UPDATE ON DANIEL from UCLA visit!

There are a few parts to the plan for him:

There are 2 options to treating his allergies:
Allergy shots or move Daniel out of Bakersfield. My son is allergic to Bakersfield as it is the worst in the nation for allergy sufferers. (Figured this one...) The UCLA doc is shocked that they only tested Daniel for allergies to 2 weeds & 5 trees, when we live in weed capital! So, obviously, we need more allergy testing to see all that he is allergic to and start w/ the shots to alleviate the allergies, that stir up his asthma. Or move out of the valley where this junk hovers over us, on us, in us....errrr.

The doc has a plan through using a peak flow meter, to see if we can take him off the Singulair (PTL) and move him from Advair to Qvar. Never received a peak flow meter before :( Great plan for objective data to see where his 'asthma' really is and not just go by the cough. Great plan to see what kind of difference each med is really making in him.

Also, new nebulizer equipment was given to us. Yes, sadly enough, we've been using a 'disposable' tubing/medicine cup/mask from the doctors for breathing treatments. This may be why I've been telling them that 'the albuterol seems nearly ineffective w/ his asthma symptoms'. You DON'T USE  disposable equipment for daily/regular breathing treatments. (Email for the name of the one we got...it's the best on the market - flexyourselfjen@yahoo.com).

He gave us a plan to follow for those crazy, middle of the night coughing episodes. We'll use his albuterol aggressively and if the alb. really doesn't work, we may be able to just suppress the cough for those exacerbated episodes w/ a potent cough syrup. This cough at night may be what he referred to as an "allergic cough". Also, corrected us: DO NOT USE ALBUTEROL W/ ATROVENT AT THE SAME TIME! (As previously directed). Do them seperately: first alb. then followed by atro.

Let me just add add us deciding to go to this UCLA allergy/asthma specialist was a result of being told by one of Daniel's docs that we needed a pedi pulm. for 'stronger meds'. This got me praying hard because my gut said that Daniel did NOT need more/stronger meds. And that there was more to why Daniel is not growing and gaining, and NOT because of the advair or he needed a different med. Through serious prayer and God moving, last weekend, it was revealed to me that Daniel probably had celiac disease. I made changes last weekend to a gluten-free diet...and immediately there have been changes in Daniel.

After sharing these changes w/ the UCLA doc and looking at Daniel's lack of gaining and growth - he is convinced Daniel does have celiac (especially since it's hereditary and my mom just found out in the last 6 mos. from a procedure she has it)...and so we are going to be getting a blood test a.s.a.p. to confirm.

I am convinced just by the changes in Daniel just this week that he has it. He's gone from being a kid who runs to the bathroom 3-5 times a day, crying on the toilet to a kid who only goes once or twice, no running to the rr, and no crying. And the appearance of "it" has gone from crazy colored, foul-smelling, oily to more 'normal'. It's like night and day difference.

Who wants their kid to have one more thing right?

But the beauty of the celiac is that it's all controlled through DIET not meds. I did some homework on this. When he's on a gluten-free diet, his small intestine will begin to heal over the next year...he will then start to gain and grow!!! And the immune system will be stronger. See, his asthma may be so sensitive to every cold/allergy right now because it's so weak from the malabsorption of nutrients in his intestines from this celiac.

So, get the kid off gluten, get a healthier small intestine, get more nutrients absorbed, and get stronger immune system...and have less flare-ups.

This, plus the plan for allergy shots...

is going to give me a kid who is HEALTHIER!!!

Without adding MORE MEDS...in fact the plan is to dose down!!!

Of course I wanted to cry when the doc gave me this plan to live on as less meds as possible. There is light at the end of this tunnel. And to me, all this is a result of all your prayers and my prayers....AND GOD'S FAITHFULNESS TO ANSWER AND PROVIDE INSIGHT AND DIRECT US!!!!

Now, you realize, I have another PRAYER REQUEST right?

Pray that Kaiser absolutely cooperates w/ the requests of the UCLA doctor and moves on them quickly and that it works out that we get the allergy treatment here locally. And this plan of dosing down WORKS!!!! There's more things we have to do diligent, but now we have a plan w/ HOPE!!!!!

It's a process to continue to pray through!