#Allergy, #Asthma, and #Polyps Oh My

I mentioned I had my big allergy asthma appointment on Monday. I scheduled the appointment at the end of the day, so I wouldn't miss work. I kept them way past their work day, and feel bad for it. They closed at 6:30, but I was there with me from 5:30 to 7:30. Saying the boys and Travis were hungry by the end of my appointment is an understatement. We never eat that late!

History

I haven't been to an Allergist Asthma Specialist, since about 2003 or so. I got shots for about a year. Then their office moved way far away.

My Dad talked about his allergies acclimating themselves - meaning that he got shots for certain things, became less allergic to those certain things, and more allergic to other things.

Before that I got allergy shots when I was a kid from about the age of 4 to about the age of 10. My Mom used to give them to me. She was an RN for years. I was annoyed as an adult because all the sudden I couldn't have my Mom give me my shots. They made me go in the clinic to get them, then wait 20 minutes afterwards to see if I had a reaction. I get it. They didn't want a law suit if someone died from a reaction. At the same time diabetics give themselves shots. They too could have a reaction.

Feeling annoyed about my Dad's allergies acclimating themselves, spending money on shots, gas money on driving, my Mom not able to give me my shots I quit.

Fast Forward to Two Months Ago

I got sick with an upper respiratory infection something. I went to my primary doctor. He gave me some antibiotics, and an inhaler for my asthma. I've been hoarding inhalers in case I need them.

I kept get an asthma attack each and every night. It wouldn't stop. The inhaler gave me relief, but I was puffing one every night. I was so done with it. That lead me to make the appointment to go to the clinic.

Allergist Asthma Specialist

I have a new doctor: Ebrahim Shakir. I love him. Travis said, "Am I going to have to watch you with him?" Ha! No. He is informative, supportive, concerned, and handsome. My husband is handsome as well. :)

He looked in my nose and said, "Has anyone ever told you you have polyps in your nose." I'm like, "No. I thought that was snot." He said, "They are the biggest polyps I've ever seen. I'm going to send you to an ENT. One that I'd only send my own family to. I'm going to treat you with ibuprofen, and allergy meds." I said, "I can't take ibuprofen. I'm allergic to it." He said, "What? What does it do?" I said, "Well I start sneezing, then my lungs close up." He said, "WOW! Well that changes things. You're at high risk for getting polyps because you can't take ibuprofen to reduce swelling for you asthma and allergies." I said, "Well this would explain why I haven't been able to smell anything for a few years."

Medicine:

I'm on 2 inhalers, Zyrtec in the morning, Singular (off brand) at night, a nasal wash at night followed up with Flonase. That is only until I can visit the ENT doctor to discuss surgery to remove the polyps and more than likely fix my deviated septum I've had since birth.

Testing:

I failed the first breathing test. They gave me a breathing treatment, while they testing me for my allergies. I'm 70% down in my breathing for the little branches in the picture. I'm 20% down in the bigger branches. Basically I'm not able to breathe properly. I don't smoke, I'm not around smoke, I don't own any pets, I don't have carpet, and I wash our bedding regularly.

10 minutes of this...

Dr. Shakir questioned if I should do the back prick test at all. He didn't want to throw me into an asthma attack. They decided to do it anyhow. One good thing...I'm not allergic to milk like I thought I was all these years.

...while this was going on.

28, 29 30, and 31 are all grasses.

Luckily it doesn't really hurt to get the back prick test done. It just tickled. My back is really ticklish. It didn't even itch that bad. Maybe I'm just used to itching. Ha! I had my breathing treatment going on, and my kids in the room to take my mind off the itching. 

This is after the test is done, my back is wiped down, and calamine lotion is put on it:

Dr. Shakir says I'm a special case. As if I didn't know that all ready. ;) After I meet with the ENT doctor, I meet again with Dr. Shakir. He has 2 plans of action I could do: 1. I can't remember exactly. 2. Allergy shots. I explained my frustrations with them. He said he could send them to a clinic close to me. 

Right now I'm tired, even when I'm sitting up. I would think steroids would get me moving! I kept falling asleep at 8 last night. Maybe I'm catching up for lost sleep. I also feel like I have small bees buzzing in my head. 

Later in March I see my ENT doctor. I was hoping it was earlier, but nope that's when they could get me in.

Pick Yer Nose

I just think this is funny. I've told my sister, "There has got to be some use for snot. Maybe it could go into an art supply like glue, or clear paint." At one point in my life I felt like I was getting so much snot out of the boy's noses when they did the Neti Pot. The Neti Pot was so useful, but so gross all at the same time. My sister Terra gets so much snot out of Emerson. If snot had a use, she'd be rich.

To make this post even more wacky the boy's loved doing the Neti Pot instead of hating it. You'd think water going up your nostril, into your sinus' and out the other nostril would be uncomfortable.  Nope! They didn't love it because it made them feel better - they loved it because they wanted to see who could get more snot out. Only they called it Slimmer(s). It was as if they were Ghostbusters getting the Slimmer(s) out. I know it's twisted, and gross.

Source

I played along just to get them to do the Neti Pot.

Fast forward - Fat Brain Toys posted a few articles about how eating your boogers may be good for you. I read one of the articles. Not a practice I encourage. It really depends on what boogers they are eating. If it's clear they are in the safe zone, if it's yellow, or green they are infectious, so don't eat them. I've never caught my children eating their boogers, and I won't be encouraging this still after reading this article.

Today I read an article about how scientists have tested snot, and found that snot fights off bacteria in your mouth more than the ingredients in mouthwash, or toothpaste such as fluoride. 

Fluoride hasn't been tested since the 70s anyhow. Some states put it in the water source because it's supposed to help your teeth stay clean, but there's numerous articles out there about how it's bad for you. 

The article says: Unlike toothpaste and mouthwash, which kill bacteria, mucins prevent bacteria from latching onto teeth and secreting acid that bores holes through a tooth’s hard outer surface, or enamel.

My joke about making snot into a glue, or art supply may be taken a step farther. They may make toothpaste, or bubble gum out of it. Crazy!

I'll end this wacky, crazy post with one of my favorites: Ani Difranco.

Pick Yer Nose

The Tale of the Grumpy Household

There's been a few later nights this week. Our boys do better when they get adequate sleep. I think most children do. Since the boys have started school, bedtime has been 7:30. Early I know. Bedtime used to be 8 or 8:30. With more stimulation with school, they need more sleep.

Time will be switching soon enough. It's great that our boys have been going to bed earlier for that reason to. Day Light Savings Time + Kids = An Adjustment. Fall is among us. The weather today is gray. BLAH! I think I might start taking Vitamin D because I find myself feeling BLAH all winter. It's either that, or get some special lights that put off natural sun light.

Mica's been off of school Thursday and Friday. Mica's argued with me that it's Sunday 10 times today. He's stuck on Sunday being a day that he calls, "Sheriff Sunday." He wants to wear his Sheriff dress-up clothes and tells everyone that crosses our path about "Sheriff Sunday." It's totally made up. I love that he's creative. I don't really care that he does this. It's just that today is not Sunday. We had errands to do today. Everyone that he would have ran into, he would have explained "Sheriff Sunday" to.

Instead it's "Covered in Blood Saturday." That's my made up day, for today anyhow. Mica keeps getting bloody noses. This happened last year to. I put Carmex on a Q-tip and smeared it in his nose. I need to mix up a saline spray for his kid's version of the netti pot. He'll hate getting his nose sprayed. I also have a frog humidifier that I'm tempted to get out for Mica's room.

Another bloody event: Isaak got his flu shot this morning. It wasn't that bloody. Just enough to require a Snoopy Band-Aid, tears and limping for the rest of the morning. Isaak over exaggerates pain! He milks his tears to get attention. Is it bad that I laugh when he gets a shot? Not really out loud. I just envision our 3 year old crying for a half hour and limping for 1/2 the day; over a shot that takes a second.

Along with the change of weather, so is our food. I have a bean soup in the crock pot, spaghetti squash pie tomorrow and split pea soup in a few days.

He Got Punched in the Nose!

Mica woke up this morning with dried blood on his nose. He had gotten up in the middle of the night to take care of a bloody nose himself. We never budged because he never woke us up.

He told me that he had a bad dream about a thunderstorm and punched himself in the nose to get the bad dream out of his head. Then his nose started bleeding. Disturbing to say the least! I told him not to punch himself in the nose, or anywhere else for that matter. Then I mentioned that he can wake us up to talk about his bad dreams!

I knew something was bothering him. Yesterday evening we had nasty looking clouds hovering above. Everyone wanted it really quiet at Aunt Terra's house, so they could listen to the meteorologist on the TV. Mica was really quiet and cuddly after that.

He has told me before that he doesn't want to travel anywhere where there are hurricanes and he hates when there are thunderstorms. I mentioned that all places have disasters that happen. I also told him that it's normal to be afraid of storms and such. He just needs to talk to us about his fears.

Even though he's scared of storms, he is intrigued by them as well. As humans I think it's natural to want to know more about things we find dangerous. Then when we know too much we're scared of what we've learned.

I'm not glad Mica is scared of storms, but I am glad that he is scared of something. He has always been that kid that seemed fearless. He's rode on rides and had no fear. Bugs and snakes do not scare him. He's always loved water dumped over his head at bath time. He climbs things pretty fearless.

As far as the punching himself in the face to remove a thought; that's not good! It concerns me. I want him to feel comfortable to talk to us. He seemed to understand that it's not cool to punch yourself in the face. I hope that was a one time thing.

I know I've done silly things like that before. Someone told me once that rubbing a pencil on your skin in the same area long and hard enough would leave a forever mark. When I was about 8 years old I did that; not long enough for it to be permanent though. I also tried to dig in the sand at recess time with my friends when I was 5 years old. We were trying to get to China. That never happened.

Nose Picking

• Mica: "Isaak don't pick your nose! That's what monster's do!"
• Isaak: "Ok Mica." He said it with his finger till shoved up his nose.
• Usually Isaak picks a booger out, and tries to hand it to me.
• I'm not sure where Mica got that one! We don't even own Monster's Inc.
• Mica used to be a really bad nose picker. Now he's on Isaak about it. He tries to be a third parent sometimes.

Wordless Wednesday - A Bow on Mica's Nose

A prop for a song he sang during his Christmas program at preschool. All the kid's had bow's on their noses.

Stung

• Daddy saw it happening before it happened, but just couldn't act quick enough. Little Isaak got stung in the nose by a Paper Wasp tonight.

• I felt so bad for him!
• It was when my whole family was gathered to take pictures.
• I was wishing that we had what I saw a mom had blogged about: Coolkidz Reusable Cold Pack!
• Walgreens had nothing like this, a little ice pack for kids.