Wednesday, October 7, 2009

One Year Later: Asthma Edition

The History:
It's been one year since Devin had his first (and so far only) major asthma attack. I remember it well. It was scary. I did not know what was going on with my baby. He was having such trouble breathing. He could barely get two words out. I first blogged about Devin being sick here.

My original post, once we were home from the hospital the next day, is here. I decided to leave the post in its original form. I had only had two hours (of interrupted) sleep at that point. The raw form of that post exemplifies the anxiety for the health of my son.

The Update:
Overall, Devin has done really well adjusting to this asthma thing. He takes his Nebulizer daily, and like a trooper! Last winter his Pulmicort was increased due to a lower Pulse Oxygen Level. This summer we (in conjunction with his Ped) tried to take him off the Pulmicort (most kids can come off for the summer), but he became so short of breath and unable to play, with a lowered Pulse Oxygen Level, that he had to go back on and this time to the higher level because playing was still too cumbersome on him. That's where we are now.

The Future:
We hope that someday Devin will outgrow his asthma. We hope that someday he will be able to run and play with other kids without needing medications to help him do so. We hope that Devin will be able to play sports, if he chooses, without becoming short of breath and "needing a break."

2 comments:

Joanna said...

When Andy told me he had asthma as a kid I was shocked. I never knew that people could grow out of it until I did some research on it. I guess a lot of kids grow out of it. Andy hasn't had a problem since he was a kid. He played sports all through high school and now does vigorous exercise several times a week. I hope Devin has the same experience.

Sharon G said...

Karla, this weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and I think we both have a lot to be thankful for! We're raising two little troopers!! Devin is an amazing little guy...no matter what the future holds for him!!! I wish you all the best!!!!