Another Bug So Soon

Big J (10), Baby J (just turned 1!) and Little M (2) seem to have picked up a bit of a 'common cold' bug- very runny nose, watery eyes, a bit of a cough, thankfully no fevers, so no, I do not think this is the flu, seasonal or swine, excuse me, H1N1. I know some people with little ones battling some pretty bad ear infections, so I'm on the lookout for signs of such, but other than that, I'm not really worried, not really.

That being said, when Hope (4 yrs) began coughing Saturday morning, my Asthma Mom radar went off. Both she and Grace (6 yrs) have been consistently taking a controller med ever since the last (and worst ever, for us) flare-up, and have had no asthma symptoms since coming home from the Children's Hospital. That cough meant time to move to the 'Yellow Zone' on the asthma action plan- which for them means increasing to using controller meds twice per day and adding in albuterol nebs or inhaler every 4 hrs or as needed.

Grace doesn't have any cold symptoms, but she is the one who has been the sickest the most often, the one who's given us the most sleepless nights and brought out in us the most earnest prayers of parents truly concerned about the health of a child. Having a virus moving through the house, this soon after being in the hospital puts Grace in the Yellow Zone too, asthma symptoms or no asthma symptoms. If you know me at all, you know that I do not like to over medicate, that I do not like to throw a bunch of meds at a body 'just in case', but I am learning to deal with the current fact that our daughters' asthma isn't like my 'touch of asthma' or 'reactive airway disorder', which from what I can gather is like being diagnosed with asthma-light. Theirs is the scary kind.

Watching a child continue to get worse after having IV steroids and antibiotics pumping through her little veins for days, not understanding why all those meds, in addition to all of the rescue inhaled meds, aren't helping her lung function improve faster, is heartbreaking, confusing, and terrifying, all at the same time. I don't want to watch that again, none of us do. I'm pretty sure neither Grace, nor Hope, want to experience that again. Our hope and prayer this week is that we've started the extra meds early enough, and that we won't even hear a wheeze, but that this cold bug would pass through and be gone with no Dr. visits to speak of.

So, with 4 out of 7 coughing and runny-nosed, again, the extra sunshine (when we can get it!), extra fluids, extra vitamins, and on the days I really get my act together, some extra good food, are not really extras, but so very important parts of our attempts at a healthy lifestyle. There will be chicken tonight, and broccoli- have I mentioned how much I love that my kids all eat their broccoli?!

Last October, Hope had a wheezy cough for 3 weeks straight, but never had any issues with her O2 level, never even needed to see a doc, we just monitored her closely and kept giving her meds 'til it passed. I truly didn't worry. She had never (since a baby) really given us a reason to really worry. After last month, this year's coughing has me a bit more concerned. The pulmonologists stressed, before we left the hospital, that after such an extreme flare-up, the lungs will be extra-sensitive for a while, another minor thing could turn major fast- so we watch and pray, and try to do that thing that can be so hard for us as parents- to trust, trust that our daughter's health, more than that, her very life, is in His hands, and His hands are far greater, far more capable, than ours.

Enjoying them,

because of Him-

ali