Diagnosis: asthma

I remember when I was pregnant. Jim and I would have lots of conversations about our hopes for Scott. Many of those discussions focused on traits or genetic markers we hoped we would pass on.

My love of reading and writing and my compassion. Jim's common sense, his good logic and his ability to understand math. Our interest in travel, our willingness to try new things, our passion for good food and other cultures.

Of course, we also talked extensively about things we hoped Scott WOULD NOT inherit. My lack of balance, my rotten eyesight, my inability to compute anything with numbers, and Jim's horrendous spelling, to name a few.

Unfortunately, Scott is a product of his parents, and sometimes, that does mean bad news. Sorry kiddo!

I took our Tank to the pediatrician (again!) this week, after he got booted from daycare (again!) with a fever. I figured it was an ear infection. I was wrong.

The preliminary diagnosis: asthma, and maybe allergies.

Mommy has both, but it never occurred to me that these were problems that might also plague my son - especially at such a young age. But the doctor looked at his charts, and considered the fact that he has had a near constant runny nose since January, a persistent cough that just doesn't seem to go away (even when its 120 degrees) and a tendency to make a wheezy sound when he's congested. He said "he acts like a kid with asthma" and referred us to an allergist.

We're still waiting to schedule that appointment.
But in the meantime, we now get to add a nasal spray and twice daily breathing treatments to Scott's schedule. The breathing treatments involve putting a mini face mask over Scott's nose and mouth and hooking him up to a nebulizer that makes a ridiculously loud noise as it pumps a mist-like medicine into his lungs.

The first session went about how I expected:

Mommy get this damn thing off me. Now!

Eventually, I figured out that Scott semi-tolerated the five minute treatment if I held him on my lap, with his security blanket, while we watched Sid the Science Kid.

Brave little boy.

And I am exceedingly thrilled to report that after being bribed with post-treatment milk and some goldfish, Scott is acting like a relatively happy kid again.

He shows absolutely no interest in touching or going near the nebulizer though.