Around the House,  Health,  Marriage Confessions,  Parenting

Man Down! Man Down!

Bean’s sick again. But this time it is pretty bad. This past weekend his little chest cold took a turn and became a raspy, congested, hard-to-breathe virus. His fever spiked up to 104 and stayed there for a while. Which meant that while he slept, I kept sneaking in his room and checking his fever. Then I’d put my head on his chest to listen for the dreaded “wheezing.”

Only, I didn’t know what I was listening for. Bean sounded awful. But was it wheezing? Who knows?!?! So, I did the only responsible thing a mother in the 21st century can do.

I asked Twitter.

And you all came back with great descriptions of the difference between wheezing and congestion. Wheezing, apparently, has a higher pitch quality to it and it doesn’t change. It stays. Bean’s was a deep kind of rasp and it would get better and then get worse and then get better and then get worse. So, even though I wanted to immediately take him to the emergency room and stand on a chair in the middle of triage demanding that someone help my son, Chris talked me out of that and instead we decided to take him to the doctor first thing this morning.

Turns out Beaner has pneumonia.

What exactly is pneumonia, you ask?

It’s what you get that turns your momma into total mush in your hands. Bean wants ice cream for dinner? You got it, kid! Bean wants to watch Toy Story 1, 2, and 3 on repeat for days at a time? Power up the DVD! Bean wants to sit in my lap and cuddle a 7:30 in the morning when I’m running late for work? I’ll quit my job.

Pneumonia is a scary word to a momma and so I’m making sure that Bean gets all the rest, medication, fluid, and ponies he needs to feel better.

Thankfully, we have a pediatrician who knows it takes more than kisses and Toy Story to make Bean better, so we now have a….

(drumroll, please…)

NEBULIZER!

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A nebulizer, for those who don’t know, is like an intense inhaler. You put medicine in the little machine and it generates this medicated, concentrated steam that Bean then has to inhale for ten minutes at a time every three hours. It has no smell and it’s not hot, so Bean doesn’t really mind. Though, the closer it gets to bedtime and the more tired he becomes, the less cooperative he is. But that’s not really about the nebulizer. That’s just Bean getting sleepy and cranky.

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See? In that picture, he’s laughing at Finding Nemo. That’s how we got him to use it tonight when he was tired. We let him watch Finding Nemo while we got him stoned and drugged him up. Good times in our house tonight…

So, this week it’s all steam and Vicks Vapor Rub and antibiotics and prescription cough syrup and nebulizers for us.

Oh, and Toy Story. We’re all over the Toy Story this week. Bean thinks he’s died and gone to some sick, germy, Toy Story heaven since I usually don’t let him watch it full length, over and over, for days and days and days and days…

Chris and I, on the other hand, are going crazy with the Toy Story overload. In fact, if we hear “There’s a snake in my boot!” one more time, I can make no promises that televisions won’t go flying out our windows.

Send healthy and happy thoughts and prayer out to Bean Man. He’s a sick little dude and we want him back to his normal, upbeat, bright-eyed self soon!

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Today I am grateful for medical insurance.

48 Comments

  • Casper

    So sorry! Hope Bean is feeling better soon! It must be going around, my niece just had it as well! You guys are such troopers. I remember being little though, I loved watching the same movie over and over and over again until the VHS tape broke! And – I hear you on the health insurance, I am very thankful for that also!

  • Angela

    Poor Bean man.
    I think all kids have an obsession with one Disney movie or another.
    Just wait till he learns how to use the DVD controls himself. When I was a year and a half, I learned how to put The Lion King on the VHS. Let’s just say my family got a wee bit tired of it xD

    Get better, Bean man.

  • Laura

    Certainly NEVER feel bad taking a kiddo to an ER or a doctor when they’re having a hard time breathing…. Of all complaints, that’s one taken pretty seriously pretty quickly! Feel better, Bean!

  • Lisa

    Hope Bean gets well soon! My hubby used to be prone to pneumonia as a child and I think once you see it once, its easier to recognize the symptoms if it were to happen again. Hopefully he recovers from this one quickly!

  • Nate's Mom @ nateisgreat

    Holey! Bean Man! Get better quick! I promise that your Mom and Dad will still let you watch Toy Story (occasionally) and eat ice cream (on your birthday) and get endless snuggles (always!) even when you’re all better. Glad to hear that he cooperates with that contraption. I think Nate would go flying out of the room if he had to deal with that thing. Sending happy, healthy thoughts to sunny Florida!!!

  • Tressa

    Bless Bean Man’s little heart! Bless you and Chris’ heart too! It’s hard seeing your little one so sick. My favorite Disney movie to watch over and over and over again is Jungle Book!! Praying for you all.

  • Jen at Caved In

    Poor Beaner! I totally agree with the other poster who said never feel bad for taking your kid to the er when they’re having trouble breathing. Hope he starts feeling better soon and you keep your sanity!

  • Steph

    Poor Bean Man! I hope he starts feeling better soon. It’s no fun when our babies are sick. I’m the same way, all the ice cream and movies my son wants when he’s sick.

  • Tiffany

    Aw, poor Bean! I’ve had pneumonia and it really is NO fun. It sounds like you guys are taking excellent care of him though, so I’m sure he’ll be back up and running at full strength before you know it. Now, Katie YOU stay healthy because the last thing anyone needs is a super-sick pregnant mom trying to keep a family running! Be well, Brown Family… good luck!

  • Becky

    Poor little Bean. I’m sending up some prayers and hope he feels better very soon. I know it is hard to watch your baby feeling so poorly.

  • Mellen

    Hope Bean gets better soon! And that you & Chris stay healthy! I must admit, the nebulizer looks kind of fun (but you can keep it, I don’t want my 18-month old needing it). Good vibes & prayers coming your way!

  • Michelle @ Mambo Gook

    Bless his sweet little Toy-Story lovin’ heart! I had pneumonia when I was in the 1st grade (after that you can bet I was the only 1st grader who knew how to spell that!). I had to stay in hospital for a few days, but I remember the nebulizer. The best part about it was that I got lots of presents! Haha and for a 1st grader, that is pretty awesome.
    Sending prayers his way! Get better little dude!

  • Jessica W

    Poor little guy!! I hope he feels better quick. I had pneumonia repeatedly as a kid and it’s no joke. You feel horrible, baby him all you can!! He’ll be fine though, I outgrew it and haven’t had it in 15 years probably. My only advice is watch out for it now. When he gets a cold, listen for it to go into his chest and take him to the doctor sooner than later, having it once makes it easier to reoccur from now on. I still go to the doctor when I have a chest cold that lasts a couple days, just to be safe. And two, limit dairy products. I’m pretty sure it’s an old wives tale, but milk, ice cream, etc can increase the congestion. To this day, I can still hear my grandmother scolding me “Don’t have any milk when you’re sick, it’ll make it worse!”

  • Jaclyn

    Hoping for a speedy recovery for Mr Bean! I had pneumonia once as a kid, but I was in middle school so while it was still AWFUL I’m sure it wasn’t as bad a being a little kid like Bean. At least I was much more able to communicate how crummy I was feeling! I’m not sure if how severe his is, or if it was the same kind as me, but our doctors told us that it can make you more susceptible to chest colds and the flu and the like as you go on, so that may be something to watch (I don’t know when kids can start getting flu shots, but I’ve had one every year since that one because of it). On the plus side, I did get to drink lots of ginger ale and watch Newsies over and over and over and over… 😉

  • Meredith

    Poor little Bean! My sister got pneumonia when she was just a little older than him. I was so scared when my tiny sister had to be in a hospital bed!! But she was juuuuust fine, and it hasn’t really given her any complications or anything when she gets colds now… so that’s good! GET WELL SOON BEAN! (he does look pretty darn cute with that nebulizer on his face 🙂 )

  • Megan @ Red Dirt and Crazy

    Prayers coming your way Katie! I hope Bean gets better quick!

    One suggestion…you might look into probiotics for Bean. A friend of mine told me about them and she said they have really helped her and her toddler stay well this winter. I put Q-Tip on them and so far so good. We use Culturelle brand…I got it on sale at CVS. Just a thought. 🙂

    Q-Tip loves Toy Story as well…it is her favorite!

    Blessings!
    Megan

  • Shelley

    WOW- how did that happen? Poor little Beaner. And yeah, he looks cute with that little face nebulizer. Hoping for a swift and LASTING recovery.

  • Jessica

    Poor Bean 🙁 My nephew was on one of those for a bit when he had bronchitis and was having trouble breathing! feel better little one!

  • HeatherM

    Poor Bean. Pneumonia is no fun, and it can certainly be dangerous. I have worked at peds hospitals and floors far and wide, and as a general rule, if a kid is needing their albuterol nebs MORE often than every 4 hours, then they need to be in the hospital. Also, watch for him breathing more than 60 breaths/minute, or retractions (skin pulling under or between his ribs or at his neck under his skin)- all of these are signs that he is working harder to breathe than normal and needs to be seen by a doctor right away. 75% of the kids admitted for pediatric hospitalization are under the age of 3, & this is largely because they can’t verbalize when they are feeling a bit off (whereas we would normally say, “Gee, I can’t make it up the stairs without trouble breathing today, that’s not normal, I should see a doctor.”)- Kid’s can’t do that, so remember that by the time you can see the outward signs of trouble breathing, they are already pretty bad and the problems have already been there for a while. And kids have a crazy ability to play and play and play and seem fine until they are suddenly NOT fine at all, and dangerously sick, so they need to be monitored VERY closely by a doctor when they have pneumonia, bronchitis, or asthma issues.
    Your gut is right to give Bean chocolate milk & toy story, the name of the game is fluids and rest. Anything liquid at room temp counts- ice cream, jello, popsicles, etc- the more fluids the better, regardless of sugar content when they are sick. Sugar may make him hyper and then cranky, but so will the steroids he is probably on too.
    And make sure you both get breaks too- caring for sick kids can be physically and emotionally exhausting!

  • Nicole

    Poor Guy! Did your nebulizer come with a little stretchy band to hold the mask in place? It just fits around their heads not too tight or anything. At least it would give your arm a rest!

  • Ashley

    Poor bubba! He is in my prayers, for sure. I’m glad he is getting the care he needs, though. Hang in there on the toy story deal! That can get tiring.

  • Lindsey

    Oh no Bean! I had pneumonia a couple of years ago in my late 20’s and it completely wiped me out for a good 4 or 5 weeks. I hope he gets better soon and that and Chris stay healthy!

  • Amy

    How scary!! Hope you guys are getting in lots of snuggles and that Beanie is feeling better in no time. We’ve been using a nebulizer for almost 3 months now and are totally jealous of your cute face mask! I hate the sterile green hospital one we have…as does my little one! The only way we make it throught hem every day is by singing Old McDonald…over..and over…and over!

  • deepa

    oy that nebulizer grings back memories! I had to do it twice a day until I was like 10… (asthma). He is a trooper! We are sending get well wishes your way!

    (Toy Story in your house = Finding Nemo in ours.. .just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming…. sigh)

  • jen

    Hope Bean feels better soon. Totally understand what u n chris must b feeling. My little guy when he was about bean’s age ended up with double pneumonia n had to be hospitalized for three days. After that a friend of mine recommended a homopatic herb that we have been giving Kason this whole winter n he hasn’t been sick once. That is saying a lot cause he had always been a little junky sounding since birth. The herb is jade screen n u can get it at any natural store. It is a immune booster n totally homopatic so it can’t hurt him plus it taste sweet so they don’t mind taking it. I highly recommend it.

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