Junkie In Training

Kailey has had a lingering dry cough for about a month now. It originated from a cold, but decided to stick around for awhile after the cold went away. And it annoyed the crap out of all of us during our trip home to Illinois. Kailey couldn't go 30 seconds without coughing, usually just a single, steady, staccato hack. Try sitting next to her on a 4 hour plane ride or a two hour road trip:

Cough

Cough

Cough

Cough

"Sweetie, try breathing through your nose."

"OK"

Cough

Diane called the doctor on Tuesday and she told us to come in. Great, I thought, she's going to collect our co-pay, look at her for one minute, and tell us that it'll go away on its own. Imagine my surprise when she actually prescribed an inhaler for Kailey. Great, I thought, Kailey freaks out when we try to get her to take Children's Motrin. Getting her to suck on an inhaler three times a day should be tons of fun! Boy, when I'm wrong, I'm really wrong. Kailey couldn't wait to get her inhaler. She wanted to go to Walgreen's and get it right then and was completely bummed when I explained to her that I first needed to drop of the prescription and then give them time to fill it. "I'll pick it up and have it ready for you when you get home from school."

"OK," she groused.

The first thing she asked when emerging from the gate at school? "Did you get my inhaler?"

"Yes, I have your inhaler. It's at home."

"Yeay!"

She burst through the door and ripped open the Walgreen's bag to find a red inhaler, which she thought was pretty nifty. She coughed and asked, "Can I take it?"

"Please do," I replied, thinking this would be the only time she would voluntarily take the medicine. I guess when I'm wrong, I'm wrong in threes.

She placed the inhaler in her mouth, released the medicine, and took a deep breath. "Mmmmm...it tastes like...something. Kinda fruity. Can I take it again?" Thank goodness I was wrong, except now she wants to take it all the time. Every time she coughs, which is still with great frequency, she says, "I think I need to take another puff on my inhaler." That's all I need is for my eight year-old daughter to get hooked on prescribed inhalants, all because it tastes kinda fruity and comes in a hot red dispenser. I smell a lawsuit.