Controlled?

I feel like I might jinx it if I talk about it but...

Offspring #2 has been troubled by asthma for most of this year. Hubby and I took the first few attacks to be croup and did all the croup-y type remedies which helped somewhat but as her attacks grew more severe and more frequent we sought medical advice. We weren't convinced of the diagnosis of asthma, partly because I didn't want my baby to have to suffer so I was just sticking my head in the sand, and partly because the doctors we consulted all seemed far to eager to diagnose asthma without seeing her have an attack or doing any follow up. Before you all rise up in outrage, let me preface by saying that I know there are many many doctors in country areas who are skilled, professional and knowledgeable practitioners. It just seems there weren't too many in Red Dirt Central.

It wasn't until we moved back to The Hills that we felt she was being given some sort of treatment, though we still weren't terribly happy about the quick diagnosis. We followed the doctor's instructions to a tee with preventative and relief medications and followed a wait-and-see pattern for several more months. Meanwhile #2's daycare held an Asthma workshop for staff and parents so I went along to that and was finally convinced that, yes, she had asthma.

The preventative worked for a while but then her attacks became worse - more frequent and more severe. It came to a head when she had quite severe midnight attacks four nights in a row. Luck was on our side and the doctor available to see her is one of the good guys. He listened when we said we were nearly at breaking point, he was lovely to #2 and he printed out reams of information for us while prescribing her a different kind of preventative med. And the big one for us? For the first time since this saga began a doctor told us he wanted to see her ten days later to assess the medication and make changes if necessary.

We had her follow up appointment this morning and Dr G is happy. The new med appears to be working - she's not coughing, we can't hear every breath she takes and most importantly she hasn't had an asthma attack for 9 days. Also, he wants her to stay on the new med for the next couple of months and he'd like to see us again mid-Jan.

Yay for meds that seem to be working. Yay for a doctor who wants to do follow-up. And yay for no middle-of-the-night asthma attacks.

Oh, and later - when I'm moaning about the price of her meds - remind me about this post, okay?