Second Opinion
I posted several weeks ago that we took SG for allergy testing and while they recommended that she start the allergy shots, Aaron wasn't convinced that was the best course of action. I was ready to go for it because I didn't know of any other alternatives. He did some research and learned about another method of building immunity through allergy drops or sublingual immunotherapy. This treatment is like allergy shots, but it is given in the form of drops placed under the tongue. I started checking into it and thankfully we live in a big city and there happened to be a kids' ENT not too far from us that offers this method.
Yesterday we went for what I expected to be a consultation to get started with the allergy drops and instead, I got a big lesson in allergies. The doctor explained that because SG is so young and has not had a long history of struggles with allergies she would like to try medicine first. She also looked at the results of SG's allergy test and said that she does not feel SG had any strong, positive reactions. She explained that as SG has more exposure to the grasses and trees she will likely develop stronger reactions and given Aaron's history of allergies, SG will likely need the immunotherapy at some point, but this probably wasn't the time. Her logic was that kids who start immunotherapy before they have had extensive exposure end up needing multiple rounds of immunotherapy to build up their tolerance. Her recommendation was that we try Singulair and Nasonex first and see how that does for her for a while.
Something else that she helped me understand is that allergic reactions can be manifested in the nose, ears, or lungs. She said that because SG develops a cough that we've seen turn into bronchitis, her allergies likely manifest themselves in the lungs. Other kids might come down with ear infections often, and some others will manifest in multiple places. When we got the breathing machine and albuterol I didn't understand that we should use it as needed. She helped me understand that if we start the breathing treatments at the first sign of her cough, we can probably keep it from getting so bad. If we wait until she is coughing constantly until she throws up, it will probably take weeks of breathing treatments to clear it up. Good to know.
I guess part of my job now is to keep track of when she develops symptoms, how long it took to clear it up with breathing treatments, and how long she stays clear before it comes back. By keeping a history of her reactions we can see if our current course of treatment is keeping her well and track when we need to make a change.
By the time I'm done having babies and raising kids I'll just about have my medical degree!
Yesterday we went for what I expected to be a consultation to get started with the allergy drops and instead, I got a big lesson in allergies. The doctor explained that because SG is so young and has not had a long history of struggles with allergies she would like to try medicine first. She also looked at the results of SG's allergy test and said that she does not feel SG had any strong, positive reactions. She explained that as SG has more exposure to the grasses and trees she will likely develop stronger reactions and given Aaron's history of allergies, SG will likely need the immunotherapy at some point, but this probably wasn't the time. Her logic was that kids who start immunotherapy before they have had extensive exposure end up needing multiple rounds of immunotherapy to build up their tolerance. Her recommendation was that we try Singulair and Nasonex first and see how that does for her for a while.
Something else that she helped me understand is that allergic reactions can be manifested in the nose, ears, or lungs. She said that because SG develops a cough that we've seen turn into bronchitis, her allergies likely manifest themselves in the lungs. Other kids might come down with ear infections often, and some others will manifest in multiple places. When we got the breathing machine and albuterol I didn't understand that we should use it as needed. She helped me understand that if we start the breathing treatments at the first sign of her cough, we can probably keep it from getting so bad. If we wait until she is coughing constantly until she throws up, it will probably take weeks of breathing treatments to clear it up. Good to know.
I guess part of my job now is to keep track of when she develops symptoms, how long it took to clear it up with breathing treatments, and how long she stays clear before it comes back. By keeping a history of her reactions we can see if our current course of treatment is keeping her well and track when we need to make a change.
By the time I'm done having babies and raising kids I'll just about have my medical degree!
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