Now that we've spent a couple of weeks chasing medication, it may be time for a blog update. Almost 2 weeks ago, the Bub had his first major allergy attack during which his eyes swelled up like a tired frog's.
After the hospital told us it was seasonal allergies and gave him some Benadryl, he seemed better the next day. With a $150 co-pay for an ER visit, that's got to be the most expensive teaspoon of Benadryl in the borough.
Then we traveled to Wisconsin where he played outside a lot and got miserable again with the itchy eyes. (Grandma joined him for the itchy, stuffy, hand-me-a-tissue party.) So we tried Zyrtec. No effect. Tried Claritin. Moderate improvement. It rained. Further improvement. Washed his eyes with saline. Better. He was back to normal by the time we traveled back home, but halfway through the plane ride he started tearing at his eyes and complaining about how they hurt. Oy.
By the next morning, his eyes were red and swollen and we took him to the doctor. She sympathized with him and gave us medication to make him more comfortable. Prescription-strength Benadryl, drops to soothe his itchy eyes, and antibiotic drops to rid him of infection that he probably got from rubbing his eyes with dirty hands. Phew.
We sent him to school the next day, feeling like he was on the mend. Three hours later, school called. His eyes were swollen almost shut and he refused to eat. (They asked him if he could see and he replied, "A little bit.") I took him home to wash his eyes out again, but he rapidly deteriorated. Itching everywhere, wheezing so loud you could hear it across the room. Nerdy met us at Urgent Care. On the way there, he and I took the subway. Though he was in a stroller, I had him walk down the stairs because he's too heavy for me to lift. By the time we got to the platform, he was coughing so hard I thought he was going to collapse from an asthma attack right there.
The doctor and nurse from the clinic both recognized that he was in "respiratory distress" and gave him a nebulizer treatment to calm his breathing. He felt better almost immediately. They were happy with his new upbeat personality, but his blood oxygen was still low. So they prescribed an inhaler and told us to give it to him every 6 hours until we saw his regular doctor the next day. What they failed to mention is that Albuterol makes you manic and hyperactive and basically completely insane if you're 3 years old and exhausted and sick and wired. Considering he was treated at 8 pm, that made for a really long evening for everyone.
While we waited for the prescription to be filled, we ate at a nearby restaurant. Not only did he not eat anything, but he decided that he was going to sit somewhere else. Like at a different empty table. Where he proceeded to pretend-order French toast (of course!) and who knows what else but he was there for a while. Then made friends with another table of friendly young women and got excited when one of them said she would like to go see the Avengers movie with him.
The following day, we sent him to school again. He wasn't great, but at least he was breathing all right by then. (Yes, I was trying to get rid of my sick child. I have work to do, people!) As expected, school called again. He was complaining that his throat hurt and his eyes were puffy again. (They weren't, IMO, but maybe I've just become accustomed to my tired frog boy.)
We went straight from school to the doctor. She said he was still wheezing a little and his nasal passages were outrageously swollen. So she said ditch the inhaler and rent a nebulizer, it's the only thing that works for really small kids. And, best of all, she prescribed a similar medicine that doesn't have the "tachycardia" effects. In other words, it doesn't make him bounce off the walls.
So now, 24 hours later, we've reached some semblance of normal. We're giving him medicine and moisture via the nebulizer and he loves it. Because he feels better, but also I suspect because it means playing Angry Birds for 10-20 uninterrupted minutes. Plus he like to turn the machine on and off himself. Who wouldn't when it's a cute little penguin?
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| Trying to grab hold of the steam coming out of the mask. |
All of the doctors we've visited said this is the worst allergy season they've seen. He's been a trooper throughout it all but I'm hoping the worst is over.
