This page includes details on how we handle Crystal's respiratory needs!
Anyone who reads this page needs to keep in mind that any information enclosed is all according to Crystal's circumstances. I do believe thoroughly that all of these children are different and there needs vary dramatically. We have acquired her care package through suggestions from other families, from advice from her family doctor and from advice from her neurologist. We have not yet consulted Dr. Bach, nor have we consulted a pulmologist for her plan. I have taken the knowledge I have obtained from others and put it into to play with Crystal and experimented with her only to find what works best with her. These treatment plans are only options available for any new parents to consider as a possible way to care for other children that may have similar needs. A doctor should be consulted and following his recommendations would always be best. I personally had to try these on my own and then show the doctor that these worked and provided testimony to him before he would consider some of them. Of course, he did apply from a medical stand point things to consider for Crystal's safety and health.
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Crystal's nebulizer treatment with albuterol. We apply this treatment when she continues to cough for more than a day, even if the cough is a small one. |
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I have told Crystal from the beginning that this was her toy machine. She just plays with the tubing and the lid...She tolerates it very well. |
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This picture and the next 3 pictures is the method of CPT (percussion) that was recommended by the respiratory department at the hospital. I agree with and apply it because her lungs are so small, I feel that this reaches all of her lobes appropriately. |
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Here I am percussing her back, upper lobes of the lungs. The item I am using is a popper from the hospital, which makes CPT so much easier on your hands. And is more effective for such a small child. |
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To help the drainage, because of the way the bronchial tubes are positioned we lay her head down for the lower lobe percussions. |
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She is almost done. Most of the time at this point Crystal has begun to drain some of the mucous out and we will syringe with nasal spray to help clear the secretions. |
Because the body is designed to produce memory cells to help fight recurring viruses and such, we have tried to let Crystal fight any infections on her own. Even with the cough and congestion we will let her fight it on her own until fevers reach 100.5 and then at that point we begin her on Augmentin (antibiotic) to help fight the infection in the lungs. It is my belief not to use medicines unless absolutely necessary, however, because she is at such a risk for pneumonia, we watch her very closely and are very aggressive with her care. Crystal has testimony of getting pneumonia two days after first beginning a very small chuckle type cough.