a little update

As you know it, sometimes life happens and blogging stops.  This past week has been a rough one!  Kayla continued to get more and more ill.  High fevers, uncontrollable coughing, lethargic, and total loss of appetite.  I took her to the clinic THREE times in one week!  The first time was on Sunday morning to the after hours clinic on base.  I just knew she had the flu!  Her symptoms were so severe so suddenly it could not be a common cold.  So I took her in Sunday morning because I knew the prescription drug for the flu was only effective if taken within 48 hours of onset (which we were still in).  This woman took one glance at Kayla, basically dismissed everything I had to say about her symptoms, and despite the fact that Kayla was running  102.8 while being seen, simply stated...it's just a virus, let it run its course.  I said' you don't think it's the flu?!?' and 'she's had pneumonia twice and bronchitis once (in her 3 1/2 years), I'm concerned it's going there again...'no no, it's a virus, there's nothing you can do.  Give her some benadryl, it might help her stuffy nose and get her to sleep.'  BENADRYL!  That was her cure!  So we go home.  Kayla continues to get worse.  Continues too have a fever.  Continues to lose sleep from her cough....a cough so bad and uncontrollable she's throwing up from it. 

Tuesday.  I take Gavin and Kayla into their normal clinic.  But since it was a same day appointment we just get who ever is available...a PA.  Don't get me wrong, I totally respect PAs, but I truly believe (at out current duty station) the military relies on and has far too many PAs over doctors.  So the PA looks over the two of them and says 'yep they have a virus....here is some robitussin, sudafed, singular, motrin...just give Gavin half of whatever you give Kayla'  AHHHHH!!!!  Don't even get me started on why robitussin and sudafed are SO not appropriate, especially for Gavin!  Google it.  So we go home.  Kayla continues to get worse.  Continues too have a fever.  Continues to lose sleep from her cough etc.  Gavin was much better off; I agreed he just had a 'cold'.  It's running its course and I'm monitoring him to make sure he doesn't get worse.

Wednesday.  In the afternoon, Kayla's fever is up to 104.  She's going down hill.  Fast.

Thursday.  We head into the clinic first thing in the morning.  I had my boxing gloves on and was prepared to spar with ANYONE who was about to send us home again with lame age inappropriate drugs and tell me it was 'just' a virus!  Praise be to God, we were sent to a DOCTOR.  A doctor who sees children all day, every day.  Could this be a pediatrician?  I had nearly forgotten what those were.  (i know i know, sarcasm is unbecoming)  So this pediatrician, who was wonderful, listened to everything I had to say and gave Kayla a thorough examination.  The diagnosis:  Kayla's airways (most likely due to genetics) have responded to being sick by narrowing and then swelling at the entryway.  This means she can breathe in but has to force the air back out i.e. coughing.  The swelling has contributed to this AND the excess of mucus in the throat/airway i.e. throwing up.  So she was prescribed albuterol, which is an inhaler.  It works to open up her airways again.  She was also put on a 5 day antibiotic to help with the swelling and any infection that has resulted.  OH, and she confirmed that this all started because she has the flu.  The FLU!  At this point I totally start crying in the doctors office because I was just SO angry and frustrated!

It's just amazing what the right medications will do to a little body.  36 hours later, Kayla slept virtually cough free last night and woke up in SUCH great spirits.  The fever is all but gone and her appetite and voice (which she lost from all the coughing) are slowly returning.  Her cough still sounds terrible but it's all ready becoming less frequent and she feels SO much better!  Today she and Gavin were feeling good enough to dance around to Alvin and the Chipmunks (the movie).

Lesson learned: ALWAYS trust your mommy instinct!  I knew Kayla was just so ILL and it was driving me completely bonkers that these medical providers were basically giving me the brush off.  As if I was this overreacting paranoid mother type.  I know my child better than anyone else on this earth AND I know the difference between a common cold and the flu!  Let's just get real here people!   

Another thing the pediatrician commented on was that given Kayla's history with pneumonia and bronchitis, if the pattern continues she may eventually be diagnosed with asthma.  Or at the very least need an inhaler every time she gets sick to prevent it from turning into a bigger lung problem.