congestion, congestion, congestion..

well, it was bound to happen right? At 17 months, Parker finally got sick. I'm proud to say we've made it this far, but wishing we had made it further! Last week Mallory and I had pretty bad ragweed allergies (she had SNOT), I lost my voice, but I didn't think it was a cold...guess what..three nights ago I figured out maybe it WAS a cold and today I am SURE it is a cold. Parker is seriously congested and I am trying everything to get the snot OUT (who uses that word on a blog or in conversation? LOL). Went ahead and took him to the Dr yesterday to be sure it wasn't in his ears or lungs..verdict? He has a cold, lots of congestion, croup like cough, but ears and lungs are clear. What can we do? nothing really. So, we have been saline rinsing and suctioning to help ease the stuffy head. He sleeps better upright which means someone needs to hold him all night long. For kids under 2 there really aren't many options anymore since decongestants and such have been taken off the market for kids under 2 years. For kids with DS it is even more complex (where I might be tempted to half the dose of benadryl or something to ease the stuffiness) due to the SOD that happens with the presence of that extra 21st chromosome. Means no tylenol or antihistamenes. They contain gluthathione which is a big problem for kids with DS.
This is a great post that has lots of links to the research on why we shouldn't give these things to our kids. Most Drs aren't aware of them, so thought I'd share here too.

http://www.gotdownsyndrome.net/glutathione%26acetaminophen.html

I tried the homeopathic route too, but most of those say not for infants either. If anyone has a good solution send it my way...we've been doing to hot steamy shower, so if nothing else my skin might look younger, LOL. more importantly pray for a quick recovery. He's miserable (me too)!