Reactive Airway Disease = FUN!

Benjamin gets sick a lot….did I say a lot? Every time he’s around someone sick, he’ll get sick. When he was 3 weeks old, I had to bring him to the ER for this really bad cough that was pretty scary. Since then we’ve made more ER trips (never been admitted, thank goodness). When he was around 4-5 months he started getting ear infections, every time he got one he’d get this nasty cough and start wheezing. Last winter he got what seemed like 1 big 3 month long ear infection, antibiotics didn’t do anything for it, he just seemed to be sick the whole time, which triggered the wheezing/coughing. Finally we got tubes, thinking that fixed our problem! Well it didn’t. Not too long after he was sick again, this time, no ear infection! Just the coughing/wheezing. When he starts up we have to start breathing treatments, 4 times a day. And, when those don’t clear them up he gets put on a steroid which turns my sweet little boy into this psychotic monster! He even had “Bronchitis” 2 times during the summer…who gets sick during summer? A couple months ago, she mentioned that she thinks he could have Asthma (which makes sense since I had it as a child) A few rounds later of this coughing/wheezing business and she’s decided to call it Reactive Airway Disease. I am happy that we have a name for what’s going on, but doesn’t make it any more fun. I’m sick of him being sick!! I’m sick of missing work for him being sick! I’m sick of breathing treatments and whatever else he has to do. He could grow out of this, or it could later be diagnosed as Asthma. No matter what it is, it’s not fun!