The Shotgun Approach

Howie has been sick off and on for the last 4 weeks. Frankly, I'm getting tired of dumping medicine, antibiotics, and whatever else he requires down his throat in the hopes that he gets better. Oh, he does get better, but sure enough, a few days later, he's got that nasty, juicy, raspy cough again and I'm thinking, "What the &*%?! He just got over this! Seriously?!"

Well, this past Saturday when he woke up, again, with yet another 102+ degree fever I couldn't believe it. I debated and debated taking that widdo widdo boy into the doctors office. Oh, but wait. By the time he got up from his nap, they were closed for the day and the weekend. That meant that I'd have to take him to the ER. Did I really want to spend the $150 co-pay for them to tell me it's viral, run the humidifier, he'll get better? Not really, but I did it anyway.

Off to take Howie in to the ER. This time I'm secretly hoping and praying that someone, anyone will say, "let's get a chest x-ray and see if there's really anything going on." Well, that silent little prayer was indeed answered. The single most tortuous event to watch for any of my kids was to see poor little Howie be strapped into what looked like a medieval torture device to have a chest x-ray done. He seriously didn't even bat an eye at the RSV swab they did, but he absolutely HATED the chest x-ray. Me, who can take just about anything, was getting teary eyed just listening to him scream. I knew it wasn't hurting him, but holy crap that killed me. I trusted the results that came back from the lab since my sister, Jenny, was working and she did the tests, when the RSV was negative. I was not expecting the diagnosis of pneumonia - but at least I knew I wasn't crazy that my widdo widdo boy was indeed sick, or so I thought.

Nurses cooing and loving on Howie - and really not able to get enough of that absolutely adorable little face, feeling terrible for taking the rectal temperature twice and waking him up who knows how many times, prescriptions written, discharge papers handed to me, 3 hours and $150 dollars later, we were out of there. I got the antibiotics late Saturday night and got home around 11:45. In total disbelief, I fell asleep, half asleep that is, just listening to Howie on the baby monitor to make sure he was still breathing. I followed up with the pediatrician's office yesterday.

The pediatrician I saw wasn't Howie's regular doctor - he was BETTER! He saw Howie in the hospital just after he was born and then entire time we were in there. I liked him then and am now contemplating whether or not to switch to this pediatrician permanently - same practice, different office though.

The pediatrician asked if I had the films with me - which like an idiot I did not (I since have obtained a copy and will be taking them to his office). He listened to Howie breathe and then said, "I don't hear pneumonia, Mom. I hear a lot of wheezing, but no pneumonia." What the &*%$?! Seriously?! So, the doctor asked me if anyone in the family wheezes and/or has asthma. I confessed and told him I did. A breathing treatment was done on Howie in the office. The doctor came back in and listened once again to Howie breathe. The wheeziness got better - in some areas. Others, not so much. Not any worse, but not any better either.

He decided to take what I affectionately call "the shotgun approach" and gave me 3 different diagnoses. The first one, it could be bronchiolitis. This is an infection of the small air sacs within the upper respiratory system, which causes the wheezing. In which case, the steroids and breathing treatments I have to give him should fix it in the next couple of days. Second diagnosis is Human Metapneumovirus (I love saying that - it just sounds cool - but isn't really). hMPV is a similar virus to RSV. It will not show up on an RSV swab even though they are very similar. If this is it, the steroids and breathing treatments won't help at all. Great - now what?! Third and final diagnosis is.....well we're still waiting for that one. He wanted to see what would happen with Howie in the next several days before we move on.

I'm hoping it's bronchiolitis - been there done that and still do that! Not a big deal and could, quite possibly grow out of it. hMPV really not thinking it's this so we won't even go there. But what about the pneumonia diagnosis. I guess that one is gone by the wayside and won't get a chance to return. The best news about that is I could stop that antibiotic that just is terrible for him and all of my kids for that matter.

So, after a few breathing treatments and 1 1/2 days on the steroids, he is slowly returning to his usual cute self. I mean really, does this look like a sick kid to you?

This was taken barely 24 hours previous to Saturday night's events. Yes, we are at Target -- nighttime Pull Ups for Caroline.