just a hard day

Jamison'smama wrote: I'm putting this in general because it is just a vent about general stuff. Today was a tough day --went to see Santa---that was okay then the asthma hit---Jamison really struggled to breath--couldn't talk without coughing--got a real raspy voice etc. Straight to her doctor---breathing treatment, steroids, benedryl and she is doing okay--except for the wild behavior due to Albuteral! Last time she sounded like this (September) we spent the night in the hospital so I was worried.

OB appointment--I am 36 weeks today and am measuring 42 WEEKS!!! This is ridiculous---and I lost 4 lbs so it is nothing I am doing to contribute to this huge baby! On top of that---first internal exam results...nothing, not dilating, no progress----YIKES, this baby will be 12 lbs!!

Anyway, I rarely share stuff so I thought...why not....my day in a nutshell!

Any asthma hints? This poor child!!

aspenblue1 replied: Sounds like a rough day.

Glad to hear Jamison is feeling better.

ediep replied: oh my! What a day!!! So sorry about the asthma! Thats a nightmare! Poor child.

Mommy2BAK replied: Oh no! I am glad Jamison is doing better. Poor Girl!

What did the doc say about your measurements?? Is everything alright?

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I'm so sorry you have had a rough day...especially for Jamison. I don't know anyone with asthma. I hope she feels better soon. I know that the Albuterol can have horrible side effects and I hope she calms down soon. Atleast she is breathing okay for now.

I don't know why you are measuring large. Surely it will slow down. A 12 lb baby....YIKES! Baby Jack sounds healthy!! How big was your DH when he was born? How big were you? And how big was Jamison? Have they done a sono to determine the size of the baby right now? I know my ob could tell me after a sono and measurements how big he thought Ethan would be at birth. He was right on.

I'm glad you shared this with us. I'm sorry you didn't have a better day though.

jcc64 replied: Huh, I'm sorry you had such a rotten day. I wasn't aware that Jamison has asthma. My oldest son has had it since he was 6, dh has it as well. I know albuterol is a stimulant of sorts, but in my experience, it was the steroids that really brought on the wacky behavior. Dh confirmed this for me. Without saying too much, suffice it to say he is not unfamiliar with altered states of consciousness, and he claims that the few times his drs put him on steroids, it really made him feel weird in a bad, druggie way. My son's classmates and teachers actually noticed a drastic change in his normally quiet, laid back demeanor. I realize when they get that sick sometimes the prednisone is necessary, but I avoid it like the plague whenever possible.
What other meds is she taking? We tried Singulair for awhile, but it really didn't do much. We switched to an inhaled steroid- Pulmacort, and that's been a Godsend. Dh also takes an inhaled steroid, Advair, which also contains Albuterol. I don't know how this works with a child as young as yours. I can tell you that things got much better for my son when we switched his asthma care to a specialist rather than his general ped. The allergy dude just has a more comprehensive understanding of the different meds and which works for whom.
It sounds like a very full plate for you. I know how distressing asthma symptoms can be for a mom. Feel free to contact me anytime about asthma, I'll share as much as I know.

Btw- inhaled steroids carry none of the toxic side effects that predinisone does. It goes right to the lungs.

Jamison'smama replied:
Well DH was 10 pounds--that's what worries me---Jamison was only 7.3 and she was 9 days late so she was a little thing--I was just over 6 lbs.

They did a sono at 32 weeks and he was 5 lbs--Last visit -34 weeks she estimated about 6 pounds. She didn't estimate today---probably a good thing. The sonogram indicated nothing unusual--just measuring in the 90th percentile--no extra fluid---uterus wasn't large---just all Jack!!

Jamison'smama replied:
Thanks for the info---she does get wired with the Albuterol but it only lasts for an hour or so. She is currently on Orapred (predniosone) again for 3 days--this is the 5th time in about 8 months--and yes it makes her wacky---she is a happy wacky though --and drinks water constantly!!

She is on Pulmacort once a day every day unless she is compromised in some way then she has 2 treatments a day until signs of illness are gone. I know that the Pulmacort has kept us out of the ER at least twice since she started taking it---so I agree about it being a Godsend---I think that is why this time isn't as bad as previous attacks.

The doc has recommended Zyrtec to try to control the triggers but I'm not sure yet----she is a TERRIBLE medicine taker---quite the spitter and it is torture on her to force medication---she is wonderful with the breathing treatments though.

Poor little girl has EVERYTHING that goes along with asthma---allergies, excema etc. I hope she grows out of this someday!!

Maddie&EthansMom replied:

That is terrible. I hope she grows out of it, too.

coasterqueen replied: Poor Jamison. I hope she feels better soon. My sister had asthma but nothing that bad so I really don't know what it's like to deal with that.

Yikes on the baby! Did doc say anything about baby being too big, measuring too far ahead, etc? Like uh......maybe this baby should be taken earlier? Hee hee. Hope things start "happening" for you soon. I know I have this funny feeling Ashlyn will be just as stubborn as Kylie was about coming out.

BTW, did Jamison like Santa? Ryan took Kylie over the weekend and she seemed all excited while they waited in line but as soon as they got up there she started crying and shaking because she was scared. So she didn't get her picture taken with him.

ctymom replied: Asthma is so tough to deal with... my 13 yo has it since kindergarden. Looks like my 15yo outgrew it so 'knock on wood' it stays that way. Dylan is on a daily med called Flovent which has done wonders b/c he would land in the hospital for 4 days every year around November. Very scary stuff so I can relate.

Hope all is ok now. Sounds like a rough day.

Pamela

maestra replied: My doc wouldn't tell me how many weeks I'm measuring, but they did tell me it was 35 cm (I think cm?) which was exactly the same that I was with Jaci at this point, so they believe the babies will be about the same size.

Maybe he'll come out really long instead of really heavy?

A&A'smommy replied: I'm sorry hun! I hope Jamison is better today and that you start to have some progress soon!

kit_kats_mom replied:
the centimeter's should correspond with the number of weeks you are along and your's appears too!

kit_kats_mom replied: I'm sorry she's feeling poorly.

I dunno how totally accurate those measurements are. I went one week and was measuring one week behind then two weeks later, I was a week ahead. I think that maybe it was because the second time, I had to wait in the exam room longer than usual and my bladder was really full and pushing the uterus up more.

Maybe try to pee right before you are measured next week & see if that makes a difference.

Sorry things aren't moving along for you too. I am totally frusterated myself. Lauren gave me all of the signs that she was coming (lost mucous plug, tons of stong contractions, nausea etc) and the doc said I was 1 cm dialated the day before. Well, I packed my bags and waited figuring it would be a matter of 1-2 days but nooooooooooo, the contractions have let up a bit and nothing has happened. I had to crack open my labor bag today to get my toothbrush out because I hate travel toothbrushes. UGH Little monkeys! I hate these last few weeks.

amynicole21 replied: Ugh. What a crap day I'm so sorry. I hope that Jama's asthma improves and that there are no hospital stays this time.

Can't believe you are still measuring so big! Did they say it's all baby, or are your amniotic fluid levels high? I'm measuring big too... about 2-3" above where I should be right now. Freaking me out a bit... we don't have the u/s for another 2 weeks. Are they certain of your dates?

I hope your day improves...

jcc64 replied: My son also takes zyrtec and nasocort, at night before bed, in addition to the pulmacort. His once severe nasal symptoms have all but disappeared. Now all he has is a dry, persistnent cough that gets worse with exercise or cold weather. He rarely if ever weezes now. We also had the scary hospital scenes when he was younger, and he's also always had the allergies/eczema/ and other fun stuff like that. We recently had him skin tested, which yielded a lot of info about what his triggers are and are not, and now we can be proactive about trying to minimize them (although i haven't figured out how to get rid of ALL the dust, grass, trees, and mold to which he is sensitive). But the testing itself was pretty brutal, even for a 12yr old that likes to pretend he never cries. I can't imagine subjecting a child Jamison's age to that. I would avoid it for the time being.

DansMom replied: Wow, I didn't know Jamison had asthma---I've seen parents struggle with this, and it's so stressful. I agree with Jeanne about the allergy testing---we did the skin test for Daniel, egg and milk, and it was torture. I had to hold his arm still for 20 minutes while he screamed bloody murder and thrashed about. Hopefully you can put that off as long as possible. It's so much easier in some ways to deal with food allergies, at least as far as avoidance is concerned. I hope Jamison will outgrow her sensitivities---I know a lot of people do, which is encouraging.

I don't know what to say about that big baby

I hope your week improves!