Aidan's Asthma

Let's start at the beginning. 

{Literally} 4 years ago, when Aidan started getting seasonal colds he would wheeze for month's afterwards. 

I mentioned it to our pediatrician every time we saw her for years.  She would always brush it off and

tell me that in a few years we would test him for allergies.   I would leave feeling defeated.

Then as he got older, he was wheezing all the time and he started having a constant cough. 

Every night he would wake up with coughing fits.  It peaked in the Fall/Winter  Spring/Summer change of seasons. 

He coughs until he gets sick to his stomach.  EVERY. NIGHT.

Since starting Kindergarten in August, he has probably missed 5 days of school because he wakes up coughing, gets sick and cannot get back to sleep. 

There are a lot of things I am tough about as a mother but I cannot stand to see my child suffering and then push him out the door to school a zombie. 

Our pediatrician was not seeing a problem with that.  "Kids sometimes cough until they get sick" was all she ever said. 

So first things first, we switched pediatricians. 

And after one appointment and listening to Aidan breathe, they immediately referred us to an asthma/allergy specialist in town. 
(About twenty five minutes in the opposite direction of our house but whatever)

We were able to get in to see him 2 days later.  They knew Aidan had been suffering for years and it was time to get him some relief.

The second we met the Dr. I knew we were in the right place.  I loved that he spoke to Aidan. 

He asked Aidan to tell him how it feels when he runs/plays and when he wakes up at night coughing. 

He asked me what I observed on a daily basis and then checked with Aidan to make sure we were all on the same page.   He was attentive when I pulled out the list of questions Adam wanted me to ask him. 

He showed Aidan diagrams of his lungs and explained to him what Asthma was and why he thought he had it.

Then he laid out a dozen options we could choose from to treat Aidan.

Our Dr. looked at me and said "I want to tell you, I see so many mothers that don't have the backbone to stand up for their children and push forward to find an answer to a problem because they are afraid of a diagnosis.  Aidan's asthma is going to be a constant battle and it's a lot of work to stay on top of.  I really commend you for being brave enough to keep asking questions and getting this done.  I promise you I will get this kid healthier for you." 

And then he hugged me and I cried.   

I felt such a weight lifted off my shoulders that Aidan is going to start feeling better.  And I don't have to walk around with the guilt that he is missing school.

He prescribed us SIX prescriptions,  wrote letters to the school nurse,  drew out diagrams for treatment plans,  had the nurse schedule us a follow up for the week before Christmas and sent us on our way. 

Aidan is excited.  He knows he's going to feel better. 

That night when Adam got home from work, I cried again.  It's heartbreaking to think that Aidan may have something that limits him to certain activities or allow him to keep up with his friends during his childhood.  But more than anything, I think I finally let myself be a little bit emotional after YEARS of being tough and watching Aidan hurt without having an answer for him.  I have felt so much guilt over it all.  When he would get up in the middle of the night and cry from getting sick over and over I felt helpless that I couldn't help him.  We knew every night when he went to bed he was going to wake up at some point coughing and long after Adam and I would fall back asleep, he would be up hurting, alone.  It was so unsettling.  I'm glad I stayed on top of it.  It's going to be a battle and some work to keep up with but it's always worth it when it comes to your kids.  I'm so glad we finally have an answer!

Update: Aidan has been on his twice daily inhaler for about 6 weeks now.  His coughing almost stopped completely after just a week!  The circles under his eyes are getting better and overall I think he feels so much better! 

My handsome, sweet boy. 

 

Just a small addition to our medicine cabinet.