Asthma update

Beck, Ramsey, and I trekked to the pulmonary specialist all the way in Leesburg, VA to get Beck evaluated.  Interestingly, by the time our appointment rolled around, Beck was no longer really sick, but Ramsey and I were still holding on to our colds.  Dr. Clayton confirmed that Beck was in fact wheezing, as was Ramsey, but it is still unclear whether Beck has childhood asthma.  Wheezing is normal with colds, but wheezing sounds while exhaling are considered abnormal breathing.  Anyway, we are treating Beck with an asthma maintenance medication, so if he does have asthma, he will not reach the ER visit "redline."  This way, we can skip all of the ER visits and oral steroids we had to do with Ramsey for over a year.

Now, if Beck does have asthma, he will still have symptoms, but it will be manageable.  I am so, so grateful that both kids are now on the same medication!  This means that instead of 4+ 10-minute breathing treatments on a Nebulizer, Ramsey and Beck are on the same regimen of 2 puffs on a Flovent inhaler (with a child's spacer) twice a day.  It only takes a couple of minutes, morning and night.  Neither child minds the inhaler.  Ramsey was also prescribed an antibiotic due to a sinus infection.  I am also on an antibiotic for a sinus infection as of today.  We are on the same medicine regimen, but her medicine is "bubble gum" and mine are gigantic pills.  She asked for more medicine twice tonight.  This is my first antibiotic since my 2007-2008 hospital stays after having Ramsey.
 
Prior to this appointment, Beck had to get a chest x-ray and a sinus x-ray.  This was an ordeal!  Ramsey was not allowed in the x-ray room (to my surprise), so she had to sit outside the door with a magazine.  She was amazing.  Beck was so brave, and didn't cry as much as you would think given the fact that this apparatus looked like a torture chamber.  He cried, but he was really more confused than anything else.  Both x-rays looked fine.

   

This isn't Beck (he was unavailable for a photo), but this is what they use to do a baby chest x-ray.  Yikes!

Interestingly, he found the sinus x-ray more offensive.  He had to lie tummy-down on an exam table with his arms straight down by his side, with his face perpendicular to the table, looking up.  He was mad!

Lest I make this post all about sickness and difficulties, let me add that we had a nice lunch in Leesburg at the Chick-Fil-A after our appointment.  Beck LOVES animals and roars and moos whenever he sees lions, cows, or most other animals, so he was in heaven there with all of the pictures of cows in the restaurant.  Chick-Fil-A is also a good option for us because they offer fruit rather than french fries, and we basically don't do french fries in this family, unless they are of the sweet potato variety!  Beck loves any kind of fruit, and there are plenty of oranges, grapes, and strawberries there.   Here are some pics of us wearing my sunglasses while we were there.  I always put my glasses on the kids and say "cool babies" and they giggle. 

   

We will be taking a lot of medicine with us to Utah next week, but at least we don't have to schlep the breathing machine!!!!