The saga continues. Matthew's been coughing again more & more the past couple of weeks. On Sunday morning, in the car on the way to church, I told him "If you're still coughing like that tomorrow, I'm calling the doctor." So we get to church for Sunday School, and after we finished our adult class, our DCE spots me in the hall and asks if Matthew's teacher found us. (Right away I'm fearing a behavior issue -- silly me.) Anyway, turns out that they were doing some sort of game involving running and Matthew had to actually LAY DOWN to catch his breath. The teacher did find grandma in the other adult class, and he was doing better by then, which is why they didn't come get me during class.
I called his allergy/asthma doctor's office right away Monday morning and got him an appointment for Tuesday afternoon. Poor kid had 57% lung capacity when we got there, and Dr. Wendleborn could hear wheezing again. We've been faithfully giving him the Pulmicort every evening, but he got a little cold which kicked up the asthma symptoms again anyway. And to make matters worse, he's got another sinus infection.
So now he has the antibiotic for the infection, a steroid pill to take for 4 days to help get his lungs back up to speed, and a rescue inhaler. I admit it -- I'm overwhelmed. I just don't understand this disease as well as I should. So, being the researcher that I am, I have ordered a couple of books that should help explain things. And I understand that I'm going to need to regularly measure his lung capacity with the peak flow meter (I think that's what it's called). That way, I can see if his lung capacity is diminishing and do something about it sooner.
Matthew is not what I'd call a complainer (at least not about his health or how he's feeling). It would really help if he'd be more vocal -- but I think he's just so used to it. I think he probably had asthma for a long time and we just didn't realize it. I never knew that coughing was an asthma symptom. :(
Anyway....... how's the diet going Marcia? Well, I got about half the weight lost, got a little cocky and gained back a couple of pounds, lost them, gained them again. I feel like I'm stuck here. At least I'm not gaining and gaining and gaining. I know it's not an excuse, but I guess sometimes I feel like I can only do so much at a time. Dealing with Matthew's issues -- both behavioral and health -- is about what I can handle right now. My house is messy and I'm not motivated to clean. My body is stuck about 7 pounds heavier than I want to be, and I'm not motiviated to be strict enough on my diet. At least I still get a workout in most mornings. I can be thankful for that. And I can be thankful for the fact that it's only 7 pounds and not 70. Given my history, that's pretty tremendous. So I'll keep plugging away one day at a time. In everything.
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Sorry to hear about Matthew. I hope that the meds help him. Adasen does well with the Advair. She went through a phase like Matthew did off and on for several years but she seems to be past that now. Knock on wood!
ReplyDeleteYou look beautiful, Marcia! You don't have to be rail thin to be healthy. Just keep eating healthy and exercising regularly and try not to focus on the number so much. I know you want to be accountable for your weight but you don't want to be obsessive about it either. You look great!
Sorry to hear about Matthew. I hope that the meds help him. Adasen does well with the Advair. She went through a phase like Matthew did off and on for several years but she seems to be past that now. Knock on wood!
ReplyDeleteYou look beautiful, Marcia! You don't have to be rail thin to be healthy. Just keep eating healthy and exercising regularly and try not to focus on the number so much. I know you want to be accountable for your weight but you don't want to be obsessive about it either. You look great!