Bittersweet...

Yesterday, I took Caleb into his pediatrician's office for a sick visit. He has just had this lingering cough and runny nose, really for what seems like months, but especially the last couple of weeks. It kept getting better and then it would get bad again. He wasn't sleeping well and would cough in the middle of the night several times. He was constantly rubbing his face. My father-in-law had bronchitis and since Caleb had been around him, I thought I would take him into see the doctor just to be sure (I thought he probably just had a cold and I know there is nothing you can do for a cold, so I held off for as long as I could stand to hear him coughing). We ended up seeing the nurse practitioner and after examining Caleb and letting me know that his lungs sound really clear, she said that she thought it was allergies. She said that he had "allergic shiners" (dark circles under his eyes), that he seemed to be itchy and that his cough was probably due to nasal drip. She said to try giving him Benadryl to see if that would help. She also gave me the number for two allergists to try and set up an appointment for him. So, yesterday afternoon, I gave Caleb some Benadryl. Within minutes his nose cleared and he wasn't coughing as much. It did make him groggy though and kind of fussy until he had a good nap.

Once he woke up, he was in a fabulous mood. I decided to give him more just before bed and he ended up sleeping all through the night! I don't even remember when the last time he did that was and I am pretty sure I can count on one hand how many times he actually has slept through the night. To top it off, he slept until 5 minutes 'til 7- he is usually awake by 6am.

I decided not to give him Benadryl today because we'd be out and about it makes him groggy and tired and I didn't want him to feel out of sorts. It's hard to tell which is worse though, the runny nose, red itchy eyes, and sometimes cough (mostly it's just when he's lying down- sometimes randomly throughout the day... and I've noticed he keeps making this noise with his throat- I'm wondering now if he's been trying to clear it) or being groggy and a bit grouchy if he can't sleep because we're moving around too much. Anyway, he seemed to manage okay today, as he had in days past. He didn't nap much but hopefully, he'll sleep well again tonight. I again gave him some Benadryl right before bed.

If this really is allergies, I can't believe that I thought he just kept getting colds all of the time. There is nothing you can do for colds, but there is something you can do for allergies at his age. Though I am not a huge fan of giving medication, it really had gotten to the point where we were all exhausted and pretty miserable.   I remember when I was in my early 20s and I went to the doctor because I felt sick with what I thought was a cold and just downright miserable. The doctor told me I had allergies. I left his office and cried. I just couldn't believe that I could suddenly develop allergies in my 20s and that it would make me feel so bad. Poor Caleb. Jeff gets bad seasonal allergies, so I guess Caleb had it coming.

Anyway, I am going to try and limit how much Benadryl I give him. I am also giving him a smaller dose than what the doctor previously recommended and it seems to be working just fine. I guess we'll just take each day as it comes and go from there.

He has an appointment with an allergist in early September. Hopefully, we'll be able to get more answers and confirm that what is really going on is allergies. It's still hard for me to believe that a baby can have allergies as bad as Caleb's seem to be (if that truly is what it is).  I guess I'll need to be careful with live flowers in my home (which I absolutely love, by the way).


Just some pictures from this morning of my happy, well-rested boy.