Typical winter...

Isaac is sick. The cough is nothing new, as we battle it every winter into early spring.
It started when he was around 4 months old and was coughing constantly. The pediatrician diagnosed "RAD" (reactive airways disease), a way of saying asthma without officially diagnosing it. <==My opinion.
Asthma isn't usually diagnosed in children until age 5 or 6. I think the reasoning is because the child may grow out of it.

Anyway, we rented the nebulizer for so long from the med supply company, that our insurance just bought the machine for us. It's been a literal lifesaver.

Isaac gets this deep sounding, almost barking cough when he gets sick. It's not croup as it doesn't have the barking seal sound or the stridor. We run albuterol in the neb q4hours while he is awake. At times, I wonder if it works or not. We also have an albuterol inhaler but I don't think it's as effective as the neb, because Isaac doesn't grasp how the inhaler works. My husband also picked up a second humidifier yesterday to run in his room, in hopes that the moist air will help him kick the cough sooner. I've been listening to his lungs as well-he's a big congested.

Isaac stayed home yesterday, as his cough has gotten worse. He was running a slight temp off and on all day. When Isaac wants to stay home from school, I know he doesn't feel well! he ate very little, but did take about a two hour nap yesterday. He's home with me again today, as he woke at 4 AM and didn't really go back to sleep. He's not eating much today either.

As I research asthma, I wonder if there is more that I should be asking his nurse practitioner to look into. Things like allergies, excema and other various things may trigger asthma. We know of no allergies, but I truly wonder. A few years ago, the NP prescribed Singulair for him, which is a combo allergy/asthma drug. We had a good winter once he started that with no long-lasting coughing spells. Last winter, he was having stomach issues and the NP loosely linked it to the Singulair so we took him off it. He missed many days of preschool last winter because of the cough/wheezing/congestion. I never started him back on it this year, but now I wonder if I should.

Isaac usually picks up on his own ear infections. Last night, he said they hurt but this morning, he said they hurt but he doesn't want to go to the doctor. I don't know if he's faking the ears or if he thinks he'll get a shot. (Now anytime near the Wal-Mart pharmacy he asks if he's getting a flu shot!)

I'll just continue to watch him today and encourage rest, fluids and monitor for a fever. We'll do the nebulizer every 4 and pray that we have a good day so he gets back to school tomorrow.

For now, he is content to sit on the couch with a blanket and watch Wall-E (over and over and over...)