The Reflux...

Lookin' at Momma.

Well, it's been some time now since I've posted anything. Holidays with an infant will cause that I suppose.  Ian has kept us busy throughout the holiday.

Here's the story short... Ian has reflux which caused him to have trouble breathing a week or so ago, enough trouble for us to take him to the emergency room.  He's doing much better now, even though as nervous parents we go on high-alert every time he coughs.

Here's the long story...

Does this had make me look silly?

The day after Christmas (26th) he kept us especially busy when he started choking and having a hard time breathing (sounded very congested and a lot of heavy wheezing) at around 2AM.  He seemed to get through it with a little back-patting, and he fell back asleep—Kristin did not.

By 11:30-ish AM the next morning while feeding with Kristin, he started having the same choking/labored breathing and was somewhat unresponsive—just not himself.  After 15-20 minutes of this, Kristin was very distressed and called the doctor so we could bring Ian in to the pediatrician as soon as possible—the earliest appointment was at 3pm—I tried to remain calm.

By 12:00PM, Ian was increasingly worse: his breathing was VERY labored and "wet" sounding, and he was quite lethargic.  As I was holding him some very thick, clear mucous was coming from his mouth and his breathing was extremely shallow.  I tried to wake him and got no response.  I put a cold washcloth to his face and barely got a response—I tried to remain calm.

BUT... at that moment the Dr's office called back to discuss the appointment we had just made.  I don't know if she was confirming the 3 o'clock appt or not because I ignored anything she said and told her we were on our way in—I may not have remained calm.

The Dr's office is 5 minutes from the house.

Ian had been having this episode for a full hour.

Guess who decided to be presenting perfectly fine and appeared to be breathing normally by the time the doctor saw him?

I look funny!!!

Soooo, Dr. Rosenthal gave Ian a thorough inspection and let us know that he appeared to have some severe Reflux (acid reflux) and that the clear mucous was secreted by his lungs to help protect themselves from the  acid that is regurgitated during reflux.  He also thought Ian night have an allergic or intolerance for his formula (Similac Sensitive).  He prescribed a liquid antacid (Axid) and Similac Alimentum.

We went home.  I dropped off Kristin and Ian and went to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled.  When I got home 40 minutes later, Kristin was in tears and frantic, and Ian was having trouble breathing again just as he was before—I don't know that I had any calm left in me.

Emergency room, here we come!

 

FUN FACT: Did you know that the emergency room admits infant patients immediately, and that you don't have to sit in the waiting room for hours as you potentially bleed out?

By 2:30 we're in the emergency room triage.... and somebody had a great big smile on his face and was flirting with the nurses (it wasn't me).  We were there until 7pm.  They x-rayed his chest, and there was no sign of fluid or pneumonia.  They did a test for SCV (?) - basically a virus for a "common" cold that if he had tested positive for, we would have known that it was a virus.  That test required some saline in and a catheter down his nose.  Gotta say, that's the worst I've ever heard him cry.  Heart-wrenching.

After all that time, he not once started having trouble breathing again.  Although he did poop six times; very unusual from a kid who normally poops once every two days.

It wasn't until we had are discharge papers in hand, and he was bundled up, and the nurse had just walked out the door, that he started with the wheezing again.

"Wait! Come back!" I shouted.  She did, and upon hearing his breathing said, "Oh. That's reflux. My neices had it."

So, at least we finally had a witness, and this wheezing did not turn into a really bad episode like before.

Within 24 hours on the Alimentum and the medication he was doing much better and has not had a major episode since. He does get sporadic reflux episodes where he's arch his back and start crying, sounding very hoarse and congested, but he (and we) can work our way though it.

Last week we went back to the Dr. because we weren't positive the medication was doing as much for him as it could. We got a new prescription and this new medication is sooooo much better! He hasn't had any episodes at all. We were also told to switch him to Nutramigen formula to see if it made a difference, but we stuck with the Alimentum. He seems to be doing fine on it.

"Every little thing the reflex does
Leaves you answered with a question mark"