Should I take my son to a Pediatrician or Asthma Doc?

 Son #2 is sick again and of course it started over the weekend.

 Sore throat, stomach problems, headache and a nasty cough. So, I have him check his peak flow number (little tube you blow into and it measures your lung capacity) His normal is around 350, he was down to 270. It's a big drop for most people, but normal for Son #2 when he gets sick. 

So, out comes the Xopenex to start breathing treatments with the nebulizer. But then I wonder, is it just a respiratory infection, or is it strep? Asthma Doc doesn't swab for strep, but he knows Son #2 like one of his own kids, we are in there so often and he has been his doctor for 11 years now. 

Hhmm. What to do.....

 I decided to go to the pediatrician for a quick throat swab. It isn't the pediatrician we normally see, and this doctor didn't seem to read his chart. I made sure I brought up the fact that he has asthma. He seemed a unfazed, the other pediatrician will be very cautious and says "I know what he does! He's not like most kids who have asthma" 

 This pediatrician casually asked Son #2, "so you have asthma, huh?" Uh, yeah. I'll say.In fact, he has severe asthma and has been hospitalized multiple times.  He's a little better now that he gets Xolair injections. 

Normally, I would be very worried about my son ending up in the hospital. In addition to the throat swab, I just wanted to make sure his lungs sounded okay. Usually a crackling sounds mean pneumonia, and the sound of a balloon rubbing together means bronchitis. 

But - good news. His lungs sound good, and no strep. After 12 hospitalizations for the kids, I would rather head to the Doc and make sure they're okay, rather than wait too long and end up in the ER. 

So, another bout of illness- I'm still watching him to make sure he doesn't get any worse. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and keep doing treatments. 

Fun times!

Anyone else wonder whether to go to the specialist or pediatrician?