Asthma. This poor kid lived 4.5 years with horrible asthma that went undetected. He coughed… constantly.
It was so sad because he would get a sniffle and that would turn into a horrible cough that lasted 2-4 months. This happened a couple times a year.
That’s how we lived the first 4.5 years of poor Luke’s life.
My first clue that it wasn’t just “getting sick” was when our new baby (who’s now 3) didn’t catch what Luke had…
Then other moms, teachers and day care workers started mentioning that Luke was sick a lot and it seemed an abnormal amount.
I started pushing for testing: allergy tests, mold tests on our home… all normal.
Next step was a pulmonologist. After several different treatments and literally almost 1.5 of breathing treatments every day (sometimes 6 x a day), Luke’s breathing has been very much under control.
What I wish I would have known:
– asthma can present first as a cough
– asthma isn’t always exercise induced
A few things I wish I would have done sooner:
– pushed the doctors for more tests
– changed to natural cleaners
– started using special laundry detergent
– removed all stuffed animals from the room
– eliminated the use of a space heater in his room
– not utilized the humidifier when he was coughing
– cleaned our air ducts (well, we had new ones put in because ours had asbestos)
– put in a whole house air purifier (air scrubber)
Since doing all those things my kids hardly get sick and if they do, the cough only lasts a few days instead of several months.
I’m glad I was persistent.
I’m glad I didn’t take offense when people said “wow, your kid seems to be sick a lot”.
I’m glad I didn’t accept this statement I seemed to hear all the time “kids just get sick and that’s how it is”
I’m glad because my kid has a chance (at least 4 years) of good, normal, healthy development of his lungs. I can’t change the first 4.5 years (which pains me to no end) but I can make sure that the next several years of development for him will be strong.
It’s been a long road. We’ve spend a FORTUNE on treatment, doctor bills, over the counter meds, Essential oils, prescriptions, nebulizers… the list goes on and on.
It’s been worth every penny. I feel blessed because I wasn’t able to work much for the first 4.5 years of his life and thank the Lord I didn’t have a “job” (I would have been fired).
I feel blessed because we finally have answers and he’s getting better. I feel blessed because I know Keith and I have been doing everything possible to give our kids the best future possible.
