Conclusions to my Overwhelming Thoughts of Late

I have come to a few conclusions.

Miss N has pneumonia again. A-typical pneumonia (walking), but still pneumonia. Thankfully, she's not "that" sick this time around. Although I'd almost prefer if she had a fever because then her body would be doing more to fight it off.

This makes the third time in her life she's had it (or second, one time was a bit inconclusive). Plus she had bronchiolitis, which led to a scary episode ending in wheezing and a breathing treatment and an inhaler at home. The bronchiolitis and the last pneumonia situation were within the past 12 months, making three events in the past year. That's too much for my comfort level.

Something is causing her to have this respiratory issue over and over.

I know some kids are just more prone to problems, but I want to get to the bottom of it if possible.

So I have come to a few conclusions.

The first is that she needs more regular chiropractic care (hi Melinda). If you have read my blog for a while, you know how much of a proponent I am for the chiropractor. I actually have one I love and trust very much, and he has adjusted my kids since birth. N was actually the first newborn he adjusted (under the eye of the senior chiropractor in the clinic, so I was confident it was OK).

I made the decision to stop going to that chiropractor. While I love everything (everything) about their office and staff, it is an hour away. By the time I drive there, have the appointment, drive home, and take the necessary time for potty breaks, it is an hour. I don't have enough time in my week to commit to that to have N seen more regularly. This was a very hard decision and I agonized over it, honestly, even spending some time in prayer. While it might seem like a small issue to some, it was a big decision for me.

I'm not saying that going to the chiropractor will "cure" her or "fix" her if she has, say, asthma, but I do believe the body functions better when the nervous system is communicating properly. And that is what chiropractic care does. I've seen it time and time again in my own girls. For instance, one time last year M had a runny nose/congestion thing she couldn't kick for weeks. She hadn't run a fever, I took her to the chiro and he warned me she might start running one. Sure enough, by that night she was, but within a day or so she was better. Getting her spine in line allowed her body to "do it's thing" and get her better.

The second conclusion is that I am going to ask a lot of questions when we go for her checkup at the pediatrician after two weeks to make sure she's better. I have thought of these:

• What could be making her so prone to respiratory problems as compared to her sister and the rest of the family who get the same cold and are fine?
• Does being premature have a role or is that a misconception in my head?
• What can I do to boost her immune system and avoid this? Vitamin D? Probiotics? Vitamin C?
• Is it asthma? How will we know? Do I want to know? On one hand I don't want to subject her to a bunch of tests for no reason, but on the other hand I do want to know before we have an emergency (aka asthma attack) and are unprepared. My brother had slight asthma and Tim had it as a child.

Anyone who has a child with similar problems know of another question I should ask? I always leave thinking "I should have asked xyz."

I do wonder about allergies. I want to find a homeopath in the area who could do a little more testing into sensitivities than what the medical doctor would do. But that's a hurdle for another day. Today, we say goodbye to our beloved "Dr. Pete," at least for Natalie (I'm not ready to give him up totally yet until I am sure we have found someone who will give us the same level of care) and start the search for a new chiropractor and wait the chance to talk to her medical doctor again.

Finally, I am going to make a greater effort to stop eliciting advice on facebook. I would love to say that I am going to give up fb altogether, but that would be unfair to the grandparents who enjoy looking at pictures of their great-granddaughters. I was talking with my friend Janna about it, and the problem is that you cannot control who responds. I know what most of my friends feel about health issues, and when I have a question about something, I am going to go directly to the source. I was making myself crazy trying to follow everyone's suggestions and tips and such and research all of these things for myself.