Moms who are worried research better than the FBI!

I was just watching a new series on a streaming service that highlights Dr. Lisa Sanders work with the New York Times. 

In the series, she talks to patients who have "hard to solve medical mysteries." She researchers their medical record, then films a short video of that person explaining what happens to them. Then she puts the story up on the New York Times page. She asks people from all over the world to "crowd source" and help solve the mystery. 

People film themselves, and send their diagnosis. Sometimes it's a patient that says something like "This sounds like me - I've had these same symptoms for years and they diagnosed me with _________."

Sometimes it's a doctor who says, "I had a patient with these symptoms and we discovered it was ______." 

Most of the diseases are really obscure and I have to look it up on my phone to see what they are talking about. 

But one episode made me pause the episode - as my husband and I exchanged glances. Then I burst out laughing. The quote was:

 "A worried mom does more research than the FBI."

 My husband said, "Isn't that the truth?!" 

Whether it's asthma, environmental allergies, food allergies, eczema, or whatever else your kids may be suffering with - moms do a LOT of research. Moms can feel like we should protect our kids - from anything!

And figure out the best way to do that. 

When Son #2 was 12 , he had already been hospitalized 7 times for asthma (and 2 of those were ICU.) We tried EVERYTHING. Even Asthma Doc couldn't figure out what to do. He was going to send us to National Jewish hospital in Denver.

Our home was allergy & asthma friendly. Son #2 took his controller inhaler every morning and every night, he had allergy shots, and was up to date on the flu shot and the pneumonia vaccine. 

But we still couldn't keep him out of the hospital. So, I read anything I could get my hands on and happened to see a story on the news about a new biologic that was available. 

I found an online article, printed it out, and made an appointment with Asthma Doc. I told him I was desperate - we had to try something different. This biologic was $1,000 a month for a tiny vial of medicine that was enough for one shot in each arm. 

Asthma Doc agreed to start Son #2 on the biologic, and insurance easily approved it (since it was cheaper than a hospitalization.)

And - it changed our lives! He would start a cold, and I would think "Well, here we go again - might as well pack for the hospital." But....... he would get better, not worse!

I was shocked that the biologic could help control his asthma. 

I was also glad I had done so much research on my own to find something for him.

 2 decades later..... and I am still researching about allergies and asthma! Now I:

• Attend a national  asthma educator conference every year
• Watch asthma webinars
• Read scientific studies
• Stay updated on the every asthma treatment on the market (yes, the poster is hanging on on my wall and I have a picture of the current respiratory treatment poster on my phone...)
•  Follow the national allergy and asthma organizations (such as Allergy and Asthma Network,  American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, and Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, and American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, and American College of CHEST Physicians.
• I immerse myself in the world allergies and asthma. So much so that it has led to a career change and earning my Certified Asthma Educator AE-C) credential! 

My full time career now involves educating families about allergies and asthma. And all because I have terrible genetics and passed my allergies and asthma to my 3 kids! And we had to learn everything the hard way...

 I didn't get the help I needed 20 years ago when my kids and I were diagnosed with allergies and asthma, so it's now my passion to help other families! 

Do any of you moms do research for your kid's medical needs?