Let the mykidcatcheseverygerm season begin!

Annabella started with congestion on September 1. I know the date because we were at my mom's best friends house for dinner. It lasted two weeks. Clear, runny nose, some sneezing. That was about it. Then it turned to green gunk from her nose-and the constant runny nose. That's it from her end.

The boys followed suit with a runny nose. Constant. For the same two weeks. Yesterday they started with a cough. As the day wore on, it got worse. Last night was the first 'bad' night for them since they were born in their lack of sleep. They have ALWAYS slept soundly, whether sick or teething. I know I am lucky. Last night, they were up almost every hour-the two of them-and they were screaming and crying. They were so miserable. It was so sad. Today we had big plans to go to the BigE with them, but that wasn't happening.

I wanted them to be seen, just to be sure. Usually I get over the phone, "vaporizer, fluids, rest. Not a lot you can do for a cold/cough." So I usually hesitate on calling in the first place. I'm glad I did! They were seen. Nicholas had a fever this morning, and came back by the time we had the appointment. Anthony had a fever at the appointment. The Dr. said they were both wheezing. And it looked like they had blisters in their mouth. Ouch. So we left the Dr with prescriptions for albuterol and prednisone for them both. They just seemed to get worse. The coughing is non stop, the runny nose is out of control, the watery eyes. They look like they've been hit by Mack trucks. It's awful. And they won't take the inhaler. Any tips? I may call the pedi tomorrow and see if I can get the machine, or whatever it is. I just want them better! Nothing like feeling totally helpless.

DH and I went out for a bit, and my saint of a MIL(never thought I would say that :laughing watched them for a bit. When we got home, Nicholas started to cough, but it was like he was choking he was having such a hard time doing so. It just sounded so scary.

And now I just left Annabella's room, and she's starting to sound hoarse. :faint: It's not even winter yet, and I'm counting the days down until April!

 

:hug: Meaghan! Having sick kids is the worst! I hope they all feel better soon!!

Are they taking vitamins? Are you making sure they are washing their hands constantly? I found that both of those things were the most effective in keeping them healthy!

 

I am a huge fan of Vitamin D3. Last year was the first year my whole family took vitamin D and it was the first year none of us ever got sick....maybe a few very slight colds but nothing that kept them from school or us from doing anything. We dont do the flu shot so I knew I needed to do something to protect us and really could not believe how well it worked. The boys take 1,000 and we take 10,000 ius. We also take a multi vitamin and when we feel a cold coming on, we all take an immune booster pill.

 

No-I'm really bad on the vitamins. My cousin works for Amway, or whatever it is called now, and she gave me some vitamins. The boys are not keen on them. They do like the Flinstone ones though! Go figure. Should I get a multivitamin from the Dr? Or just something over the counter? And Vitamin D-I think we should all take it-chewable? nasty taste? My two seem to not care for some with funny tastes, etc. But-if you say it works-I'll be at the store tomorrow stocking up!

I never get sick-two colds/year, with no vitamins or anything, so that's probably why I haven't done it with them. Plus-I never remember either!

I am going to be a stickler on the handwashing! Thanks for the reminder Kyrstyn!

 

The boys alternate between the following two multi because they like them both:

1. Trader Joe gummi vites:a bottle with multi color gummys


2. KAL- Dinosaurs Multisaurus

These can be found also at a health store or vitamin store



VITAMIN D:

BOYS- Animal Parade (Natures Plan)- can be found at a reg health store or vitamin store- chewable cherry flavor

US- D3- can be found anywhere. We take 10,000 which means we take 2 a day

IMMUNE:
US- Immuneo-Shield

Kids- chewable- orange flavor


And we all take a probiotic.

 

:hug: We spent last winter pretty much house bounch with sickness after sickness so I feel your pain. Thankfully the summer was a bit better, with just a few colds (well Meara got colds, and for Ana it always seems to turn into croup). Meara's nose started running last night so I'm thinking that by Wednesday Ana will be croupy again. I still have the steroids from her last bout

Oh and for what its worth, my girls take a multivitamin every day (prescribed by our pedi) AND I've become a freak with hand washing and purell. I don't know what more I can do besides getting hermetically sealed bubbles for them to wear outside the house.

 

:hug: Meaghan! I hope the boys feel better soon!
My son takes the Gummy Vites (the only vitamins he will take after trying Flintstones and Centrum Kids) and my DD takes Flintstones.
When Luke was on the nebulizer, we would put on his favorite shows, have him turn it on and off, read to him, basically do anything we could to distract him from what he was currently doing.

 

UHG!!! We have all had some nasty cough and cold thing that lasted every bit of 2 weeks with the cough lingering longer. All I know is I hope that was the worst and now it is bascically over - and not just a preview of this winter! I bought vitamins and I even keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the car! I am sorry your kids are sick and I hope they have a better day today and that the worst is over for you too!

 

I hear ya! Over Labor Day, the girls had hand foot mouth disease (with the little blisters in the mouth...wonder if your kids have it). Last weekend DH was sick which is pretty much worse than the kids being sick. And now Karina has croup. Lovely. I wonder if we'll ever have a healthy weekend again. I hope your kiddos are feeling better soon.

 

Yup, I was just bragging that my girls had made it through 2 weeks of preschool and not come down with anything yet and the very next morning they woke up with the sniffles. I should have never opened my mouth :hush: Thankfully it hasn't progressed into much more.

Hope your kids feel better soon!

 

Oh no! Hope they get better soon! Although I'd take a cold over the stomach bug we're dealing with over here. :bad: Mine don't seem to pick up the colds, but the stomach bugs are a favorite in our home. <_<

 

Oooh, sounds NO fun! Poor little kiddos!

As for the inhaler...here are some tips that I use at work (I have to give kids inhalers at work) & from my own practice (Aiden uses Albuterol & Flovent as needed):

1. Let them play with the mask & chamber without the inhaler for a while. Let them put it on their stuffed animals, up to their face, anything to make it less frightening. Put it to your face, put it to theirs briefly, etc. Make them try to steam up the chamber with their breaths. Let them get used to it.

2. Let them HEAR what it's going to sound like when you release the med into the chamber. A lot of times the kids get scared hearing that 'whoosh' sound (especially since the chamber makes it louder). It sucks that you're wasting the med, but 1 or 2 times should be enough to show them what it's like.

3. Explain to them, in their terms, what it does. No kid WANTS to cough. If they think the medicine will help them stop coughing, they may be more likely to use it. We sometimes call it stuff like "Magic Air" or "Special Air" type stuff to make it cooler than it is. You can even tell them that they'll see the chamber steam up with the magic air after the med's released & they're breathing it in (for some odd reason, Aiden's always obsessed with looking at the steam in there...we can rarely give him his inhaler in the dark!).

4. Your boys are a little young, but if they CAN (I know Aiden can't really yet), allow them to try to push down on the inhaler to release the med themselves. Again, they may be a little young still (you need a lot of force & coordination).

5. When they're comfortable with the mask, chamber, & sound...put the mask up to their face. Try to get them to exhale so that they INhale when you release the med. I typically have them pretend to blow out candles or blow bubbles. As soon as they start, release the med so that when they take their big breath in after they're done blowing, they get the med. To ensure that they get it all, I have them sit with the mask to their face for a few seconds (sometimes Aiden will sing, but that's ok, because he inhales while he does that, too). Wait a good minute or so before giving it the 2nd time...that allows the med to WORK to open up the airways so that the 2nd time can go in even deeper. Even if they're coughing or crying during it, they're still getting the med when they do that big inhale after the cough/cry.


Hope some of that stuff helps. I can tell you, I've wrestled kids MANY times for inhalers, but neb machines can be worse. Do you know how long it takes for those to run? Quite a while. If you can't get a mask to their face for the short time it takes for an inhaler, try wrestling a mask on them for a few minutes straight! No thanks !

As for the oral steroid (Prednisone), do your research. That stuff has nasty side effects. Granted, I'm sure your kids are only on it a short time, but still. Our clinic only gives that out in severe cases (my kids have never had it). And be aware of the short term side effects...it makes kids really jittery, hyper, irritable, extra hungry, & can be hard on their tummies. I'd definitely give it in the morning.

Both my boys recently had Hand, Foot, & Mouth with those nasty mouth blisters...a little tip for those (I know you mentioned they had blisters, not Hand Foot & Mouth, but this helps for any mouth blister) is 1/2 liquid Benadryl & 1/2 liquid Maalox mixed into about a 1/2 tsp. If your kids can swish & spit, that's best. If not, I've used washcloths or qtips to get it on the blisters in their mouth. Works wonders (on adults, too)! If they do swallow it, it's such a small amount that it's ok. I still wouldn't give it more than every 4 hours or so.

Good luck! I hate when my kiddos get so sick & you feel so helpless. Hang in there! Hope you ALL get some sleep tonight!!

 

Both of my kids and I have all been sick for over a month. It seems like the stuffy/runny nose comes & goes, but the sporadic gunky cough just hangs around. I haven't taken Amy to the doctor because it doesn't seem to bother her much, but I've been to my doctor and I've taken Sarah a couple of times (for other reasons, but I ask about the cough while we're there). The verdict is always "There are a lot of viruses" going around.

We all got sick before the school year even started -- and they went to "school" all summer with only one day off for the new "year," so I can't really blame it on that.

 

So, Meg....how's everyone feeling???

 

Ack! I meant to post the other day! Thanks for the reminder!

Let's see...They were beyond MISERABLE Thursday until Sunday. Sunday Nicholas perked up a bit and was pretty much himself. Anthony perked up and then was pretty blah again. I told myself if he was like that Mon am, he was going to the pedi. But luckily-he was much better! Thank goodness!

So from Thursday to Sunday it was pure torture! And I'm not sure if it was the prednisone talking or the real Nicholas(oh he's quite a catch that one!), but he had a tantrum of epic proportions, that I had to have dh intervene while I went and locked myself in my room. I was seriously going to hurt him he was making me so mad.

Since then-they've been great. Still coughing the wet cough. BUT-it's not constant. And the runny nose is still there. Not sure if either one of those is ever going to disappear. They have playgroup tomorrow and I'm going to send them. Their meds are all done. It's just a clear runny nose. No fever. And the cough isn't that often-mostly when eating/drinking it seems.

Thank you for asking! And thanks for your wonderful post! There is nothing worse than having a sick kid-let alone two. Luckily Annabella has been spared, although I think she started the virus, just a lighter strain or something!