uncomfortable with decision

[mamaScarlett]

All I would add is that your thread title says 'uncomfortable' with the decision, and if thats what you are you have every right to call an irritate your doctors until you are comfortable. Remember you are paying them. Moms have great instincts. From the tone of your posts, I think you know already that he needs a change of regimen-you just need someone to tell you its ok to speak up.
Hyp sal is an awesome tool-its helped me more than anything, but I echo what others have said, it may make him more irritated at first. I had to dilute it to 3% until I was comfortable. And involving big bad dad is a great idea! Just don't be afraid to speak up-doctors really do mean well but its you, the mom, thats up at night tossing and turning, not the doctor.

 

[mamaScarlett]

All I would add is that your thread title says 'uncomfortable' with the decision, and if thats what you are you have every right to call an irritate your doctors until you are comfortable. Remember you are paying them. Moms have great instincts. From the tone of your posts, I think you know already that he needs a change of regimen-you just need someone to tell you its ok to speak up.
<br />Hyp sal is an awesome tool-its helped me more than anything, but I echo what others have said, it may make him more irritated at first. I had to dilute it to 3% until I was comfortable. And involving big bad dad is a great idea! Just don't be afraid to speak up-doctors really do mean well but its you, the mom, thats up at night tossing and turning, not the doctor.

 

[Beccamom]

We are new to this, so I don't have experience with the hypertonic saline, but my 11 year old has spend 11 years on inhaled corticosteroids (any one of these: intal, Advair, Symbicort, Flovent, QVar). We are told the same thing that we can't stop the current Flovent because we don't want to change too many things at one time. So far we added chest PT and took away nothing. She has been using Albuterol Nebulizer since she was 2 months old. i asked if we could stop using it since every PFT before and after albuterol yeild the same percent predicted which tells me that albuterol does nothing but give her an energy boost for about an hour. She has coughed since Sep 2010 bad enough to wake me atleast a few nights a week while her bedroom and my bedroom doors are closed. She is admitted at the hospital now colonized with staph in her lungs and after 3 IV antibiotic doses her antibiotics were stopped because she also tested positive for the flu which of course the antibiotics won't help. I am quite frustrated as she coughed all night and the only thing the doctor cares about is whether she is willing to sip liquids, then we are heading home. I guess fighting the Staph will have to wait until she fights off the flu. I am concerned that this short course of IV antibiotics will cause the staph to get worst while her body is also trying to fight the flu. Best wishes to you.

 

[Beccamom]

We are new to this, so I don't have experience with the hypertonic saline, but my 11 year old has spend 11 years on inhaled corticosteroids (any one of these: intal, Advair, Symbicort, Flovent, QVar). We are told the same thing that we can't stop the current Flovent because we don't want to change too many things at one time. So far we added chest PT and took away nothing. She has been using Albuterol Nebulizer since she was 2 months old. i asked if we could stop using it since every PFT before and after albuterol yeild the same percent predicted which tells me that albuterol does nothing but give her an energy boost for about an hour. She has coughed since Sep 2010 bad enough to wake me atleast a few nights a week while her bedroom and my bedroom doors are closed. She is admitted at the hospital now colonized with staph in her lungs and after 3 IV antibiotic doses her antibiotics were stopped because she also tested positive for the flu which of course the antibiotics won't help. I am quite frustrated as she coughed all night and the only thing the doctor cares about is whether she is willing to sip liquids, then we are heading home. I guess fighting the Staph will have to wait until she fights off the flu. I am concerned that this short course of IV antibiotics will cause the staph to get worst while her body is also trying to fight the flu. Best wishes to you.

 

[Beccamom]

We are new to this, so I don't have experience with the hypertonic saline, but my 11 year old has spend 11 years on inhaled corticosteroids (any one of these: intal, Advair, Symbicort, Flovent, QVar). We are told the same thing that we can't stop the current Flovent because we don't want to change too many things at one time. So far we added chest PT and took away nothing. She has been using Albuterol Nebulizer since she was 2 months old. i asked if we could stop using it since every PFT before and after albuterol yeild the same percent predicted which tells me that albuterol does nothing but give her an energy boost for about an hour. She has coughed since Sep 2010 bad enough to wake me atleast a few nights a week while her bedroom and my bedroom doors are closed. She is admitted at the hospital now colonized with staph in her lungs and after 3 IV antibiotic doses her antibiotics were stopped because she also tested positive for the flu which of course the antibiotics won't help. I am quite frustrated as she coughed all night and the only thing the doctor cares about is whether she is willing to sip liquids, then we are heading home. I guess fighting the Staph will have to wait until she fights off the flu. I am concerned that this short course of IV antibiotics will cause the staph to get worst while her body is also trying to fight the flu. Best wishes to you.

 

[mom2owen]

Thanks so much for the support and information. MamaScarlett, you made me laugh "involving big bad dad!" My dh is the most mellow guy around, I joke that I have to use a cattle prod to get him to react to something! But, he is really annoyed by this whole situation. Unfortunately, the reason I am the one to call most often is because he is a teacher and cannot take calls when he has students (which is pretty much all the time) and it proved to be a problem yesterday as well, he missed their return call. So, we have to wait until Monday. We are pretty set on asking for the bronchoscopy with cultures and the saline. I really appreciate the ideas about introducing saline slowly so it doesn't irritate Owen, thanks.
Another question I have (I might post this in a new thread too): What exactly is aspergillus? I know it is a kind of mold but where does it mostly grow? We have a really tough case of leaking in our roof from ice dams and we know mold is a concern with that. And, the window sills in our upstairs are completely disgusting and have some kind of black mold on them. We are getting new windows next week and hope to make that problem go away but could this be causing a problem for Owen? It does not seem to be affecting any of the rest of us. I am just not sure how the aspergillus gets into the lungs or if I should even worry about it. Thanks.

 

[mom2owen]

Thanks so much for the support and information. MamaScarlett, you made me laugh "involving big bad dad!" My dh is the most mellow guy around, I joke that I have to use a cattle prod to get him to react to something! But, he is really annoyed by this whole situation. Unfortunately, the reason I am the one to call most often is because he is a teacher and cannot take calls when he has students (which is pretty much all the time) and it proved to be a problem yesterday as well, he missed their return call. So, we have to wait until Monday. We are pretty set on asking for the bronchoscopy with cultures and the saline. I really appreciate the ideas about introducing saline slowly so it doesn't irritate Owen, thanks.
Another question I have (I might post this in a new thread too): What exactly is aspergillus? I know it is a kind of mold but where does it mostly grow? We have a really tough case of leaking in our roof from ice dams and we know mold is a concern with that. And, the window sills in our upstairs are completely disgusting and have some kind of black mold on them. We are getting new windows next week and hope to make that problem go away but could this be causing a problem for Owen? It does not seem to be affecting any of the rest of us. I am just not sure how the aspergillus gets into the lungs or if I should even worry about it. Thanks.

 

[mom2owen]

Thanks so much for the support and information. MamaScarlett, you made me laugh "involving big bad dad!" My dh is the most mellow guy around, I joke that I have to use a cattle prod to get him to react to something! But, he is really annoyed by this whole situation. Unfortunately, the reason I am the one to call most often is because he is a teacher and cannot take calls when he has students (which is pretty much all the time) and it proved to be a problem yesterday as well, he missed their return call. So, we have to wait until Monday. We are pretty set on asking for the bronchoscopy with cultures and the saline. I really appreciate the ideas about introducing saline slowly so it doesn't irritate Owen, thanks.
<br />Another question I have (I might post this in a new thread too): What exactly is aspergillus? I know it is a kind of mold but where does it mostly grow? We have a really tough case of leaking in our roof from ice dams and we know mold is a concern with that. And, the window sills in our upstairs are completely disgusting and have some kind of black mold on them. We are getting new windows next week and hope to make that problem go away but could this be causing a problem for Owen? It does not seem to be affecting any of the rest of us. I am just not sure how the aspergillus gets into the lungs or if I should even worry about it. Thanks.