allergy & asthma update

Remember in one of my brain dump posts I talked about Hayden and how when he gets the slightest sniffle he gets asthma like symptoms? 

He had RSV when he was 5 months old and then again this past winter.   I was so scared for him as a baby because Layla never really got sick.  I realize kids are different, but I wanted him to be super healthy like she was.  Well, in the grand scheme of things he is healthy, but he has breathing issues.  This past winter was a tough winter for him.  It seemed like he was constantly wheezing and needing to use the nebulizer for breathing treatments.  In April when he got really sick after a camping trip and we took him to ER we realized that he needed help.

May 24th we finally were able to get in to see an Allergy/Asthma specialist.  I was nervous to take him because I felt like maybe I was making too big a deal of his symptoms, but I knew deep down it was the thing to do.

I mentioned in this post about him being diagnosed with asthma and how shocked I was.  I am slowly realizing this is our new normal.  We have a maintenance plan to keep Hayden asthma free.  Hayden uses Flovent twice a day.  We have also been very strict the past 3 weeks in giving him a daily dose of Zyrtec.  I was hesitant about all this, but the doctor said we should just do it.  I felt like when I gave Hayden Claritin awhile back it changed his behavior.  So far the Zyrtec isn't changing him and I'm glad.  

We've stayed the course and we have seen results.  The doctor was very happy with Hayden today.   The Zyrtec seems to make a big difference in Hayden's sniffles and his eczema outbreaks.  He still has eczema, but it isn't near as bad.

 Today we got Hayden's allergy test results.  The test results show he's allergic to lots of stuff.  A few major things he is allergic to:  Dogs, Bermuda grass (which we have in our yard currently)  several kinds of mold, and the ever so popular Timothy grass.   The stuff is everywhere here in Texas.

The picture posted above is Timothy grass.  Hayden is off the charts allergic to this stuff.  It was everywhere when we were camping in April.  AND it was "budding" which makes it way more potent. That is why Hayden was so sick.  Poor guy.

So what are we to do?  Get rid of our dog, pull up our grass, and never camp?

Our sweet doctor eased our minds.

The only thing we can do to make him better is to be proactive.  Keeping up with the twice daily Flovent will help him when we camp.  As you all know camping is a big activity for our family and we take our dog with us.  We can't get rid of our dog!!  Daisy is bathed once a week or more, and honestly she is part Carin terrier.  Aren't they somewhat hypoallergenic? 

In all seriousness after today I feel better about this diagnosis.  I am glad he is getting the help he needs.  I am happy he hasn't been wheezing lately.  I am also more at ease now that we have a rescue inhaler for our future camping trips.  

This post is more about us remembering everything and keeping a timeline.  I'm thankful for good medical insurance and even better prescription drug coverage.  Flovent ain't cheap!  I am glad Gary and I made the choice to get Hayden help now.  Thankfully we know now instead of finding out in the future when an asthma attack could be worse.  I'd hate for something bad to happen while he's playing sports when he's older. 

We will do what we have to do to keep our guy healthy and active.  As for the daily treatments?  He hasn't had a problem doing them.  He never fights them and is very good about taking them without a fight and for that I am thankful.