This was before the anger set in
I stand by my original assessment of Devin. He’s a happy baby. A friendly, outgoing baby. But, like any person, he has his limits. Those limits were met yesterday when what started out as sniffling and coughing turned into a full-blown cold accompanied by a wheezing chest. This while he was also enduring some new teeth coming in. Plus (yes, plus) two infected fingers. Yikes.
We squeezed in a doctor’s appointment. His discomfort was compounded when said doctor asked to put him on an inhaler to rule out pneumonia. This involved a machine with a mask that dispensed medicine through a vapor. Simple enough, yes. The problem is that we had to hold this mask to the face of a seven-month-old for…10 to 15 minutes! I looked at her helplessly as she left us alone in the room, with Scott holding his arms down and me trying to keep the mask over his mouth and nose. NOT A HAPPY BABY. His screams were blood-curdling. The saving grace of this was that we were in there together. If I had had to do it alone, I would have crumpled to the floor. Seriously.
The diagnosis was that there was no pneunmonia (whew!) and that we would treat the wheezing with a portable inhaler that is much, much more endurable for him — and us. A check of his ears, though, showed a small infection in there, so we also have to administer amoxicillin, which he proceeds to spit back up at us each time.
The worst part? The fingers. He uses his two middle ones for self-soothing. Nice trick except that he’s been rubbing them on his little teeth and they’ve swelled up and gotten infected. The solution presented to us was to put a sock on his hand and pin it to his sleeve. Um…this doesn’t work, folks. The blood-curdling screams at the doctor’s office are easily eclipsed by the inability to insert his two favorite fingers into mouth. Holy moley! The shrieks sent Mom running to the grocery store for a pacifier (swore we wouldn’t). Luckily after a few seconds of fiddling with it, the little mister has figured out how to work this nifty invention and the household is once again peaceful. Hallelujah!
Ummmm….Your pediatrician gave you a metered-dose nhaler to give to Devin? (I’m in work mode now, since this is all I do for a living.) Did he/she give you a spacer with a mask? He’s only 8 months old, right? Okay, you can’t tell if you have pneumonia by giving an aerosolized breathing treatment, so I hope they didn’t tell you guys that. Did the doctor say the wheezing lessened after the treatment? Hopefully they showed you how to use the spacer, let me know if they didn’t and I’ll give you some pointers.
Just to comfort you, all new babies (at least all the ones I know) go through an “immunity adjustment” in the beginning months. Devin has had a “rebirth” now that he is in the States and with his family and his immune system just needs to adjust. Don’t worry, it’s merely another of many many stages that he will get through!!!
Pacifiers are lifesavers. Take it from this old mother of twins (who are now 15. but there are somethings you never forget).
This photo is so touching. The interaction is so clear. I have been holding Logan and nothing compares. Logan has acid reflux and when it comes up he screams he is on meds too but this is so painful when you can do little to help them except hugs. Lots of hugs. My boys always got “colds” with new teeth.
new grandma Lynne signing off.
Sorry to comment again, I’m BORED! Just wanted to say: I love how the pile of toys has replaced the treadmill in the corner; and you’re lucky Devin likes a pacifier, Screamy Riley refused one, much to our ears’ dismay!