So, it's been a few months since I updated the blog. And boy what a difference a few months can make. We've had some setbacks with Sarah's health and it really has taken it's toll.
Back in February, her and I were both down for two weeks. Me, with a nasty bout of sciatica and Sarah with a flareup of her asthma. She spent 2 weeks, coughing, breathing treatments, more coughing, more breathing treatments. We both eventually recovered and we thought all was well. After two weeks out of school and lots of make up work, we thought we were good.
Bring in March. This was probably about 2 weeks after she was better, she wakes up on a Saturday morning complaining of her stomach bothering her. Now, this is Sarah, if wants to lay around on a Saturday, you know something is up!!!! By Saturday night, she's coughing, running a fever and feeling miserable. By Sunday, temp is up to 102 and she is coughing uncontrollably. Bring out the nebulizer, cough syrup and anything else I can think of to dose her up with. By Monday, we're in the doctor's office with chest x-ray and a diagnosis of bronchitis. No big deal. Antibiotics, steroids, cough syrup and Motrin for aches, pains and fever. One week out of school. Next Monday, back at the doctor's office because my kid is coughing so hard she's dry heaving, fever is back and hasn't eaten hardly anything all weekend. They do a pulmonary function test on her and she has significant pulmonary obstruction, (lungs full of gunk), and her pulse ox (amount of oxygen in her body) was down to 95%, which isn't bad, but they like it around 99 or 100% in kids. Of course, the only x-ray tech in the office is on vacation so they can't do a comparison x-ray from the week before to see if the bronchitis has turned to pneumonia. So, no x-ray, no new meds, basically no answers whatsoever. Another week of missed school. On Monday night, I decided to talk to my sister who is a respiratory therapist to see if she had any ideas as to what to do for this kid. She suggested taking her to see the Pediatric Pulmonologist that we consulted with last summer and see if there was anything he could do. Wednesday we saw him, and her lungs are perfectly clear and PFT is normal. WHAT? Why the heck is my kid coughing like she's going to die if it's not in her lungs? He suggests taking her to the University of Michigan and getting a second opinion for a diagnosis of possible vocal cord dysfunction. I've never heard of the condition but I guess it's quite common in young girls. I agree to the U of M consult, but in the meantime, what am going to do with my kid? She can't go to school like this. Again, hurry up and wait, and he prescribed her Prilosec to help with her GERD. I guess asthma and GERD are both a trigger for vocal cord dysfunction. So, yesterday, with my kid still hacking like she's dying, we go back to the family doctor basically to get her to fill out a home bound slip so Sarah can do school at home. She also suggests we see an ENT so that they can do a scope and find out if there really something going on with her vocal cords. (It could take months to get into U of M). This way we can get a preliminary idea of what's going on if anything with her vocal cords. I no sooner leave the doctor's office, the asthma center calls to say they have gotten her an appointment with a U of M doctor here in Flint for April 19th. Still over three weeks away. So, Sarah sees the ENT tomorrow morning, the Pediatric Pulmonologist from U of M in April and will also have a consult/scope with a pediatric gastroenterologist to see if there is something with the GERD that is causing this awful cough. In the meantime, she's home from school and will be starting her home bound program probably after spring break. I never in a million years thought this would happen to my little girl. I know it could be so much worse, but she is really suffering and is bummed about missing school. (I think it's her friends she misses more than anything...LOL) Anyway, we'll keep ya posted.
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