SCARY WEEKS: MEDICATION....PAY ATTENTION!
MEDICATION AND YOUR LITTLE ONES: ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION
The past couple weeks have been the most trying, tear filled and confusing weeks of my mommyhood. My daughter seemed to be a shell of herself and I was at wits end on what was going on with her. Lo and behold the root of the problem was right in front of my eyes.
Back Story
Like most kids, my now 2 year old had been having bouts of illness for some time. A cold here, runny nose there, an episode of croup (I wouldn’t wish this on anyone), the all too familiar random throw up and of course that sporadic fever. With all this going on, there was no way for me to not be worried out of my mind. We visited our pediatrician, who by the way is awesome. He never makes you feel like he is just indulging you and your idea of what could be wrong, he listens and gives a professional opinion, takes both into account and works with you to make a plan moving forward (can you tell just how awesome I think he is). Moving on, at our many visits he tested, treated and followed up, only for my daughter to come down with something else. Eventually, I noticed a night time cough that sounded so familiar I just couldn’t shake it. My daughter sounded like me, when I have a sinus cough, so I recorded it for reference purposes and brought it to her pediatrician’s attention. Following the visit we treated with saline and made the preparations to see an ENT. This is when I got hit with another diagnosis. The specialist recommended a surgery to drain my daughter’s ear. I was not happy with this, only because the examination lasted all of 2 mins before he came to the conclusion that a surgery was needed. I took the script and spoke with her pediatrician. After hearing my concerns about the recommended surgery, her pediatrician immediately referred us for a second opinion, and thank goodness he did. The second specialist, had great bedside manner and made my daughter extremely comfortable. He immediately asked me what was happening and began his examination, which didn’t only involve viewing the ear but also a nasal endoscopy. Then he saw what I thought, it was her sinus. As he explained what was going on with her sinus, I quickly realized the connection between his findings and what was happening to my daughter. Now treatment was to begin with surgery as practically a non existent option.
The Treatment
With a diagnosis that connected the dots I began to breathe a little easier, but that was to be short lived. We began the antibiotic and nasal spray regimen, within 2 days my daughter changed. She seemed to have gone to sleep and woke completely different. Her screams were different, her cries were inconsolable and her sleep became non existent. I know most people reading this would say, she is 2 years old sounds typical for her age, well let me say this as her mother I see the 2 year old change and as her mother I saw my daughter not be the child I know her to be, 2 year old transition phase and all. I immediately called her pediatrician after the 3rd day and let him know what was happening. He looked over the medication and asked me to stop giving her it and come see him. So I did. Following the visit, it was agreed that the antibiotics were necessary, but he lowered the dose and length of time of use. I wanted like all moms to have my daughter well so I followed instructions. The change in dosage made a difference, but something was still off with my daughter. Then it hit me the nasal spray was steroidal, could it be that? Now before I go on, everyone that knew my daughter saw that there was something wrong with how she was behaving, even the look in her eyes seemed distant, so it wasn’t just me being a paranoid mom. I was so worried. What is going on? My days then were filled with worry and my sleepless nights filled with tears. Thank God my mom is who she is, she can talk and reason you into calm, while guiding you at the same time ( I love my mom). I then followed my instincts and lowered the nasal spray dosage, but sometimes God steps in. One morning I went to administer the nasal spray (by this time the antibiotic was done) and I could not find it, it literally disappeared. I turned my house upside down and nothing, so I couldn’t administer it. Seriously, what happened a couple days after still leaves me dumbfounded. My daughter got her life back in her eyes, she began to sleep like she did, the random screaming stopped and her cries were normal again. I breathed, smiled and held my happy, silly, funny, spunky so tightly that it prompted an ‘I Love You Mommy’. I got my child back, I got my child back. All after not receiving the nasal spray for 5 days.
Conclusion
My daughter is now free of ear and sinus infection, happy, playing and laughing. Yes she still throws her tantrums now and then but they are all welcomed 2 year old tantrums. I can not say medically that the cause of her being a shell of herself was due to the medication, and most of my googling didn't definitively link behavioral changes with medication use, but I can give my opinion based on my observation.
Medication affects us all differently and where it may not be common to have side effects like what my daughter had, nothing is impossible. I know what I witnessed and I saw the drastic 360 in my daughter’s demeanor after using that particular medicine. Then I witnessed her demeanor reshifting after stopping the same medication and personally I can only conclude that the drastic shift in her, had to be her side effect from the medication.
**NB. I am not a physician and none of the conclusions reached are based on any medical opinion, rather, they are solely my opinion based on my experience.**
The past couple weeks have been the most trying, tear filled and confusing weeks of my mommyhood. My daughter seemed to be a shell of herself and I was at wits end on what was going on with her. Lo and behold the root of the problem was right in front of my eyes.
Back Story
Like most kids, my now 2 year old had been having bouts of illness for some time. A cold here, runny nose there, an episode of croup (I wouldn’t wish this on anyone), the all too familiar random throw up and of course that sporadic fever. With all this going on, there was no way for me to not be worried out of my mind. We visited our pediatrician, who by the way is awesome. He never makes you feel like he is just indulging you and your idea of what could be wrong, he listens and gives a professional opinion, takes both into account and works with you to make a plan moving forward (can you tell just how awesome I think he is). Moving on, at our many visits he tested, treated and followed up, only for my daughter to come down with something else. Eventually, I noticed a night time cough that sounded so familiar I just couldn’t shake it. My daughter sounded like me, when I have a sinus cough, so I recorded it for reference purposes and brought it to her pediatrician’s attention. Following the visit we treated with saline and made the preparations to see an ENT. This is when I got hit with another diagnosis. The specialist recommended a surgery to drain my daughter’s ear. I was not happy with this, only because the examination lasted all of 2 mins before he came to the conclusion that a surgery was needed. I took the script and spoke with her pediatrician. After hearing my concerns about the recommended surgery, her pediatrician immediately referred us for a second opinion, and thank goodness he did. The second specialist, had great bedside manner and made my daughter extremely comfortable. He immediately asked me what was happening and began his examination, which didn’t only involve viewing the ear but also a nasal endoscopy. Then he saw what I thought, it was her sinus. As he explained what was going on with her sinus, I quickly realized the connection between his findings and what was happening to my daughter. Now treatment was to begin with surgery as practically a non existent option.
The Treatment
With a diagnosis that connected the dots I began to breathe a little easier, but that was to be short lived. We began the antibiotic and nasal spray regimen, within 2 days my daughter changed. She seemed to have gone to sleep and woke completely different. Her screams were different, her cries were inconsolable and her sleep became non existent. I know most people reading this would say, she is 2 years old sounds typical for her age, well let me say this as her mother I see the 2 year old change and as her mother I saw my daughter not be the child I know her to be, 2 year old transition phase and all. I immediately called her pediatrician after the 3rd day and let him know what was happening. He looked over the medication and asked me to stop giving her it and come see him. So I did. Following the visit, it was agreed that the antibiotics were necessary, but he lowered the dose and length of time of use. I wanted like all moms to have my daughter well so I followed instructions. The change in dosage made a difference, but something was still off with my daughter. Then it hit me the nasal spray was steroidal, could it be that? Now before I go on, everyone that knew my daughter saw that there was something wrong with how she was behaving, even the look in her eyes seemed distant, so it wasn’t just me being a paranoid mom. I was so worried. What is going on? My days then were filled with worry and my sleepless nights filled with tears. Thank God my mom is who she is, she can talk and reason you into calm, while guiding you at the same time ( I love my mom). I then followed my instincts and lowered the nasal spray dosage, but sometimes God steps in. One morning I went to administer the nasal spray (by this time the antibiotic was done) and I could not find it, it literally disappeared. I turned my house upside down and nothing, so I couldn’t administer it. Seriously, what happened a couple days after still leaves me dumbfounded. My daughter got her life back in her eyes, she began to sleep like she did, the random screaming stopped and her cries were normal again. I breathed, smiled and held my happy, silly, funny, spunky so tightly that it prompted an ‘I Love You Mommy’. I got my child back, I got my child back. All after not receiving the nasal spray for 5 days.
Conclusion
My daughter is now free of ear and sinus infection, happy, playing and laughing. Yes she still throws her tantrums now and then but they are all welcomed 2 year old tantrums. I can not say medically that the cause of her being a shell of herself was due to the medication, and most of my googling didn't definitively link behavioral changes with medication use, but I can give my opinion based on my observation.
Medication affects us all differently and where it may not be common to have side effects like what my daughter had, nothing is impossible. I know what I witnessed and I saw the drastic 360 in my daughter’s demeanor after using that particular medicine. Then I witnessed her demeanor reshifting after stopping the same medication and personally I can only conclude that the drastic shift in her, had to be her side effect from the medication.
**NB. I am not a physician and none of the conclusions reached are based on any medical opinion, rather, they are solely my opinion based on my experience.**
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