Wonder Boy!

I wanted to give everyone an update on my sweet baby boy. On Wednesday, Oct. 14th, Parker went to see the Nurse Practitioner at Allergy & Asthma Affiliates. After thoroughly looking through all of his medical records and getting input from me, they decided that 4 major things occurred in April that could have triggered all of his infections/asthma episodes. These included switching to formula from breast milk, taking him off Reflux medication, joining the fitness center where Parker was left in childcare, and also it was Springtime. So, since Reflux can affect your respiratory system, it was suggested that he be put back on Prevacid and also to test him for food allergies. Everything came back normal, but unfortunately the histamine did not flare up like it was supposed to, so the results were inconclusive. So, we were sent to Children's Hospital for lots more testing. Parker had 3 X-rays performed: one for his chest to see if the pneumonia was gone, one to check the size of his adenoids, and one to check his sinuses. He also had more blood drawn to test the strength of his immune system and to check for allergies. And a throat culture was taken to check for strep. ALL of these tests came back with normal results! Our God is AMAZING!!! Parker was put on a strict treatment plan for the next 6 weeks which included daily doses of Prevacid, Singulair, Pulmiort (breathing treatment) and Nasonex. We go back on Dec. 2nd to get Parker reevaluated. On Monday, Oct. 19th, Parker was seen by a Pulmonologist. This was not a pleasant experience at all. But, thankfully all of the Doctors and Specialists that we have dealt with have all been wonderful, so we were due for an unpleasant experience! I received a totally different diagnosis from this Doctor, and that Parker is not suffering from Reflux and that he never had pneumonia (despite it showing up on his chest X-ray!) But I do agree with the Pulmonologist and that Parker doesn't have actual asthma (as of yet). He has what they call Viral Induced Reactive Airway Disease which means whenever he has a virus or bacterial infection that he has asthmatic symptoms. He should grow out of this by age 3, and I have noticed that the last few episodes have not been nearly as severe as they were compared to the first few. So, I am going with my "Mommy Instincts" and keeping him on the treatment plan that we were given by the Allergy & Asthma Affiliates. We have kept Parker homebound (out of any childcare situation) and he is doing amazingly well. He is eating, sleeping, and playing well. He is a very happy boy, especially if ELMO is close by, whether he is holding him, watching an ELMO's World DVD, wearing his ELMO pjs, or having an ELMO book read to him. I have to thank our wonderful Pediatrician for being so thorough and aggressive with getting a handle on what's going on with Parker and getting his little body well again. We are blessed beyond words for everyone in our life. Thank you for being a part of our life and for all of your prayers.

I will praise the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:1-3