The croup

By the time we got home Monday from SC, Addi was so hoarse we couldn't understand her and could barely hear her. That night we heard her wheezing and she had a fever of 102 so the next morning we headed to the doctor. Scott took off work since I was teaching and couldn't get off at the last minute. We weren't that concerned thinking she had a cough, and were surprised to find out that she has the croup (upper airway) and the start of a lower airway infection. They treated it pretty aggressively with two shots of steroids at the doctor's office, a nebulizer with albuteral (still on that 1-2 times a day), oral antibiotics (for lower airway bacterial infection since croup is usually viral), and oral steroids. Then our doctor called us that evening to check on Addi and let us know again that if she struggles to breath to get her to the E.R. At her check-up the next day she was already improving and the wheezing was done. She still hated the nebulizer (screamed bloody murder the day before) but with M&Ms and giving the medicine to her cow instead of her she slowly became okay with it. We would have her hold cow and breath it in without having to hold it to her face. Her cough took a few more days to subside but she was back in school on Friday and hanging out with Brandy and Natalie over Saturday and Sunday when we were out of town. Now she will hold the nebulizer to her face between giving it to cow (and now baby). She caught on pretty quickly that she was getting the medicine while Cow got it. Of course they all get an M&M for being so good :)

Here is a picture of Brandy took while keeping her this past weekend.  You can see Cow's head on her right. I am so proud of Addi for actually wearing the mask!