Daily Reg

Last year we found out that Savanna has asthma, which, like Craig, is exercise-induced. After taking her to the doctor last April, she responded really well to her inhaler prescription and, ever since, any time she starts coughing, we know she needs to start it back up for a few days. Fast forward to this year, and she gets the same horrible, dry cough after having a cold (or, what we thought was a cold), only this time she doesn't respond to her inhaler at all, and her cough is lasting for-ev-er . We finally take her to the doctor again, and the doctor points out that this was almost the exact same time of year that we brought her in last year with the exact same symptoms. Only this time, it's not from exercise, it's from allergies. (Which means, that's probably what was causing it last year as well, and that her constant need to run, skip, or jump-rope just about everywhere only exacerbates it.) And, thanks to an early Phoenix spring, allergy season started even earlier than usual this year, but we had absolutely no clue that this was happening.

She also had the beginnings of an ear infection, and nasal passages that were so swollen that almost no air was getting through. I was so sad that she had gotten so sick, but at the same time, I admit that it was a relief to know that her recent crankiness was likely stemming from her not feeling or sleeping well, and not from some freakishly early bout of puberty. Her doctor has upped the ante on Vanna's daily medicine regimen, and as long as we make sure she is getting it every day, her cough is staying away. (We missed one morning, though, and the cough started to come right back by the afternoon.) On one hand, I truly hope that she isn't subjected to this set of symptoms and illness for her whole life, but on the other hand I can absolutely recognize the blessing of four otherwise healthy, wonderful children, and the health care to get them the help they need when they are sick.

little Van, just simmering away

At least two years of being clueless has taught us to be better prepared for next year: start allergy meds on Valentine's Day. And, start saving up now for next year's inhaler prescriptions if we don't want to go bankrupt.