{"id":8786,"date":"2020-03-19T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=8786"},"modified":"2020-02-27T18:10:06","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T00:10:06","slug":"how-finding-an-asthma-specialist-changed-this-boys-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/how-finding-an-asthma-specialist-changed-this-boys-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How finding an asthma specialist changed this boy’s life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Levi Oster\u2019s health issues started when he was very young.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe battled a lot of high fevers, rapid heart rate, respiratory issues starting when he was 2,\u201d his mom, Sarah said.<\/p>\n

\"boyHe would sometimes cough so forcefully he would throw up. Other times he would lay awake at night, coughing for hours.<\/p>\n

At least once a month \u2013 often more frequently \u2013 Levi\u2019s parents took him to the doctor with a fever and cough. But they couldn\u2019t get a clear answer as to what was causing his symptoms, which persisted for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe missed a lot of school, to the point that we got a letter in the mail,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n

Levi\u2019s parents, Sarah and Digger, searched for answers any way they could. They even tested Levi for cystic fibrosis and leukemia. Finally, they made the decision that they needed to see a specialist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just constantly at the doctor, and nothing we were doing was making him any better. Digger was the one who said, \u2018We\u2019re going to move on from this,\u2019\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n

So they asked their pediatrician for a referral to OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had heard positive things about OSF and a lot of their pediatric programs. We wanted to take him to a place that deals just with little kids who have similar issues,\u201d Levi\u2019s dad, Digger, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we have never looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding the right specialist<\/h2>\n

At that first appointment in the pediatric pulmonology clinic, Mohannad M. Mannaa, MD<\/a>, asked them questions about Levi\u2019s health and family history that no one had before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe asked if Levi had eczema, which he does. And he was tying his skin issues to his respiratory issues, which no one else had ever connected. He asked everything about my family, Sarah\u2019s family, the pregnancy, the birth. He really took the time to get to know everything about Levi and see the full picture,\u201d Digger said.<\/p>\n

That day, the Oster family got the diagnosis that had eluded them for years: Levi had asthma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Levi didn\u2019t have the exercise induced asthma \u2013 puffing or wheezing brought on by activity that comes to mind when most people think of asthma. Levi\u2019s symptoms were exacerbated by viruses, like a cold, or allergies.<\/p>\n

They also left with a peak flow meter<\/a> to measure how well air flows from the lungs and asthma action plan, so they could learn to recognize the early signs of an asthma flare-up and better manage Levi\u2019s condition at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo weeks ago, he started with a cough, which is our first red flag that he is going to be episodic, and he had a low grade fever. So I went to his asthma action plan, and I knew that I needed to do the peak flow meter and give him certain medications,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me as a mom, it\u2019s awesome because I\u2019m educated to the point where I know what I need to do and when I need to do it. It allowed me to stay in control of the situation instead of rushing to call the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘It’s changed his life’<\/h2>\n

Following the advice and medications prescribed by the pulmonology team at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital, Levi and his family have been able to get his asthma symptoms under control, to the point he only sees his pediatrician once a year for his annual physical and the pulmonologist once every nine months.<\/p>\n

\"adolescent<\/p>\n

\u201cHis condition is stabilized, and he\u2019s doing very well. He\u2019s able to be a normal 13-year-old kid and hang out with his friends,\u201d Digger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe plays football. He plays baseball. He just started track. Track is definitely not something he could have done in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

The days of mysterious fevers<\/a>, days home from school and nights of sleep lost to uncontrollable coughing fits seem to be over.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a good student, and that\u2019s in part because he\u2019s able to sleep at night and focus. If he was today like he was in kindergarten and first grade, I think he would be having a great struggle in school,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n

Levi\u2019s gone from a child constantly struggling with illness to an active teenager, a transformation his parents would have found hard to imagine 10 years ago when his symptoms suddenly began.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe great care we\u2019ve received there, it\u2019s changed Levi\u2019s life,\u201d Digger said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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