Asthma? Not again!

My daughter has asthma. She was diagnosed at 15 months, although I am certain she was born with it. Her asthma was out of control for about 5 years because she also had a severe case of acid reflux that exacerbated her disease. Once the reflux was medicated accurately, she showed great improvement. In fact, last week at a check on her lung function with the pediatrician, he told us he was confident that she was essentially outgrowing her condition; her tests actually indicated that her lungs function about 40% better than the average girl her age and size. This was long-awaited good news.

Because of his sister's long, sordid, complicated medical history (which is at least 2 posts) with asthma, I am constantly watching The Conqueror for signs of the illness. I was suspicious in the spring that he was beginning to present with symptoms. The doctor, ever hopeful, held off on a diagnosis and commended me for breastfeeding because of the benefits associated with allergies, asthma and health in general. Now, though, the boy is sick again. He is using his sister's nebulizer and I am pretty certain that he has asthma, too.

Now, I have to admit that I am a pessimist and a wee bit of a hypochondriac. I worry needlessly about many, many things. This, though, is one of my biggest fears and one of the main reasons we put off having a second child for so long. Her Highness was sick. All. The. Time. She coughed until she vomited dozens of times some nights. She took steroids that caused her face to swell into the moon face associated with steroid use. She had CT scans, xrays, IVs and took more meds than many elderly people do. I was hopeful that breastfeeding was going to be the magic bullet for my son. Sadly, I fear that it may not have been.

I know that because we have experienced all of these things in the past, we will better deal with them and may be able to get to the root of the problem (if there really is one) much quicker than we did with Her Highness. I still have a heavy heart today after spending yet another night holding yet another coughing, wheezing child.