At first, I was like, "Honey are you kidding? Christina is really allergic to dust mites...we have to do something...NOW." We even had a couple of fights over it! I felt David wasn't being proactive or supportive enough. But once we talked some more, I realized David was right. I know I was being a mom...and I wanted to immediately work on reducing Christina's exposure to dust mites as much as possible. David wanted a second opinion, and was quite adamant about it. I knew it was a smart thing to do.
Yesterday, we went to see a different allergist. Dr. B was VERY thorough. She sent us a stack of paperwork to fill out even before we had our appointment. Once in the exam room, she spend nearly 3 hours talking to us, Christina, and running a few tests. One test involved analyzing her peak flow (how much air she could blow out), before and after running non-stop for 12 minutes. Our poor girl was coughing and gasping only 5 minutes in...she couldn't keep up the pace, and had to slow to a walk. Towards the end, she got a second wind, but was clearly spent. Dr. B looked at the results and told us her output was quite poor. So she got a dose of a steroid inhaler...and her levels went back to normal.
So what does all this mean? It means Christina has allergy induced asthma. Because she is so allergic to dust mites, her airways and nasal passages are compromised...they are always a little swollen and irritated. We had taken her off all the medications prescribed by Dr. F, (as David was hesitant to give them to her), but now Dr. B told us to put her back on all of them, and to keep her on them. The medications will keep her body from reacting to all the things she is allergic to, and keep her airways healthy. This was disappointing to hear, but we certainly don't want her to get sick, have an asthma attack or wheeze/cough after physical activity (which we really hadn't notice before, but are seeing now, since we know what to watch for).
Dr. B still has a few tests she wants to do. We have to get a peak flow meter and measure Christina's output 2x a day for 3 weeks until we go back to see Dr. B. We also have to have blood drawn and an upper GI done at Texas Children's. The blood test is to check all her immunoglobins and make sure she is fully immunized against everything she's ever been vaccinated for (certain diseases could make her very sick, and result in a severe asthma attack). The upper GI is to check for reflux (or anything else that might be irritating her digestive track).
David was very pleased with Dr. B's treatment plan for Christina going forward. Once Dr. B explained Christina's needs and backed it up with medical evidence, David had no problem taking her recommendations to heart. Chrstina will be on Singular, Veramyst (nose spray), and Xyopenex (inhaled steriod). She only takes the inhaler as needed (if she starts coughing or wheezing). Within the next year, we may start her on allergy shots, since Dr. B feels certain her allergies will not lessen as she grows older. We also will encase both the girls' mattresses (since they share a room and sleep in bunk beds), get a air purifier for their room, slowly remove more items that hold dust (like dolls, stuffed animals, etc.), keep her room and bed linens as clean as possible, and eventually replace the carpeting with laminate wood flooring.
It seems like a lot...but we already have a kid with ADHD. That was really overwhelming at first, but now it's second nature to us. I know in time Christina's allergies will become second nature and we will be taking the necessary precautions without any prior thought. Our number one goal is to keep her as healthy as possible so her allergies won't compromise her already affected body. This means giving her meds and making her environment as dust-free as possible. David is already looking into an air purifier big enough to keep most of the air in the house dust-free.
I am thankful we now have a good doctor that David likes, and have a plan of action in place, for the present and the future. And I thank God Christina has been very healthy her whole life. Except for the one wheezing episode she had at school a month ago, she rarely gets sick. She's never even had an ear infection, whereas everyone else has had at least two. Dr. B says this is reasurring. I personally think her guardian angel has been working overtime for quite a while!
