Inside HBC

Winter update-1 round of steroids

We managed to get through this winter, so far, with just one round of steriods (4 days).

Around Christmas time, Valentino was progressively getting fussier and fussier and was very snizzly. On Christmas Eve the worst came out as he was having screaming fits and was miserable–congested and having trouble breathing.

The week prior to Christmas, I had to increase Val’s nebulizer (albuterol) treatments to every 3-4 hours and this makes him jittery and irritable. By Christmas Eve, he could only sleep on an off in 15-20 minute bouts, but couldn’t get completely comfortable enough to sleep soundly and was waking several times in the night screaming and crying. The next day I spoke to the staff at Children’s and Dr. Sami called in a prescription for steroids and by day 2 on the steroids, Val was better.

I’ve noticed that when Val is wheezing or congested, he will rear his head back and scream and can’t seem to get comfortable laying down. As much as it’s hard to see him uncomfortable, I’m glad that I’m able to recognize particular reactions he has now so that I can act quicker than last year when his cold really set in and he was struggling to breathe for longer than I realized.

After seeing that Val was coming home from daycare with lots of various cold and flu symptoms, I decided to switch him out of daycare and to an in-home nanny/babysitter. I’m so happy with the decision even though it’s been a bit of an increase in financial pressure.

Valentino’s overall health has improved and his nanny pays close attention to making sure he gets lots of good meals and snacks and plenty of rest. She’s very consistent with his enzymes and does albuterol treatments 1x per day in the afternoon. This works much better than having him do nebulizer when I get home from work at night because the albuterol leaves Val jittery and a bit wired.

I am anxious to move past all of the rainy, cold, windy weather we have been having and into the warmth of Spring so that we can be less worried about battling cold and flu viruses.

Chicken Soup

Seems like everyone I know has a cold right now, including me! One thing is for sure, I don’t want to give up my healthy eating habits when my energy plunges, so when I decide I need to make chicken soup, I always make extra to hide in the freezer for sick days. As I start to feel better, I make sure to take some time to replenish that stash. I wonder if the smell of soup simmering on the stove helps us feel better, too?

• 2 TBS light oil (olive, vegetable, coconut) (sweet)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (sweet, pungent)
• 1 TBS fresh ginger root, chopped (pungent, sweet)
• 2 carrots, chopped (sweet)
• 4 celery stalks, chopped (bitter)
• 6 cups of chicken broth (sweet)
• 3 cups of shredded, or cubed, cooked chicken (sweet)
• Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (salty, bitter)
• Rosemary twig (pungent, bitter)

1. Heat the oil in a deep soup pot, then add the chopped onion and ginger with a pinch of salt. As the onion begins to soften, add carrots and celery and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the vegetables are bright and beginning to soften, add the broth, shredded chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Add a twig of Rosemary if you have it. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through.

If you have a “cold”, you might want to heat up this soup with hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or a little cayenne. You can add other vegetables, herbs, and spices depending on your TCM diagnosis (check in with the doctor for this). Of course, you might want to make your own chicken broth, and you can do that easily by setting aside the bones from a whole chicken (I sometimes break them up, bag them and freeze them for later) or by asking your butcher for soup bones. You might get some feet, so be prepared.   Just throw all of those in a big pot with plenty of water to cover them all, plus an inch or two, with a couple of bay leaves and an onion. Let it boil, them simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and discard everything. If you are freezing the broth, you might want to cook it a little longer so it reduces and can be stored in smaller containers. When you are ready to use it you can add water, if you like.