Is it Walking Pneumonia? Bronchitis? Or Asthma?

Sweet Baby Tate has had a cough for weeks now, at least 4.  It was a dry cough at first, and I was doing much the same thing.  It always felt like I had a frog in my throat that needed clearing.  I just thought we were both suffering from allergies.  The weather here unpredictable at best, with rain and wind blowing all the pollen and mold etc about all the time, 30 degrees one day and seriously 83 degrees the next.   As last year it never froze or truly got cold none of the spores died.  So now double the crap is flying about in the air.  People are miserable.

In any event, I just thought we were suffering from allergies.  While we were in Dallas in early January I was on a Z-pac that I requested from my friend as I felt like I had a sinus infection (Note to self who is a pediatric dentist, don’t ask S for a specific antibiotic for something of which you know nothing about; let her choose as apparently a Z-pac is not the drug of choice for a sinus infection.  But I digress.  Are you reading this S?).  I just felt a little gunky and had that strange yucky taste in my throat and was congested.  I suppose it helped as I never got a fever and I felt better a couple of days after we returned.  I mostly didn’t want to get my girl J sick who was possibly going to need to start chemo soon after the weekend (Sadly she got bad news and has finished one round. I’m so sad for her, but I’m positive she’s going to be cured!)

Then Tate started coughing;  the dry cough.  It was  sort of constant, but never seemed to bother him and it would be one hack and then 10 or 15 minutes later another hack.  Nothing concerning though.  He just seemed to always need to clear his throat.  H also had one fantastic screaming fit and became hoarse about 3 1/2 weeks ago.  But the hoarseness has never gone away.  Again I just thought well maybe it was coincidental to the screaming fit, and his little voice was going to be changing.  Now of course when I hear him I can barely remember what he used to sound like, so I’m wondering if there has actually been a change.

However, for about a week and a half now I’ve been given him an anti-histamine at night, usually Benadryl, approved by our allergist, for the cough.  It alleviated the cough and his sniffling while Zyrtec does not.  I’ve been keeping him on his Singulair now almost constantly since September where as last year he got a break November – March.  (I hate him constantly being on medications).  But when he goes off he tends to get a bit of a dry cough (ahhhh…asthma warnings right?.  Sigh)

But then this past Monday his teacher texted me twice saying he had been coughing all day long, so much so that he wasn’t able to nap.  He was doing fine, but poor baby had red eyes and looked so tired.  She asked if she could put a small piece of peppermint in some cold water to have him sip to help soothe his throat.  I gave my blessing of course.  He finally fell asleep after everyone else woke up, and she let him sleep an hour while keeping the other 4 kids sort of quiet, so he could rest (I love her!).  That night Tate told me “Ms. JoAnnie gave me some peppermint water, and it made my throat feel ‘bedder’.  I’m going to give her a little hug tomorrow.”  Not a big hug mind you, a little hug

Monday when I picked him up his cough was very wet and productive sounding and he coughed constantly.  I loaded him up with Benadryl and Singulair and he happily played as usual and went to bed just fine.  Yesterday, Tuesday, I called and made an appointment with his pediatrician for today.

My parents, who are AWESOME!, picked him up from school this morning and took him to his appointment.  I wrote the following note for them to give to his pediatrician…

Dr. R….

Tate’s tantrum behavior stopped about 2 days before his half year birthday on January 23.  It was as if a switch had gone off.  I’ve chalked it up to the half year disturbances.  His sleep went back to normal…which is minimal sleeping and fighting naps and he’s reasonable again.  Thank you so much for calling me and talking me off the roof.

This cough of his doesn’t have me terribly concerned as I’m thinking it’s just a cold.  But it’s been present in one manner or another for the past 2 1/2 weeks.  It was a  constant (all day long) dry cough (and his teacher called me twice concerned) until yesterday evening when it became productive and wet sounding.  He’s been afebrile and no change in behavior.

He takes 4mg Singulair in the evenings, though I ran out and he didn’t have it Friday-Sunday and that is when his cough worsened.  I’ve given him Benadryl (12.5mg) the past 3 evenings to help alleviate it otherwise he coughs all night.  He’s very congested and sniffing right now as he’s trying to go to sleep.  Dr. A said I could give him the Benadryl as it works on his cough better than Zyrtec or Allegra.

He had another skin test about 3 weeks ago and is still allergic to eggs and oranges.

Thanks so much!

(Dr. A is the allergist Dr. R referred us to).

She examined my Tate this morning and diagnosed him with having either walking pneumonia or bronchitis!!!  He had rales in his  chest. She also mentioned that sometimes the first episode of asthma can sound like this. (This was my biggest fear!  Though I wrote in that note I thought he had a cold, I knew it could be asthma simply from the way he was sounding)  She knows I’m desperately praying he doesn’t develop asthma as those medications to treat asthma have so many horrific side effects, but I will do what I need to do.  

She called in a prescription for a Z-pac and if he isn’t better by Monday or Tuesday I need to take him back in.  

I so pray he gets better with the antibiotics which would mean he has pneumonia or bronchitis.  He has more of the symptoms of bronchitis (to me) than walking pneumonia as he has no fever and he has the hoarseness commonly associated with bronchitis.  But who knows?  I just want him to stop coughing and I want him to be fine.  Absolutely fine.

So, if you pray, please pray for my sweet boy.  Pray that he is healed and that he isn’t developing a possible life long condition (asthma).  I’m also praying he continues to be his happy go-lucky train loving self and that he’s completely well soon.  

I do know that if he’s not better by Sunday, I’ll be taking him in to see his pediatrician on Monday myself.  While I’m so very glad my parents are so willing to take him to any and all appointments, I know that if he’s not better, it’s something serious and I need to be there to get all my questions answered.  I’m his mother after all.  

He’ll need his mother.  He deserves his mommy.  

When you’re ‘sick’ (his ped said he could return to
daycare!) Mommy lets you have a hot dog
AND hot cocoa in your Polar Express cup for dinner!