Categories: uncategorized
Date: 05 May 2006 21:29:41
It's been a rough couple of days in the birdie household.
Last week I finally got around to taking baby b to the doctor as he has had a persistent cough, and occasional wheezing, for quite some time. I was really concerned the dr was going to tell me it was asthma and give me countless inhalers for the poor child. Thankfully, the dr was very sensible, and agreed with me* that it was probably mild asthma, but not severe enough to warrant medication in a 16 month old. For some reason the thought of him having asthma freaks me out a bit - managing asthma with an infant is Not Fun. Didn't help that a few days previously we'd heard of the sudden death - from an asthma attack - of a friend of mr b's, aged 42.
On Wednesday baby b was very snotty and seemed to be getting a cold. By teatime he was coughing so hard he didn't eat his tea, and then puked his lunch back up all over me. Seemed to get over that quite quickly though, and went to bed fairly happily. Woke up at about 11, and wouldn't be settled, was coughing and really wheezy, and quite distressed by it. I took him into the spare bed with me, and he eventually went to sleep. I'm not sure how he did it, but he managed to position himself to sleep (in a double bed) in such a way that there was no adult-sized bit of bed left. I had to sort of contort myself around him until I thought he was deeply asleep enough to risk moving him. Anyway, we had a couple more bouts of screaming and coughing, but got through the night eventually.
I got him to the doctor who gave him a ventolin inhaler, and amoxycillin in case it's a lingering chest infection. Anyone here ever tried to give ventolin to an infant? It's not unlike that description of giving a cat a pill which did the rounds of the internet a couple of years ago. Yesterday he was wheezy and cough-y and pretty much cried all day, which those of you who have met him will know is very unusual. Four attempts to use the inhaler, I think the last one (after mr b had come home and could restrain him for me) was successful. Anyway last night was a much better night (not least for me - 9 hours sleep woohoo), and today he has been a little wheezy at times but much more himself, which is a relief.
Anyway, so we can now add asthma to the list of things which baby b appears to have which people enjoy blaming squarely on The Mother:
- Spina Bifida: did you not take your folic acid then? (Yes, someone said this to me, and yes, I did take it)
- Food allergies: must have introduced solids too early. (Actually left it later than anyone I know)
- Asthma: it's all because people keep their houses too clean. (The only possible response to this is hysterical laughter, believe me.)
*this makes it sound like I marched into the surgery and made the doctor give a diagnosis. I didn't, but I was fairly sure I knew what was going on! (In fact after a few minutes conversation the doctor said 'are you medical?' which made me laugh. When you've had to be around hospitals for a bit with your child, you learn the language quite quickly.)