Secrets I've been keeping
It's no secret that I've been keeping secrets from you....I have been somewhat MIA.
So, I decided its time to give you the short version and the long version of whats been happening around here.
IN SHORT: 1. Remi's diagnosis 2. Family visiting, weekly getaways, and gardening. 3. New Roommate 4. My book/Grey's Anatomy addiction
IN LONG: (lets take this one bite at a time, today you'll get the lengthy/depressing version of #1.)
Remi's Diagnosis.
Since Remi was born she has had horrible eczema (see me almost drown her because of it HERE). As she got older and we introduced more foods into her system, we noticed her eczema would worsen with different foods.
Then we gave her peanut butter one day. Instant and terrifying allergic reaction.
So there you have it---we have an allergy baby. great
Fast forward almost a year, and here we are in our new home in SF. I love our new, old house. I love the character, the yard, our blue door, and the mailbox attached to my front porch--I love everything.
But, I distinctly remember Remi getting a cough after the first two weeks of living here-- and its a cough that hasn't gone away still to this day. After a few months of all of us not feeling too well, and especially Remi suffering from cold after cold, and a persistent cough I knew something was wrong. So, our medical mystery journey begins here.
After the 6th doctors appointment in no time at all, and listening to Remi's sick lungs once again, they finally agreed that it was not just a virus, not croup, not anything else going around--its time for a specialist to get involved...a specialist with 2 and 1/2 month waiting list.
That appointment finally happened just last week and I am so relieved and happy to have a plan started to treat what we found out about Remi's condition.
It turns out Remi has severe childhood Asthma--something we already suspected and tried to treat earlier, but inhalers and nebulizers seemed to do absolutely nothing but make her even more mad which would throw her into an even bigger coughing fit than before.
Her current state of health is scary. The inflammation in her lungs is severe and her oxygen levels are on the low side. She is such a good and funny little girl, you would never know she is pain and fighting to breathe normally every day of her life. So, to stabilize her current condition she is on a very short dose of Prednisone (so scary for me), and a more long-term daily dose of Singulaire.
Once her asthma is under better control, the specialist will do an allergy scratch/pin test that will tell us exactly what foods are a trigger for her asthma and eczema, and what foods she actually has an allergy to-on top of peanuts. This same allergy test will also test for dust mites and mold.
The relief we all feel having a treatment plan in place is something I can't even describe. I never let anyone know the true depths of my fears about my little girl's health throughout the last 6 months because it was almost too much bare. And more than that, I wanted to protect her. She can't speak for herself yet, and I felt like the more people that I let know about her condition, the more opinions about it I would start hearing. Then I feared that people would start speaking for her....I didn't want that. I didn't want other peoples opinions or experiences to cloud my judgement, or make us any more fearful than we already were.
BUT! We have answers now, and with answers comes a little peace of mind. I feel more like myself again and finally hopeful for whats to come for us all in the next few months.
If you or anyone you know has a child suffering from severe childhood asthma, I am now totally open to hearing about your experiences with medications--or even more intriguing to me--any natural alternatives out there if there is such a thing. I've read up on proper hydration (including potassium and sodium in electrolyte water) having a positive effect on asthma...anyone have any other good natural remedies?? I'd love and appreciate hearing any advice!
Then we gave her peanut butter one day. Instant and terrifying allergic reaction.
So there you have it---we have an allergy baby. great
Fast forward almost a year, and here we are in our new home in SF. I love our new, old house. I love the character, the yard, our blue door, and the mailbox attached to my front porch--I love everything.
But, I distinctly remember Remi getting a cough after the first two weeks of living here-- and its a cough that hasn't gone away still to this day. After a few months of all of us not feeling too well, and especially Remi suffering from cold after cold, and a persistent cough I knew something was wrong. So, our medical mystery journey begins here.
After the 6th doctors appointment in no time at all, and listening to Remi's sick lungs once again, they finally agreed that it was not just a virus, not croup, not anything else going around--its time for a specialist to get involved...a specialist with 2 and 1/2 month waiting list.
That appointment finally happened just last week and I am so relieved and happy to have a plan started to treat what we found out about Remi's condition.
It turns out Remi has severe childhood Asthma--something we already suspected and tried to treat earlier, but inhalers and nebulizers seemed to do absolutely nothing but make her even more mad which would throw her into an even bigger coughing fit than before.
Her current state of health is scary. The inflammation in her lungs is severe and her oxygen levels are on the low side. She is such a good and funny little girl, you would never know she is pain and fighting to breathe normally every day of her life. So, to stabilize her current condition she is on a very short dose of Prednisone (so scary for me), and a more long-term daily dose of Singulaire.
Once her asthma is under better control, the specialist will do an allergy scratch/pin test that will tell us exactly what foods are a trigger for her asthma and eczema, and what foods she actually has an allergy to-on top of peanuts. This same allergy test will also test for dust mites and mold.
The relief we all feel having a treatment plan in place is something I can't even describe. I never let anyone know the true depths of my fears about my little girl's health throughout the last 6 months because it was almost too much bare. And more than that, I wanted to protect her. She can't speak for herself yet, and I felt like the more people that I let know about her condition, the more opinions about it I would start hearing. Then I feared that people would start speaking for her....I didn't want that. I didn't want other peoples opinions or experiences to cloud my judgement, or make us any more fearful than we already were.
BUT! We have answers now, and with answers comes a little peace of mind. I feel more like myself again and finally hopeful for whats to come for us all in the next few months.
If you or anyone you know has a child suffering from severe childhood asthma, I am now totally open to hearing about your experiences with medications--or even more intriguing to me--any natural alternatives out there if there is such a thing. I've read up on proper hydration (including potassium and sodium in electrolyte water) having a positive effect on asthma...anyone have any other good natural remedies?? I'd love and appreciate hearing any advice!
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