We’ve been nebbing it up in the Mason household the past 3 days. Nebbing. That’s me turning our breathing treatments into verbs.
We started Blake on his nebulizer treatments Friday night. Michael has been out of town all week for work so i waited to start until he got home because I knew it was going to be a two man job. I wanted extra back up because I figured keeping the mask on Blake’s face while holding him was going to be a chore. That, and honestly, Michael and I do most things with Blake together including feeding, bathing and putting him to sleep. Something this big for Blake, I just didn’t want to do it without daddy. Besides, Blake missed Michael sooooooo much this week and he kind of had a hard time with him not being around. I didn’t want to put him through something that was so unfamiliar without the support of both mommy and daddy around.
On Friday night we opened the neb box to find that the mouthpiece part that hooks into the mask was broken. I called the doctor’s office and they told me I could exchange it out. Thankfully the office is right across the street from us so I was back in less than 10 minutes.
Everything went great for Blake in the beginning. We turned on the machine to get him accustomed to the noise and just let it run while he played in his room. Then Michael set him on my lap and we let him play with the mask for a minute, taking it on and off his face to let him feel it out. Then we gave him Lamby (his cuddle sheep sound machine), and readied a pile of books (which is always his go-to) to read while his treatment was going on. Everything was going really well the first few minutes. He was sitting in my lap in the glider with the mask and medicine being fed through, he had Lamby in his arms stroking him, and Michael was sitting in front of us on the glider ottoman reading “Goodnight Moon”. Michael and I even said to ourselves, “Wow. This is easy”. Then as soon as the book ended he seemed to realize and notice the funny contraption on his face and started, more or less, freaking out. We tried more books, and other ways to soothe him but he wasn’t really having it. He wiggled around so much that it was difficult to keep the mask on. I think we got most of the medicine in, not all, before we called it quits.
For this morning’s treatment I played The Octonauts for him on my iPhone. (Thank You, Netflix!) which kept his attention for about 2 minutes. Michael read him “Goodnight Moon” (again, his current favorite). He sat through that. Then just toward the end he tried to pull the mask off. Pleased this time, as he almost made it completely through.
Tonight, he made it totally through as we read books and cuddled with him. I didn’t really think he’d get used to it so quickly, though I’m certainly not complaining.
I’d like to tell you the nebulizer has already started working, and I think it has, but I tend to wishful think myself into things, thinking they are working. To me, he seems less stuffy, and I’m almost certain he hasn’t been NEARLY coughing as much. In fact, the last time he’s coughed was just after the treatment, which I’ve heard is normal. Drastic change from fits of coughing where he would practically start gagging. His nose isn’t running like a faucet, so that’s an improvement. And he hasn’t woken up with red splotches around his eyes. I guess I’ve just talked myself through this….yes. Yes, I think it’s worked. (Is that possible in just 3 times of using it?) We are supposed to use it for 15 days, twice a day. Then begin again if his coughing starts up.
Michael and I were talking about things he could possibly (?) be allergic to that could be causing all this (if anything is). We considered it being the dogs. Michael’s allergic to them, so he takes a Benedryl every day. What a trooper he is! If B turns out to be allergic the pups, then, well, we may go from a family of “five” to a family of three.
Oh, did I mention a 15 day supply of the medicine that goes in the neb machine cost us $350? …sigh…
12 more days of “nebbing” this go round!
Hopefully our wallets will be spared for a while longer until we have to buy another supply.
*Rushes to the internet to start a GoFundMe page*
Mommisadventures 