Bronchitis & More Teeth & my thoughts

The title says it all...

Today we went in for our scheduled 9-month "well baby exam" which turned into a sick baby exam (& insurance doesn't pay for both on one visit...though medicaid does?! anyways, i could rant on about that and maybe i will on my musings page, but not here.)

Our baby girl has developed bronchitis. I'm so sad! The runny nose...and congestion has now gotten all into her lungs. They swabbed the mucus in the nose to check to see if it was RSV, and it's not. So that's good. But the bronchitis ISN'T good. That can develop into pneumonia.

They put her on 3 prescriptions. Zyrtec, Albuterol, and something else I can't remember now. She got a nebulizer and so now we can give her breathing treatments at home - every 4 hours. She got her 1st breathing treatment around 2 or 3 months at the doctor's office when I took her in and she was congested (I remember we were told to let her sleep upright in a baby chair/bouncer or car seat.) But since then, I haven't taken her in for what I considered "minor viruses" of the usual cold variety.

I was worried about her when we were in Taiwan b/c she got really congested there. I called DH, who called the ped office, who said it was RSV season. So we went to the hospital in Taiwan, and they prescribed some stuff (3 different things: decongestant?, cough supressant, and an appetite medication). All the medicines were powder and pre-mixed together in packaged doses, so I couldn't choose which to give her. So I gave her meds for one day and then chose not to the rest of the time. I didn't want her to have the appetite drug. But she got better rather quickly anyways. That's another discussion within itself also...cost & state of healthcare in diff countries, pharmaceuticals&drugs, dosings, explanations of prescriptions or lack of...etc...

So I hope she's not "prone to URI-upper respiratory infections" like they said about me. I just know that in late jr high or early high school, I had to go to the ER a couple of times because I just couldn't breathe well, and my chest got all tight. That was only within a few months time. They gave me an Albuterol inhaler, and I took some pills. But they never diagnosed me with asthma (I didn't get short of breath at other times, like physical activity-wise). And after those few months, I didn't have the same problems. Today we discussed how I may have had some allergy or asthma-type problems that went undiagnosed and how Hannah may have it also, since sometimes it's hereditary. All I know is that my lung capacity isn't very good, and when I get a cold or flu like virus, if I don't get plenty of rest and fluids, I almost always end up with bronchitis. Anyways...'nuff about me.

I just feel so badly for Hannah. She's been having problems breathing these past 2 nights, and we've ALL slept poorly (besides her already not sleeping through the night - I wonder if that's made her body extra tired and the immune system hasn't been top notch). In the past when she got a runny nose, she got over it rather quickly...but this time around, it's pretty bad. The complications are piling up. I can hear the congestion in her lungs, and her breathing is labored. After we gave her the meds tonight and forced the nebulizer on her (she cried and protested and struggled, but dh held her) she did breathe A LOT better.

So I'm glad we saw a health practitioner today. (I can't even say doctor, b/c till now, we still haven't met the doctor. Just the NPs) We scheduled a follow up for next week (which hopefully it can be her 9-month physical).

I was hoping the runny nose and on&off diarrhea of the past week was part of teething, but I guess she does have a virus or whatever it is that's gotten worse. Though she IS teething. DH says he saw tooth #5 (a top canine) and #6 is just barely breaking through (other top canine). I haven't seen them yet since I haven't felt for them with my finger. I try not to stick my finger in her mouth too often. She likes to bite...and she's biting whatever enters her mouth, whether she sticks it in herself, or if it just happens to be there. Yeah...and breastfeeding has gotten a bit more painful recently due to the teeth...

More thoughts... I was trying to be more laid back and letter her crawl around and explore, play with random toys at other places, and play with other kids whose condition was unknown and such... But now I'm feeling like I should return to my more vigilant self and more restrictive of what she's exposed to. Ppl down here in South TX have to touch every baby - it's to ward off evil or bad luck, you see. And so lots of ppl touch our baby girl when we're out. I don't really like it all the time, but what can you do when they've already touched her before you could do anything? They don't even ask. So Hannah's definitely getting exposed to a lot of "stuff" plus the air is humid and probably carries more "stuff" in it that she breathes and can get sick from.

Eek...thinking about all the ways one can get sick. And all the different sicknesses out there. and how they are worse in babies. I just tell myself I need to trust in the miracle of the human immune system....