Everyone keeps talking about how hungover and tired they are from St. Patties Day festivities. It didn't even occur to me to drink a green beer. When did that happen?
I went to Michaels today and didn't buy anything.
Piper went to the doctor yesterday for wheezing. They checked for RSV, nebbed her, checked her oxygen, gave her an xray to rule out pneumonia. The diagnosis? A cold. She is barely sick today - wheezing is gone. A nurse called to check on her. "Well, you should still give her the nebulizer every 4-6 hours until you come in on Friday, even if she's fine." What? Albuterol isn't an antibiotic. I don't even think she needed the neb at all -- her oxygen level was 98%. The only person who gets this is Kristen. Hi Kristen!
I really really want to go sit in a hot tub.
9 comments:
I wouldn't listen to the doctor. I would just relax. Her breathing (98%) sounds pretty normal from across the internet here.
Awww..thanks for the asthmatic shout out ;-)
I'm so sorry you're going through this with Piper! Poor baby...
I don't really get why they told you to keep nebbing her every 4 hrs. That's overkill. I'd go at least 6 hrs and see if she's wheezing at all. Hmmm..
I ALSO didn't even think to drink green beer yesterday! WHAT? I don't drink NEARLY enough anymore. In my next 30 years...gonna drink more beer!
I wouldn't be down with the neb either. Not if it weren't really necessary. Yeah, if she had pneumonia I would be calling child services if you were refusing treatments, but if she just has a normal cold? Seems a bit like overkill. Is the nurse considering it a preventative measure?
And why bother with the green beer when you can have some Jameson? mmmm, whiskey.
Albuterol is rapid-acting and short-lasting, so it's not a great preventative med, so I'm also confused as to why she told you to keep her on it--is it only albuterol or a combo? It probably helped her breathe a little easier and open up her airways--O2 sats can be deceiving and aren't necessarily a good indication of airway constricture, so it may well have helped her at the time. But if she's not wheezing anymore, she probably doesn't need it. Standard caveats to anything I say apply: not a doctor, first-year student nurse, take all advice with a grain of salt, blah blah blah.
It is just albuterol. I should also mention that her oxygen level was 98% BEFORE the neb. When pressed, her ped said she only needed it if she was wheezing. No need to wake her, stop using if she's not wheezing, etc. Then the nurse totally told me the opposite. Grr.
It's so hard to know what to do.
I haven't given her the neb at all since we got home.
Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. Listen to the doctor--from the info I've had (and I've been giving albuterol in clinicals too), she shouldn't need it unless she's in distress. And to be honest, the nurse shouldn't be contradicting the doctor's orders to you; if there's a problem with it, she should be going to the doc, not giving you conflicting advice.
Though like I said, the O2 sats can indicate that her blood is well oxygenated, but she's still having trouble breathing. The wheezing is the best sign to look for when deciding whether or not to give the neb. All it does is open the airways temporarily, it's not an anti-inflammatory so there's no need to be giving it regularly unless she's having trouble breathing.
Don't fret too much about it, it sounds like she's doing just fine. You're a good mom!
Oh Lori, I wish you lived in my basement so I could come consult you instead of the scary internet. I'm learning not to ever look at it for illness-related stuff.
I took Piper in for her wheezing check up this morning. Summary in list format:
1. It was a different doctor this time. She was wearing black and white with red shoes. I knew I liked her right away.
2. Checked her wheezing - yes, she's still wheezing.
3. Checked her oxygen - 98%. Excellent.
4. Asked the doctor about the nebulizer. Do I really need to give it to her? It doesn't seem to help. Doc agrees to try and see if it helps or not in the office.
5. Neb Piper.
6. Doc comes in, listens to her and agrees that it "doesn't do a lick of good." She tells me NOT to give her the neb.
7. I drill doc on this whole asthma business. She says it's good that Piper did not respond well to the nebulizer. It means her wheeze isn't "the asthma kind of wheeze." Her having a cold is not an indicator of asthma. Breathe sigh of relief and consider kidnapping the doc and forcing her to live in my basement with Lori.
8. Diagnosis: She has a cold. Still.
9. They don't even want to see her again. Doc tells me Piper is fine, just the crud, watch her for fever, blah blah.
Sorry, that was probably TMI.
I'm glad you were able to get more information.
Ha! You think the internet is bad, try being in nursing school. Everyone in my class has become total paranoid hypochondriacs after learning about all of these horrible diseases.
I'm glad she's okay--it gets scary. And you don't have to force me to live in your basement, I'll answer any questions I can, and I promise to avoid making stuff up just to sound smarter than I am.
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