Monacks and Wrin:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies to my post.
We will not take him off of the steroids until a doctor has
recommended it, of course. And we are actively seeking
out homeopathic remedies. Additionally, we are looking into
asthma specialists in our area. We will look for a pulmonologist
as you have recommended. We will certainly post to this board
any findings we are lucky enough to discover.
As for his size. Well, he's definitely not stunted. He just turned
4 and weighs close to 70lbs. He's a big boy. I'm 6' 3" and he
already comes up past my waist. So we aren't worried about that.
However, we are worried about his weight (a little), his skin (a little),
and his ability to heal from common 4 year old boy surface cuts
and abrasions (a little more than a little). From what we've read,
the steroids do contribute to weight gain and a slowing
of the body's ability to heal from wounds.
Would he be able to take a PFT? I think so, especially
if his primary pediatrician recommends it. We are lucky that
our son has a great relationship with his ped and when
ped says "do this" our son will do it. We will look into a PFT, too.
From what we've discovered so far, there haven't been enough
long-term studies to indicate the long-term side effects of the
steroids. Many of the commonly prescribed steroids are relatively
"young," aren't they? We just want to do the best for our kid.
And we've no doubt that's a common refrain in every living room
in the world!
You know, we've done a lot of Web-based research and found
some "alternative-cures-to-asthma" sites, but so far each one
of them looks like an infomercial. This is not the type of thing
we want.
Well, thanks again for your considered responses. It really
helps us to know there are other people out there who are
going through the same thing we are.
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