Albuterol treatments for the first time-a milestone

Albuterol, Miralax, Steroids, Antibiotics

On Monday 11/23 I took Valentino in to see his specialist. Val had been coughing, having trouble sleeping, and he was getting more and more lethargic. The biggest red flag for me was swelling and a reddish blue hue below his eyes. It seemed to me to all add up to a lack of oxygen.

I learned that he had gotten an cold/flu bug and couldn’t get rid of it the same way a non CF-er could. The doc listened to his lungs. They were a mess. Val was wheezing and coughing. His lungs were very tight.

I learned how to give him Albuterol through the nebulizer. His lungs immediately softened, his wheezing stopped and he started cruising around the office–crawling like a madman! It was beautiful.

I left the office with instructions to use the nebulizer 4x daily for 10 minutes. I also had to give Val steriods for 4 days and antibiotics for 2 weeks.

I was told by the specialist that it would be, from here on out, very difficult….sometimes depressing, scary and overwhelming.

I am on day 12 of his new treatment regimine and it’s been great so far! He does squirm a bit during the nebulizer treatments but I’ve got the best team in the world–a whole clinic full of loving people coming and going who keep me motivated. THere’s always somebody around to help me with nebulizer treatments by distracting Val with funny faces and tickles. I lean on my roommates to help take the trash out, do dishes and laundry and help with the tasks that take time away from focusing on Val’s treatments.

Val is breathing better, has tons of energy and I feel pretty hopeful about the future.