X started coughing nearly two weeks ago. At first we thought it was a little cold. K had a runny nose and was coughing a little too. But X didn't get better.
This week he started wheezing. The pediatrician said he had a bronchial infection and prescribed antibiotics. But after several days, X still didn't get better.
This weekend he was upset and didn't want to be put down. His wheezing and coughing got worse. He rejected my efforts to nurse him and bit me several times when I tried. (By the way, he got his first tooth!) After I wrote yesterday's post about how he is so independent and doesn't want to be held or picked up at night, he spent the entire night sleeping on top of me and periodically waking up screaming. We haven't done that since he was a newborn.
I called our pediatrician again and he told me to take X to Children's Hospital. He said X would need an inhalation treatment. I tried not to panic, but I've never been to the ER for any reason, or set foot in Children's Hospital. To me, going to the ER means you're dying, and going to Children's means your kid is dying. It's the best pediatric hospital in the country and people whose children are seriously ill fly to Boston to take their kids there. I called my brother, the ER doctor (or, to be medically correct, the ED physician). He reassured me that my pediatrician had said to go to Children's because they would have the necessary expertise and equipment to deal with babies, and said that since X's illness hadn't responded to antibiotics it was probably viral and would have to run its course. He said X would probably benefit from an albuterol nebulizer to loosen up his airways (similar to an asthma inhaler) and if that didn't work, they might be able to try a steroid injection.
Our experience at Children's was surprisingly pleasant. It's obvious they put a lot of thought into making the experience as clear, smooth, and comfortable as possible. I expected to be waiting for hours in a room full of crying children, but we were shown to our own exam room right away. We did wait a while and stayed a total of about five hours, but people kept coming in and out to look at X and talk to us, and I felt they were moving his treatment along. In the end, what my brother said was spot on -- they concluded it was viral bronchiolitis and they couldn't treat it, but did the nebulizer and sent us home with an inhaler. They also did a chest X-ray and confirmed that it looked fine.
I talked to my brother again in the evening. When I mentioned the X-ray, he said that he almost advised me against it in advance, because it was unlikely X had bacterial pneumonia and if the X-ray had looked bad they would have admitted him and pumped him full of antibiotics just in case. He asked why I sounded worried and I said it was because X seemed to be getting worse and worse. "He'll get better, right?" I asked. "Of course," he replied, sounding surprised. "Bronchiolitis is not permanent. It'll clear up eventually." That made me feel better. We all just have to get through this.
I think I'd have the same reaction to instructions to go to the ER, but I've been told to figure out where the closest pediatric ER is to us for the same reasons your brother said -- they'll be more experienced in dealing with babies/children. Glad X is OK, and I hope he feels better soon!
ReplyDeleteBen had a nebulizer for mild bronchiolitis on the day he went to the ER for falling off the couch, back in May. It was great - I brought in a bleeding baby with eczema and a chest rattle. Mom of the year. The ER doctor gave us a prescription for an inhaler, but I didn't even pick it up - I can't remember the medical details, but our regular pediatrician told us it wasn't going do anything, and I seem to remember the printout the ER gave us on bronchiolitis actually said something like "inhalers don't really work for this." Hope X feels better!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you guys went through this - the 'it's getting worse' feeling is absolutely terrifying. So glad they ruled things out and were able to put your mind at ease.
ReplyDeleteOur Children's Hospital totally goes the distance to reassure scared parents and kids. It manages to be beautiful and airy, designed to treat patients accompanied by whole families (pull-out sofas and refrigerators, etc). B was moved to Children's after three months in the university hospital where he was born. The comparison between the kind of old, run-down university hospital and the new Children's was incredible.
We have to do an inhaler twice a day as well. Helps to make it a game, we count down while he has the mask on and then everyone cheers and claps for him at the end. Hope you guys don't have to use it for long, though!
Landon had bonchiolitis (it caused one of his 6 trips to the Children's Hospital in his first year; I read your feelings on being scared to go because it seemed like such a big deal and was actually a little jealous, ridiculous as that is, but it really is just where you take your baby when they're more sick than ear infection or cold) and the inhaler really helped him. We did it each night for a few weeks and he was able to breathe and sleep so much better. I hope it does the same for X. Sick babies are scary because they change condition so quickly, but now that you know what is wrong and have the medicines to fix it, I hope you're able to just snuggle him and know he'll be better soon.
ReplyDelete(Also have you really never been to the ER? Between childhood stitches, a few childhood broken bones, and a really severe case of mono in college-- and then JP's collapsed lung, scary high fever, and Landon's numerous baby sicknesses, I've probably been to the ER 15 times. Though, not once since Claire was born- maybe this is a new healthy era for my family?)
I guess bronchiolitis is the trendy baby sickness.
ReplyDeleteThe doctor said the inhaler worked on about 30% of infants, and it helped X. His breathing is noticeably better after two days of inhaler. He's still full of snot and not eating or sleeping well, but now he's going in the right direction.
I know several of you have had scary NICU experiences and I thought about that when I was panicking about going to Children's. I know this is very minor compared to why most people are there. He was sick, so of course I worried, but we've been very lucky so far with healthy kids (and parents!)
I'm so glad it helped him! I didn't realize the efficacy rate was so low... I looked at that inhaler like it was our salvation when Landon was having such trouble breathing when he had bronchiolitis, maybe it's better I didn't know. Is X okay with it? Landon cried the first few times we had to use it, but then he started finding it funny and he'd laugh when it was over his mouth. I'm not sure what was so hilarious, but it definitely helped with the "take a deep breath" part (of course, so did the crying...)
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope I didn't come off as downplaying your fear with a sick little baby- I remember Landon getting sicker and limper and it was so scary. I just genuinely (and momentarily) wished I found the ER itself to be scary/novel.