Namine’s ears no longer seem to be draining, which is good. Both ears needed to be sucked out, not because of drainage but because the infection – which was bad but is now less so – has left something of a scab. In order for Namine’s ears to fully recover, the drainage scabs had to be scraped off and sucked out.
Of course, none of this matters in the moment – being held down, all Namine knows is fear. Fear of pain, and fear of doctors. She has reason to fear, having gone through much worse in three years than most people experience in their entire lives. But she controls her fear better than she used to, and while she cried, she didn’t throw up as she has in the past. She did so well that we felt she deserved a treat.
“How does chocolate cake sound?”
“It sounds GOOD!”
I couldn’t agree more.
Namine has been prescribed an inhaler to help combat the croup that she gets so easily. So far, it seems to be helping quite a bit, because we haven’t noticed any croup – or any cough at all, for that matter. At first Namine was afraid of the inhaler, but I explained to her that it was just like her old nebulizer treatments, only shorter. (A typical evening treatment would take a good half hour, easily.) She was fine with it after that, and quickly incorporated it into the evening medication rituals that she enjoys so much.
The danger of the inhaler is thrush. Thrush is a yeast infection in your mouth, and if Namine swallows the inhaler spray, she could get it. So after taking her inhaler, she rinses out her mouth a couple times. I admit I was a little apprehensive at first, because I didn’t know how well she could spit. But I needn’t have worried – she has no problem spitting the water into a cup after rinsing and swishing.
Coinciding nicely with this is Namine’s upgrade from Baby Toothpaste – which is okay to swallow – to Big Girl Toothpaste – which is not. (These are my own terms, of course, which Namine has adopted. The capitalization happens in my head, and I’m sure in hers as well.) Last night was actually the first night we brushed her teeth with Big Girl Toothpaste, and she did wonderfully.
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