Just a quick update

Ethan is way better today. He is really coughing more which tells me that the stuff in his chest is starting to break up, and that stuff sounds thick and nasty, too. His sats are all over the place. One minute he'll be 91-92 and then an hour later he has dropped back down to 87-88. The only thing I can think is that it all depends on if he has recently coughed some stuff up or not and maybe that is making the fluctuation. I never did get a call back from the doctor and can only assume that their office must have been closed today and they didn't switch over their phones. It makes me mad, but what can I do?!?! Ethan is improving anyway. My biggest concern is that he is still dropping down in the 80's. This means that he has had four days now of oxygen levels down in the 80's. That concerns me.

The biggest change in Ethan today is his attitude and his appetite. This is another reason how I know that he is getting better. This must mean that the meds are starting to work on him. The medications are turning him into a monster. He is on fairly high dose of steroids right now (1mg Pulmicort twice a day and 1.5 tsp Orapred twice a day) plus the two different antibiotics. I know the attitude change is from the steroids. Ethan is just out of control and also having these emotional outbursts. Even though I know it is from the meds, it is really hard to handle.

I have had several people ask me about the oxygen level and what it all means so I will do a quick explanation. The sat monitor is actually a pulse oximeter. It measures the oxygenated blood. That number should be at 100% or very close to it. Our pediatrician typically hospitalizes children if their number drops below 92%, but for Ethan he usually waits until it is lower than 90% because of Ethan's lung issues. Ethan typically has lower numbers. Every time Ethan has been in the hospital, they won't release him to come home until he can maintain a level of 92% or higher on room air. The fact that Ethan is still dropping down in the 80's is not good, but he is improving. I hope that helps explain things.