Hi Everyone! Liam and I had a very successful, busy day! We went to see Dr. Ververeli, an allergist through Lehigh Valley Hospital to get a second opinion. First, when we got into the office, the setting was very warm and welcoming, the office staff was kind (even though they were busy) and the toys were awesome! Even though we waited an HOUR, the wait was well worth it. This experience was completely different than our first visit with Dr. Isreal. Dr. Kathleen Ververeli (http://www.lvhn.org/find_a_doctor/profile-750) explained that Liam's previous allergy testing was most likely inaccurate - and after ONE glance at him said to me "he definitely has allergies." I explained why I wanted to see her after seeing Dr. Isreal, and she told me she loves kids- Liam and her had a great visit! Liam has had some thick green buggies the last few days, and if we don't stay on top of buggy sucking the little fellow, it can get kind of nasty (sorry if this is TMI.) Poor little man was wiping his nose and rubbing his eyes most of the visit, and this was WITH giving him his Zyrtec. Dr. Ververeli did a very thorough health history herself, which makes a very big difference to me as a nurse and a mom. We came up with a plan to increase Liam's zyrtec to twice daily and his nebulizer will be doubled in dosage as well. Liam needed to be put on an antibiotic, as we discussed that he seems to have several sinus problems and could possibly be experiencing sinus infections. I also shared that Liam had some moderate wheezing yesterday and required albuteral, and that I was very anxious about the upcoming spring. Her response was, "we can't protect his breathing, if we don't get control over his nose." Also, Dr. Ververeli agrees with my point of view that children should not live in a bubble, she told me that even if Liam was allergic to our boxer that we shouldn't get rid of our pet, but allow Liam to be exposed to her and he would gradually become desensitized (while symptoms are controlled). I know some may think this sounds crazy, however, I am allergic to grass and grew up running cross country....I really believe that eliminating all of the things that bother us is not the answer, definitely not in Liam's case anyway. At this point in time I thought to myself, we are staying with this doc - she gets it! She was happy I was a nurse because she knew I understood all of the information she was giving me... not that she would not have explained it but he was able to give me a kind of short hand version. We are still going to go forward with some more testing for Liam's immune system which will include a blood rest to rule these issues out. I was also informed that research has shown many kids with similar issues as Liam are suffering from gastric reflux, which can cause chronic coughing. Liam was treated with Zantac for a while as an infant but grew out of this, however, our doc feels it would be most beneficial to rule out any swallowing issues as well as reflux issues- so this means more blood work and tests, and possibly trialing some reflux medications in the future. I feel comfortable with the plan, and am confident we will get down to the bottom of this! I love that I was able to have a conversation with a down to earth doctor! I will let you know more when we have some info!
Next we went on to see Dr. "V" for Liam's 15 month well visit! I explained the plan for Liam's allergy and asthma treatment and he was completely on board. Apparently I am not the first parent to complain about Dr. Isreal, Not surprising! Dr. V feels Liam's issues with sleeping through the night are due to the introduction of nightmares at this age, which is completely normal. Liam was still able to get his 15 month vaccines, which included a very exhausted toddler and lots of screaming, Liam could barely stand up by this point since he had not had a nap. We reviewed Liam's milestones, and discussed his progression with speech therapy. Liam's next appointment will hopefully *fingers crossed* be in three months.
We were able to get our little guy out to see the Easter bunny this weekend and also to the park. Liam's personality is just.....well I guess awesome is the only way to describe it. He is SO well behaved, smart and strong! I just don't know what we would do without him. I am loving every minute, and trying to take it all in before another phase begins.
Today was a very long day for both of us since Liam did not nap and decided to stay up until 8pm, so I apologize in advance for any silly punctuation or other nonsense!!! Until next time, hope everyone soaks up some lovely rays, and enjoys Easter!!! Love to all!
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