Clarification

So I mentioned that Kate has an inhaler in the last post, but I didn't explain why. See, I thought I had mentioned this a 6 or 7 months ago. But going back over all posts labeled "Kate," I realized I never EVER told you about Kate's inhaler and her hacking-like-she-is-dying cough. (Well, I may have mentioned the cough somewhere, probably with the ear infections. I DID mention the multiple ear infections last January through April, didn't I? I didn't I?)

Well, I'll just post about it now, 7 or so months after the fact. At least it will be here when I turn this blog into Kate's baby scrapbook.

You see, in the months between January and April of last year (so Kate was 9 months to 1 year) Kate had constant ear infections. We'd go through one round of antibiotics, just get everything cleared up, when the next month she'd get another one, usually in the other ear. At the same time, she had this persistent cough that was just horrible. It really really sounded like she was going to cough up a lung. People feared for her life when they heard it. Fortunately, it didn't occur 24/7. It usually came at night, or when she was clearly congested (as evidenced by the continuous stream of mucus falling from her nostrils.) But it hung around with the ear infections for months.

At some point, either in the end of April or the beginning of May (I know I should know when, but April was a bit...ummm...hectic here), Kate started vomiting every time she ate. She was so congested that eating would make her gag, then cough, then throw up. After a day of this, I had had enough. We went BACK to the doctor's office and I wasn't leaving until I had something to make the coughing stop.

Hence, the inhaler. We did an Albuterol treatment right there in the office, and we could hear the difference in Kate's breathing after 15 minutes. So, she was prescribed an inhaler that we were to use every 4 to 6 hours until the coughing had ceased. I think I used it 3 times a day for two weeks, then I was able to drop it to once or twice a day. After about a month, she was finally back to normal health. No coughing, no snotty nose, and no ear infections (though I don't know if the two were related. The ear infections were due to a steady supply of fluid in her canals.)

Dr. A and I decided that whenever Kate started coughing like this again, I was just going to start her on the inhaler. When she began coughing a few days ago, I pulled it out. Kate was not happy.

Every time she sees it, she screams, "No, Mommy! NO!" and tries to put it back in the bag. And no wonder. Have you ever seen an infant inhaler? It looks like this:

I have to hold it to her mouth and nose, making sure to keep the seal, squeeze the "normal" inhaler that is attached to the opposite end, and count to 10. Twice. I can't do it by myself right now. Kate just gets too crazy. One of us has to hold her and pin her arms down while the other holds the inhaler to her face and dispenses the medicine.

The bottom line is, she probably does not have asthma. She really doesn't have trouble breathing. She has trouble clearing her lungs. This helps. Unfortunately, it also jacks her up, so I have to time it right. Tonight I gave it to her too close to bedtime (since I had forgotten all day) and see was still awake and crying off and on 45 minutes after I put her to bed. I must remember to give it to her right when she wakes up or we are all going to be sad for the next few weeks.

Hopefully, this will do the trick. We had no puking today, but it was touch and go there a few times. I'll wrestle this thing to her face 5 times a day if it keeps the puking at bay. Nothing worse than smelling vomit the rest of the day.