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View Full Version : Multi-pronged post...ATTN: Tammy, Beth, Nicole, Shira, Rachel, Naty and Laura (specifically) and everyone else too!! Sorry, LONG!



jojo2324
03-10-2003, 12:58 AM
Sorry ladies, I know how this rude this seems, but I just have so much to say, too little time, and WAY too little energy...But there is an explanation. Please bear with me.

First and foremost! HAPPY DUE DATE TAMMY!! I hope that by the time you read this, you will be holding your precious bundle. :D

I also want to welcome our new babies, Alexander and William! Congratulations!

Shira, I am so sorry about little Amira. You poor thing! You must be exhausted. I hope that she is doing a little bit better now, and that you are all getting settled into your new home. Just an FYI: We moved when I was 8 months pregnant, and the house is still half-packed in the basement. :D I guess we really DON'T need all that junk...Oh well. At least I can make some money off of it in a yard sale. And we are *just* getting the finishing touches going, like curtains, the baby's room, etc. I figure by the time we move out of this place, that's when it will finally be set and complete. ;)

Beth, I was thinking of you and Sarah on Saturday. I am sorry that the results you got from the assessment were not what you expected. It seems like you are in capable hands; I like their idea for using different groups of toys to work on sounds. I am sure that soon enough she will be off jabbering and you will be wondering what silence is. :D

Nicole, how frustrating!! I am so sorry! I would definitely seek a second opinion; it seems that way too little time was spent interacting with the boys to come to such a conclusion. I am not schooled in the language development of infants, but I cannot fathom how they could compare a five month old to a year and a half old. It just doesn't make sense.

And Rachel, you are not a dog!! I can't believe that guy! He must have been missing a few marbles. How rude! I would have been very tempted to stick my tongue out at him...:P Did you come up with the perfect retort yet? ;)

Okay, thanks for bearing with me. I'm sorry I've been so negligent and, again, I apologize for the all-in-one message, but we have been going through HELL the last few days.

Gannon is really really sick, like he was this past fall. He can barely breathe, he is coughing up a storm, he starts to choke when he coughs and then he throws up. You all know the deal. I brought him to the doctor, and she said it's looking more and more like he will develop asthma in the next few years. But she diagnoses via elimination, so she is having me use a nebulizer with albuterol even though the general consensus is that it does nothing to help him.

I guess they can't treat him properly until he is diagnosed properly, but they can't diagnose asthma for a couple of years at least. It is really very frustrating, and it is just breaking my heart to hear him like this. He is all wheezy and plain miserable. He falls asleep and wakes up constantly because he can't breathe...I try to sleep with him on my chest while I sit up, but then I get so tired and afraid that I will drop him that I finally have to lay him down.

He started refusing his bottle a few days ago. I know he wants to nurse for comfort, but my supply is just about zapped. I have pretty much been nursing him non-stop, but even that is troublesome because, due to the labored breathing, he has a hard time sucking, so he's not even getting as much as he could. I was so stressed out on Friday because I had to work a double and I KNEW he was home starving and getting dehydrated. My boss was pretty understanding and let me go home between shifts, but I hate leaving him at all.

And then Saturday night I was at work when Shawn called me. I knew right away something awful was going on, because Shawn NEVER calls me at work. Gannon was running a fever of 106! I immediately burst into tears, told the boss I had to go to the hospital and just ran out of the restaurant. I called the ped (different from the one who is diagnosing him primarily) on the way to the sitter's and she was very interested in the *type* of thermometer that was used to take his temp. I told her about 7 times that it was a rectal thermometer, and she kept saying, "Mercury?" I told her, "No! Digital! But it's a rectal thermometer!" Like I'm the one who's supposed to have a straight head on her shoulders now? And then the whole way there I was trying not to speed and was convinced that I was going to get pulled over for driving and talking on the cell phone at the same time. (It's illegal in NY...I never do, but this time I made an exception.) By the time I got to the sitter's he was down to 102 and happy as a clam once he saw me, just laughing and googling like his usual adorable self. The ped said his behavior was encouraging and to just monitor him...This morning it was finally back down to 98.6.

But it completely freaked me out. Shawn's uncle ran a really high fever when he was a kid and developed Rocky Mountain Fever, and now he is mentally retarded. At 55 years old, he can't read or write and is a ward of the state. Anyway, I was so worried that that was going to happen to Gannon.

This is just depleting my energy. The ped (the intelligent one, not the one who couldn't figure out her thermometers) has pretty much said that this is going to happen every time he gets a cold. And that they can't do anything for him. They say that they could treat him with steroids, but that his case is not severe enough. I wonder how severe "severe enough" is. I mean, the poor thing can't breathe! And it's long-lasting, about 2-3 weeks. So he's just supposed to suffer the next three years until they can diagnose him with the asthma?

I am very frustrated. I understand where my ped is coming from though...She doesn't want to just write this off and treat him unnecessarily and incorrectly. But on the other hand, she is basically telling me this is what it is! She was ticking off what it isn't: "Well, we know it's not RSV because we tested him for that last time and it came up negative. We took the x-rays of his chest last time too, and there was no sign of a tumor pushing against his lungs or the presence of a nickel or something he had swallowed. And since he is displaying the same exact symptoms as last time..." Yada yada yada.

Then throw into this the nub of another tooth coming through. And the fact that he has hit the 8-month milestone of separation anxiety and Shawn can do NOTHING to calm him down. Oh, and also that he only wants to crawl because he can do it now, and that just puts more pressure on his belly and chest and makes it more difficult for him to breathe.

Ugh...Sorry for the epic. I am off to bed, thanks for letting me vent. You guys are the best. :D

todzwife
03-10-2003, 01:04 AM
Oh Joanne! I am so sorry! Seems we have quite a few sick little ones on the board lately! The poor thing! I have asthma and I know firsthand how scary it is to have an attack. I can't even imagine a little bitty having the same problem! I have no advice,but I wanted you to know that you are in my thoughts and prayers! **Get better Gannon!**
Shandelle ;)

twins r fun
03-10-2003, 01:32 AM
Poor Gannon and poor you! It seems odd that they are just going to wait and do nothing when he can't breathe. What's the deal with the steroids? Caleb got them last month when he was wheezing due to what was likely a case of RSV (no test done, though). My doctor didn't hesitate at all and also brought up the possibility of asthma. I've still got most of the medicine in the refrigerator-want it? TOTALLY kidding-I'm sure your doctor has a reason for not giving them to Gannon. Has this been happening everytime he gets a cold or just with "really bad" ones? I'll be thinking of you guys.

Nicole

Rachels
03-10-2003, 09:13 AM
Joanne, yikes!!! I don't like the answer that you guys just have to suffer and that's all there is to it. Can you ask for a second opinion from somebody? Or see a respiratory specialist? "He's just going to have to wheeze, and here, use this medicine even though it doesn't help you," doesn't sound like terrific medical advice, even if she's a great ped. I guess if several people said there was nothing to be done, that would be one thing, but I'd be reluctant to take one doctor's word for it. In my experience, there's usually SOMETHING to be done. Worth looking. We're talking about BREATHING, after all. Not exactly small potatoes, right?

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

Rachels
03-10-2003, 09:14 AM
Forgot to say thanks for the reassurance that I am not a dog, LOL. No, I haven't come up with the perfect comeback. I like the idea of sticking my tongue out at him. Truthfully, I'm kind of starting to enjoy the story now.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

egoldber
03-10-2003, 09:56 AM
You poor thing!

If I were you, I would take Gannon to a pediatric respiratory specialist. Asthma is not something to mess around with. They may know of new treatments that your current ped does not.

Hope he gets better soon!!!

gour0
03-10-2003, 11:08 AM
Poor little Gano!
I second or third the get another opinion advice! Good grief! What is it with Doctors? They just seem SO NOT HELPFUL! And, I don't even have a baby of my own yet. I just keep hearing all of your stories and it freaks me out! Deep breath.... OK, I hope things are going better for you guys today. Keep us posted.

darebear
03-10-2003, 11:11 AM
Joanne, I definately recommend taking Gannon for a second opinion if possible or directly to a respitory specialist. My son is 2 and has asthma(but like you said, the insurance company will not classify him as asthmatic, even though his ped does.) He started when he was about the same age as Gannon. Do you have a nebulizer at home? If not I reommend getting one. The albuterol is much better for him through the nebulizer rather than in a syrup. My son also uses Prednisone(steroid) but the problem with it is they should only use for 3 days at a time(which should be long enough to taken care of the problem) and it lowers their immune system. If Gannon is a decent size weight I don't see why they would not give it to him. The nebulizer alone never helped Darren, but the steroids always made a world of difference. So you would need to keep Gannon away from anyone who is sick. Darren was recently put on Singular which he takes once a day, and knock on wood has been ok. But I understand what you are going through.

If either yourself or Shawn has asthma there is a very good chance he will develop it also. Try using a humidifier, the steam from the shower, or since it is still cold out, you can bundle him up and take him outside for 15 minutes, and it should help him for a couple of hours. Try to not give him dairy.

I know it is frustrating, I went through 3 peds before I found one I was happy with. And his resp. therapist is wonderful. And if you are worried about his wheezing, take him to the e.r. I have spent many nights there but it was worth it, for him to be able to breath easy.
Has the ped said anything about it maybe being croup?

If you have any questions my e-mail is [email protected]

atlbaby
03-10-2003, 11:32 AM
Oh Joanne, I am so sorry to hear that little Gannon has been so sick, and that you and Shawn are going through all of this! I agree with what's been said already, that you should try to get him to see a pediatric respritory specialist. They will know the best way to treat him right now, even if he can't be diagnosed officially for a few more years. When I taught 4 year olds, a bunch of them were asthmatic, and the ones who got Albuterol via nebulizers seemed much more comfortable than the ones who got it through an inhaler (which, btw I use too still, and it doesn't really do that much!)

I will be thinking of you, and hoping that Gannon fels better soon---and that you can get some rest as well!

--Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01
#2:) EDD 10/24/03

Annette_C
03-10-2003, 12:07 PM
Joanne,
so sorry to hear about little Gannon being so sick and you going crazy worring about him (understandably so!).
I agree with the other replies: get a second opinion from a specialist!
He can't be going through all this without proper diagnosis and medication....and neither can you (go through all this without knowing what's going on).
I'll be thinking of you and Gannon and praying that he'll be better soon.
Hugs,
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

etwahl
03-10-2003, 12:12 PM
Oh Joanne sweetie, I'm so, so sorry that little Gannon is suffering so much, the poor thing, and the toll it's taking on you and Shawn. It seems so wrong that he should have to just live with it for 2-3 years and that this is just going to keep happening each time he has a cold. I hope that they can come up with a better solution soon. I hope your boss continues to be patient and understanding and allows you the time you need to be with your little sweetheart. We're all here for you and just hope you feel better soon.

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

Shirale
03-10-2003, 12:20 PM
Oh my G-d Joanne, what a nightmare for you....wow. You poor thing. It is SO awful to see you baby sick, and high fevers are frightening...Poor Ganon....I hope he feels much much better soon. I agree that you should take him to a specialist, there must be something they can do for the poor little guy....wow. I hope he feels much much better soon, and that you get some rest soon...and thanks for thinking of me as well...it is nice to have support!!!

cara1
03-10-2003, 12:38 PM
So sorry Joanne. Have you thought about bringing him to Stony Brook?

mama2be
03-10-2003, 02:08 PM
OH Joanne,

I am so sorry to hear all fo this, he is so lucky to have such a great mommy!!! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you...I hate to see you going thru all of this.

Please keep us posted, but more importantly stay as rested as you can and then keep us posted...you'll exhaust yourself if you don't get your sleep when you can..

Hugs and Kisses to that cutie pie!!!

kathsmom
03-10-2003, 02:21 PM
Joanne,

I have been off the boards for the weekend. I am SO sorry that you all are going through this. I wish I could be there to help you out. Poor Gannon! I agree that you need to get a 2nd opinion. Do you have to get a referral from your ped. to see a specialist? If not, I would just call a respiratory specialist as the others have recommended.

Please make sure that you and Shawn get some rest, so that you two don't get sick either.

Take care and tell Gannon that we all hope he feels better. Give him big hugs and kisses from us. Also, big hugs to you and Shawn too.

Toni - mom to Katherine (5/19/96) and Andrew (9/23/02)

COElizabeth
03-10-2003, 02:53 PM
Joanne,

I'm sorry you guys are having such a rough time! I hope you get some more helpful advice and that Gannon is feeling better soon. I know fever is not the primary issue, but I just wanted to add that it might be a good idea for you to talk to your ped about high fevers and your family's experience. I don't know what the circumstances with your relative were (sorry, I can't remember now if it was an uncle or someone else), but your ped might be able to ease your fears on this subject at least somewhat. My doctor's office gave us a whole handout on fevers in children that basically said it is impossible for a child to get brain damage from a high fever itself, that there has to be something else going on for a child to have any lasting harm. It also said that fevers work as a natural antibiotic to kill off viruses making your child sick, so you shouldn't try to lower them with Tylenol or other meds unless the child is really uncomfortable from the fever. Again, I'm not an expert, but it was reassuring to me, and it would be worth asking your ped about.

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

momathome
03-10-2003, 03:54 PM
Joanne,
I'm so sorry to hear that Gannon is having such a hard time. Kasey was diagnosed with asthma at 21 months-old after several bad episodes, many pediatrician visits, and visits to 2 different specialists. The first "specialist" totally blew us off - he said at 15 months-old Kasey was too young to have asthma! Definitely seek out other opinions until you find someone who will not just dismiss the symptoms because of his age. Kasey also has the terrible cough whenever she gets any type of cold and it lasts for weeks on end and always leads to her throwing up - we're actually in the middle of a 3 week-long bout right now and her asthma specialist just put her on a steroid (Pulmicort) and albuterol through her nebulizer. Child Magazine in March had a small article about kids with astma and they said that over a 1/3 of children diagnosed exhibited symtoms in their first year - Kasey definitely did! I told her pediatrician at her 1 month check-up that her breathing didn't sound right to me, she was definitely wheezing, but all he said was that all babies make strange noises. 20 months later, we were finally diagnosed. If Gannon's coughing is really bad, you may to try giving him some Delsym, an otc cough suppressant - it's the only thing that really helps Kasey when her coughing is bad. The specialist recomended 1/2 tsp for Kasey when she was 21 months-old and about 22 lbs. She is also taking Singulair and Zyrtec. Good luck and if I can answer any asthma-related questions for you, don't hesistate to e-mail me -
[email protected]
-Lauren

SASM
03-10-2003, 04:15 PM
OH MY GOSH...I am soooo sorry that you guys had to go through that scare. Wow. I cannot even imagine how you must have felt.

As far as the asthma, just think that your breast milk probably made Gannon's immune system a lot stronger than if you had bottlefed him. Childhood asthma sometimes gets better with age - sometimes it completely disappears. And I am not certain about this for his age right now, but look into medical Qi Gong. This helped me tremendously when I had a HORRIBLE asthma exacerbation (one short treatment). My cousin is a practitioner and used it on her son, who had asthma. Note: I said "HAD" because the treatment and exercises helped his asthma in that he no longer needed the inhalers :-) He was ~10 yo when he began treatment and is still inhaler-free (and symptom-free) at 18 yo - I am not sure if this can be done on a baby. There are some great alternatives out there.

Good luck. I'll say a prayer for Gannon's immune system. :-) Take care.

jojo2324
03-10-2003, 06:07 PM
Thanks everyone for your well wishes. In a fit of mommy-induced be-otchiness and Gannon having another coughing attack, I called the ped and left a rather curt message telling them that just using what they had prescribed was not cutting it anymore. Luckily, the doctor happened to call back during yet another coughing fit, and she prescribed Zithromax and Prednisolone. I say luckily because it is always the way that Gannon will be all smiles and laughs when he is near a doctor, with no wheezing or the slightest sniffle. :D

We did go up to Stony Brook last time this happened. This was in December. We saw a pediatric pulmonologist (sp?) and she basically said the same thing as everyone else. "This is a case of bronchiolitis and, if it is recurring, most likely a precursor to asthma." She also recommended the nebulizer used with albuterol.

I have to go to a class tonight (I am learning how to use QuickBooks) and Shawn will be with him and have to administer this first dose. Funnily enough, I was actually signed up for this class last semester and had to miss the last two sessions because Gannon was sick with this then too! These classes I am going to are to make up for the last two I missed, and now he is sick. Maybe he doesn't want me to venture into money management. I sure as heck need to! :P

PS...BTW, with all of this breastmilk he's been getting, the frequency of poop is returning, but that sweet smell sure ain't!
PEEE-EEWW :D

KimberleyDawn
03-10-2003, 08:15 PM
Joanne,
Thanks for the warm welcome to William:). I'm sooo glad the doctor has finally given Gannon something else to try!! I was sort of shocked to read that more wasn't being done to help him breathe. Keep us posted on how the new meds help.
Hugs,
Kim

megsmom
03-10-2003, 10:45 PM
Wow, Joanne, my heart goes out to you! How frightening. I have never experienced anything like that with Meg. Her father and aunts have asthma and I really, really, hope that our kids won't. I am glad to read that something is being done for little Gannon now and hope that it is helping. Do they think there is any allergy playing a role in this? I only say that because it is a definite with my family. But they also get worse any time they are fighting a cold. To encourage you, they have all been very helped over the past few years with new meds and treatments.

I really help the little guy feels better soon.

Jen
mom to Meghan 7/13/01

Andrea S
03-10-2003, 11:54 PM
Joanne,

I am so sorry for you guys. I do not have much to add I think everyone else covered everything. I know around here (IL) they do not diagnose asthma until they are older. I work in a pediatric intensive care unit and seen kids with these problems and they will not diagnose them as asthma. I also have a friend who went through the exact same thing you are with her son. He never had to be hospitalized just nebs at home, prednisone and a few ER visits. If there is anything specific I can ask her for you let me know. This is such a hard time of the year for babies. Hopefully the new meds will help Gannon feel better. Wheezing, coughing and trouble breething is so scary for everyone. (((((((( BIG HUGS ))))))
to you, Gannon and Shawn.

Take Care and I hope you all get some good rest tonight

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/13/02

sweetbasil
03-10-2003, 11:58 PM
Joanne,
I'm *so* sorry your family is going through this. It's exhausting for everybody- physically and emotionally. Kellen has asthma- he got it from me, I got it from my mom, she got it from her dad...and it's NO fun. It's so sad to see a little one having to go through multiple breathing treatments, and almost as frustrating to have to be the one administering. Hang on to those refills- it's nice to have extras! We still have Xopenex and Pulmicort scripts for Kellen. And I definately second the recommendation of buying a nebulizer- you probably already have, though. Our paid for itself in 2 1/2 rentals. And flare-ups *did* happen to DS every time he got a cold, but that hasn't been the case since he turned two. And it was only bad in the winter the year before.

I hope warmer weather brings healthier, happier times for you three, and that this is the last winter you'll have to deal with it. Take care of yourself....
Hugs,

darebear
03-11-2003, 10:52 AM
Julie- My son is a couple of months older than Kellen, and like Kellen he was bad in the winter and much better since he turned two. Did your ped seemed concerned that it flared up with every cold? I got so frustrated that a simple cold turned into multiple visits to the er.

Allison

sweetbasil
03-11-2003, 11:11 AM
Allison,
She put Kellen on Zyrtec in September with enough refills to get through to January as a preventive effort, and we only had to do breathing treatments *one* time this year, instead of the countless times our prior winter....and he's always on Nasonex, too, which has really helped with his allergies. Plus, we've been able to identify some major allergy triggers he has (without taking him in for testing, YET!), and have removed him from those allergy-aggravating situations, which has also helped. Then we have the albuterol inhaler for when he gets really tight-chested and wheezy.

Oh, and Joanne,
I imagine your doctor told you that steroids (via nebulizer, inhaler, syrup, etc.) have a tendency to cause yeast infections in baby's mouth, so it's really important to brush the teeth- *and tongue* after each administration.. That'd be a crummy addition to your already tough last few weeks, so I thought I'd mention it....

Take care,

jojo2324
03-11-2003, 12:09 PM
Wow, thanks! She had NOT told me that...I was reading the side effects, and yeast infection was mentioned and my mind drifted, well...south. ;)

We gave him a dose yesterday and it seemed to work wonders. He cleared right up and lost that essence of perculation that he's been carrying around lately. But today he is all snuffles and wheezing and gurgling. :( He is also very clingy, and won't nap unless I am holding him or sleeping with him. I don't mind doing either, but I have completely abandoned all duties for days now and you can tell. And I am trying to make this pork tenderloin, and it is very hard to dole out teaspoons of rosemary with a screaming baby in your midst.

How do mommies do it? I can't even imagine if I had another kid running around. Or a job that I had to go to Monday through Friday, 9-5! And I want to get out of the house, but it is freezing here and I worry that the cold air might exacerbate the problem. But then the cold air might be better than being cooped up with the warm, recirculated air here in the house...

Off to rescue him.