Monday, January 5, 2009

Sick Boy!

Golly...for how energetic he is you would think he wouldn't be sickly!   We have had SO many issues with our poor little Tyler, many of them to do with his breathing.  For those of you that don't know he had breathing issues almost right after he was born and they were bad for over a year until we moved to Cedar.  He's done so much better down here, but when he gets sick, the wheezing comes back.  Well tonight, he's staying overnight at the hospital.  Hopefully that's as long as is needed, but he didn't make much improvement tonight.  Anyway...he's been coughing badly for a few days and started wheezing yesterday.  We tried breathing treatments here with albuterol for a day, but didn't see any difference.  In addition he started to get a fever today and Kelley had strep throat last week, so Joey too him into the doctor this afternoon.  An hour an a half later I get a call from Joey...they admitted him to the hospital!  His Oxygen level was really low and the MD didn't feel comfortable sending him home.  At first I thought that was pretty silly, but I was over there most of the night and the poor kid stayed between 87-92 all night!  Normal levels for a non smoker are between 94-99, but usually are on the higher end of that.  He was doing a little better when I left because we finally asked for a cannula to make the O2 they were giving him more effective.  Joey is staying the night with him, they'll give him treatments every four hours and the doc will be back first thing in the morning.  This is just so frustrating.  At one point I had him tested for Cystic Fibrosis because he was having so many problems.  That came back negative, thank heavens, but I wish we could figure out what was going on.  Any ideas???  I somehow think the answer is going to be difficult to find if we really want it.  I keep thinking he'll grow out of it, but then something like this happens.  A few weeks ago he was in the ER with croup.  

Unfortunately I think at least part of the answer might lie in nutrition.  We do try to eat fairly well at home:  I buy almost nothing but whole wheat bread (yes...the real stuff), lots of fruits and veggies, etc.  But the kid LOVES carbs and milk.  He showed a real sensitivity to milk as a baby and was on part soy part milk for a long time.  This kind of stuff is just so hard to figure out because there are so many pieces to the picture.  

Anyway, done venting, but if you have any ideas...please let me know.

On a very happy note:  I think we are just about potty trained (OK OK, potty learned....for those of you that are on that whole parenting thing...).  He's been doing SO good and tonight didn't want to take his underwear off to swap for a diaper...wahoo!  There's still an issue with #2 I think...so we're not quite 100%, but he's been doing great and has trained himself very quickly.  I know he's over three, but I had hear HORROR stories about pushing things with boys before they were ready...so we just waited until he wanted to.  So happy we did...I hope it sticks with all this other stuff going on now.

7 comments:

Frances said...

That is so sad! It is hard to have a kid in the hospital, but at least he is getting the care he needs. Poor kid, we will keep him in our prayers.

Lara Neves said...

Poor guy! I really hope that he gets better quickly.

You might consider getting him tested for food sensitivities (not necessarily allergies) with a doctor who does the bio Meridian machine. Chloe had tons of issues, until I had her tested and found out all these foods she shouldn't be eating because they caused things like asthma and eczema. Cutting them out made a huge difference. The doctor I used was in Provo, but you could probably find someone in St. George who does it (doubtful there's someone here in Cedar).

Rae said...

I'm with Lara--thinking it's food sensitivities or even an allergy to something. That would make sense with his continued problems even when you moved to help him out.

If he has croup again, I have a great way to help him out. You'll think I'm weird, but then you'll try it and it'll work, and then you won't think I'm weird anymore. :) Cut up an onion, put it in a dishtowel and microwave it for almost a minute. When it cools just enough to not burn your hands, hold Tyler and hold the onion poultice (that's what it's called) on his chest. Although it's stinky, it's warm and comforting (my kids loved it), and it'll soothe the irritation.

If all your medical venues don't leave you any more enlightened as far as what the source of his issues could be, maybe you could consider seeing an herbalist or some other naturopathic doctor?

mandy said...

I am so sorry that he is so sick!! That is scary and not fun!! I hope he gets better soon. I have to say I agree with Laura and Rae. I totally believe that food plays a huge role. Milk could totally be a problem.

Lauren said...

It must be so hard to see him struggling. I hope everything goes well. we are praying for you.

Tiffany said...

Good luck with the sickness stuff! I feel so bad for him! I hope that you can find out what is up with it though. It might help you manage it or prevent it a little easier. Yeah for the potty training! I'm working on Peyton right now...I would love to have a few months with no diapers before the next one makes his appearance. I've been dealing with diapers for over 3 years now. I need a break!

rachaeljanae said...

If it is a food sensitivity, the first thing they'll have you do is keep a food journal. Write down everything he eats and then maybe you'll be able to see a pattern and figure out what triggers his reaction.

Seth has asthma, so I've been on the lookout for it in my kids. My doctor told me asthma is basically unexplained chronic breathing problems over a period of time. We've had a few minor incidents, but they seem to be rare so far. Sounds like what you've got!