The Vest

At her last appointment the respiratory therapist came in the room with a tape measure and put it around Anna's chest then announced that she was big enough for "The Vest".  I was shocked. I was told that she would not get a vest until she was two or even three years old.  The therapist handed me a paper that I signed and two days letter The Vest arrived via Fed Ex in a large box that sat by the front door for another three days until a respiratory therapist from the company who makes the vest could come to my house to show me how to use it for Anna's therapy. 

The Vest System: a machine (compressor) attached to a vest which a patient wears during respiratory therapy to aid in clearing unwanted mucus out of the lungs. The vest (which looks like a life jacket) inflates and then proceeds to shake at 10hz (for 20 min.) The goal is for the shaking to cause mucus in the smaller airways to move to the larger airways where it can be more easily coughed up.

Even before her first therapy session with The Vest I had mixed feelings. I felt protective, I felt concerned, I felt anxious, I felt displaced, I felt unsure, I felt defeated- as I faced again the reality of what her life will be like as she lives cystic fibrosis...

Anna took this new step in her therapy better than I did. She let me put on the little pink vest and didn't fuss at all as the therapist adjusted it to her tiny chest. I put on one of her favorite videos and she was distracted as the vest filled up with air and squeezed her, though she looked at me a few times for reassurance. I faked my smiles.  Then it was time to push the button for it to vibrate.  It shook her whole body. Her little cheeks were shaking up and down. Her arms bounced off the sides of her body. I looked down and even her feet were shaking.  She just kept watching the video. Once or twice the hoses popped off and had to be readjusted. It looked to me like her eyes were starting to water but she never cried. She was incredible.

So, now we have The Vest. I feel like it is another member of the family or something. It will be with us forever. Maybe we should name it- Olga? Bertha? Helga? What do you think?

The Culture

Anna's cough is starting to subside. She is not coughing at night anymore and her daytime coughs are less frequent and not as hard on her body.  We are pleased.

I talked to the CF nurse today to find out what her throat culture had shown. She reported that the culture was absolutely clear of anything but the "regular flora."  Awesome. I asked again about the staph she had mentioned. She said it was a minimal amount and it was the type of staph that responds to antibiotics (there are types of staph that are resistant to antibiotics). She said that if that staph was still present it is deeper in the airways than the culture can detect.  It could show up again in the future.

So, all in all, she is on the mend from this particular episode- we hope. The one side-effect of the antibiotic that she is on is that she has terrible diarrhea- and therefore a really bad butt rash. We were advised by a nurse at the pediatrician's office to put a mixture of Desitin, A and D ointment, and Maalox on it.  Anna is being a trooper about it but I feel awful for her.

It's not over

It's not over.

After the doctor declared Anna's lungs clear during the appointment on Tuesday, I still had questions. Was it a virus? Could all of her coughing be from post-nasal drip? Probably, was the answer. Could be, was the other answer. We were told to check in with them on Friday to report how she was doing.

By Friday her nose had dried up somewhat, but her cough had gotten worse, especially at night. So, that is what I reported to the CF nurse. She called me back hours later with another antibiotic prescription- 14 days worth. But if it is a virus, why are we giving her another antibiotic? Well, says the nurse, she should have started getting better by now. Is the throat culture back from the lab? Not yet, was the answer. But, she continued, it might be that the staph that showed up on the January culture may be acting up. What staph? I don't have any recollection of staph being mentioned at all. Neither does Steve.

I am very confused and now also alarmed. What is going on inside my little girl's body? What is lurking in her airways? Are they sure they are looking at the right patient chart? Why didn't we wait to see what the throat culture showed? Wasn't the reason for getting the throat culture to better pick a medicine to fight the specific offender?  Could it be allergies? Why is she still coughing?

After the appointment

It's good news!! The doctor detected no problems in her lungs- they were completely clear! How can this be possible when she has that horrible cough? I am so surprised and so grateful. Once the doctor determined that her lungs were clear it is like he dismissed the cold completely... so should I also dismiss my fears? I will say that I feel so much relief. He said she probably has a virus (why she did not respond to the antibiotic) and it will run its course. We are to keep up the extra therapy treatments to help her keep it loose. Also we got a nasal spray to help with the runny nose. 

Thank you for all who have been concerned and have added Anna to your prayers. We are so appreciative. I wonder if it hasn't been those very prayers that have brought us to the good results that we got today. Please continue to keep her in prayer as she faces the challenges of her CF.

Anna Update

We went through her first round of antibiotics. It did nothing. Her nose is running like a fountain and her cough has become so bad that it shakes her whole little body.  I had so hoped, believed, that this antibiotic would help her... and I am so disappointed. And now I am starting to get scared. I am trying to keep my emotions in check, one day at a time right? I know that because of her cystic fibrosis, that we will probably be facing many instances like this, and that I ought to buckle down, face it, and be brave- but my heart still grieves and my mother-worry is on overload.

We have an appointment this afternoon at the CF clinic. They will listen to her lungs, check her blood-oxygen levels, and do a throat culture. Then they will decide what the next step will be...