We started him on two treatments daily, and it appeared to be going well with his breathing. And, miraculously he was behaving at daycare? Was it because he was feeling better? He wasn't biting! Awesome. But wait…
Our little boy who loves books could no longer sit through a couple pages. Even his favorite stories couldn't hold his attention. But his breathing was good. The deal with the doctor was that after he had been cough free for two weeks then we could take him off to see if the Budesonide was the reason he was breathing better.
Unfortunately that never happened. One reason is that a side-effect is coughing. And cough he did, although it wasn't a sick cough, it was something that woke him out of sleep. He also got dry mouth with the Budesonide and was drinking water like a camel running a marathon. He woke up in the middle of the night and yelled (in a little raspy voice), "Waaa waaa." I was getting perturbed. In my gut I knew the steroid was not the way to go. But we made the promise to the doctor. (I kinda wanted to just prove that medications are not always the best answer).
Then just as we were nearing the two-week mark, he got SICK. Not a little sick, A LOT SICK. The worst he'd ever been with his breathing. This time instead of taking him to the ER George brought him to the doctor where they administered all of the treatments he typically gets in the ER, except instead of costing me between $40 -70, it ran me more like $300!
The doctors said, we can't blame it on the Budesonide as we don't know how bad he would have been without being on it. Um. That's CRAP. He was worse than he ever was, he was out of it and on top of it - he was geeking out of his skin because he was all roided up.
George and I discussed it. He called the doctor to see the best way to wean him off the med. The nurse on the other line said, "You can just stop." (This is not what the doctor had told us prior.) But we liked that idea. That's what we did. It's now a few days past Christmas and Colton has a bit of a snot nose (started yesterday), but he's breathing fine (knock on wood). He hasn't been in daycare because of winter break, but has maintained health over the holidays. His attention is back at full-force. We're reading book after book, after book, after book. He's watching basketball and running and "biking" and playing basketball daily with Daddy with little to no wheezing.
So Budesonide - Good bye, good riddance. I'm thinking we may have to do the same to the doctor as I don't like his quick to medicate (I felt really pressured into it, and was given no alternative options).