Asthma Sucks!

I really hate asthma. I hate to tell you this, world, but I really thought asthma was no biggy until Marino developed it. I kinda thought you just sucked on an inhaler and "POOF!" you were all better. Not so. Asthma is a very scary and serious illness. Marino went from a stuffy nose to having a serious breathing issue yesterday (again). Daycare called and said he wasn't responding well to the nebulizer and he was developing a fever (and dehydrated). I took him to the doctor who said it was a small virus, but it triggered his asthma again. She said we were lucky we hadn't stopped using the nebulizer since it probably was preventing it from becoming a bigger issue (in spite of the fact he is on a daily maintenence medication for asthma). She told us to do breathing treatments every 4 hours (albuterol) plus Pulmicort twice a day and to give him an oral steroid (OraPred) for a few days. Her advice was to not stop the Pulmicort until the end of the winter.

Giving the albuterol every 4 hours wasn't helping, so I increased to every 2 hours, and even then he was having small chest retractions and wheezing within 45 minutes of a treatment. Evan and I debated an ER trip, but decided to see how he was overnight.

He was still sick today, but he was responding better to the nebulizer and we were able to back off to every 4 hours. Evan stayed home with him and watched a lot of "sass."

The steroid makes him a wild man! He's taken it once before and I don't remember him having this reaction, but after we give it to him now, he's bouncing off the walls for a good hour. This is him attempting to eat dinner after the steroid.

At least he was happy!

We're hoping tomorrow he will be breathing easier.