zyrtec. It seemed to decrease the amount of episodes he was having but the cough was still present.

As winter became spring we were certain he had asthma and allergies and continued to ask his doctors who just told me to keep doing what we were doing. Finally back in April we met with his original pediatrician and after discussing the course of events, yet again, asked to get a referral to an asthma and allergist. To which he agreed. Finally! By this point my husband had switched him to Singulair because his allergy symptoms had gotten worse as had his coughing to vomiting episodes.
I took him in on Monday for his first appointment with the asthma and allergy doctor and within a couple of minutes of hearing his symptoms and the events of the last several months she said, "oh this poor guy has definitely been struggling with asthma." He was also tested for allergies that day. His allergy tests came up negative. However, the doctor said he is still young for testing and based off of his symptoms, especially this spring, he likely has environmental allergies. She said when I bring him back for retesting in 1-2 years she would not be surprised to see him test positive for one or two things. She gave him a maintenance inhaler to be used everyday and instructed us to keep his rescue inhaler for emergencies and before any strenuous exercise activity.

After a few days of the new medication and inhaler he has improved markedly. At t-ball practice he was able to run the entire time without having to stop and catch his breath. Nor has he had any coughing problems. It was a long and difficult road. Watching that little guy suffer for the last nearly seven months with respiratory problems was very difficult. Taking him in to the pediatrician every two weeks for all of those months and getting nowhere was beyond frustrating. I'm glad I continued to push for his well being and getting him in to the specialist he needed, I just wish it hadn't taken so long. The doctor said he will likely grow out of the asthma as he gets older. The allergies unknown, as he could likely still have those the duration of his life. At least now we have our diagnosis and can hopefully move on with these treatments and he can be back to his highly energetic self!