Monday, May 3, 2010

What Doesn't She Have?

Averi was already sounding croupy when we went to the Neonatal Clinic on Friday, so we decided to forgo letting her eat her birthday cake until she is feeling better. She actually did alright for her birthday, but by last night she was feeling awful.

Sometime during the night she decided that sleeping in the swing wasn’t helping her breathe, she managed to obtain a pretty decent fever, and she even threw-up all down my back. (I tried to decrease the mess by leaning over the crib and instead dripped all over everything – not the best idea.)

By this morning I was glad I had called OT last night to cancel and instead packed up and headed to the pediatrician’s office. I was a little hesitant because the last time she had croup the doctor simply told us to keep an eye on her and sent her home. By the time this visit was complete, I was glad we went.

Apparently Averi has croup, an ear infection (which took about 20 minutes to see because her ear canals are so small and the pediatrician had to keep cleaning them out while I held her down), an upper respiratory infection, the beginnings of pneumonia, and possible asthma.

He gave her a breathing treatment, which helped to calm her breathing, and sent us home with three medications and a breathing treatment inhaler. This is now what her morning and bedtime cocktails look like.

So that we wouldn’t have to pay for a whole aerosol machine, the pediatrician gave us an inhaler and a breathing chamber (not covered by insurance). Let’s just say that Averi doesn’t love having this thing held over her face for extended periods of time.

Hopefully this isn’t foreshadowing of what her second year has in store and she will start feeling better soon.

2 comments:

Lauren in GA said...

We have an inhaler with a chamber, too. John likes it better than the really long breathing treatments on the nebulizer but he isn't wild about it to say the very least.

Poor baby, those cocktails are no fun. Does it make you wish you could have a cocktail yourself? I know it does me. Lucky we have our religion, right? ;)

Glenn and Melanie said...

First of all - Lauren, you are way too funny! Second - so sorry that Averi was sick - she sounded awful. Glad she's got such a good mom to take care of her.