Another adventure in health

And this time it's not me. I am still itchy at times, but I have more or less recovered. Tomorrow Trinks is getting her first test on the road to determine if she has asthma. I freaked out on the office staff at the doctor's office today since it's been 6 days since we left a message that Trinks is still coughing. I repeated her long history of respiratory issues, our family history of asthma and our lung disease. I asked them to pull her full chart to see the patterns. I advised that the pattern of coughing - after exercise, when upset, and at night - was consistent with asthma. Hey - maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am, but we need someone to take us seriously. So an hour and a half after I left the message, the nurse called back. We have an appointment at 3:30 tomorrow.

And then a miracle happened. Around 8:45, the phone rang. I didn't recognize the phone number, but picked it up anyway. It was our regular doctor, who wasn't in the office today. She was catching up on paperwork at home and noticed we called. She was concerned because she had been through all of Trinks' illnesses with us. She was involved with the very first problem we had, when Trinks was born and was breathing too fast. That was the first three chest X-rays. Seven months later it was the bronchialitis and another couple of chest X-rays. Two and a half years later, it was pneumonia and more X-rays. There have been countless episodes of croup, even after four when kids are supposed to outgrow it. So dr wonderful asked if we wanted to keep the same appointment time, but see her. I agreed instantly. I feel a little badly about ditching the other doctor, but I want to go with the one who has known Trinks since day one.

Tomorrow we get albuteral and a spacer. Trinks will get the peak flow test. Then we get to go back to see a specialist at AI duPont for a pulmonary function test. I have two sick days left and one vacation day left to schedule. FUN!