Guest post by Misty Snyder
My son, Jed, is the light of my life. He is an answer to a million prayers I once prayed and the reason for so many of my smiles, each and every day.
He also happens to have Down syndrome. Along with this diagnosis, there are often unexpected twists and turns. We do our best to roll with the punches but it is such a relief to have tools in our belt to help us when we feel stuck in the same rut.
One of the unexpected turns occurred when Jed was diagnosed with laryngomalacia when he was just one month old. This can be described as a congenital softening of the tissues of the larynx (voice box) above the vocal cords. It is the most common cause of noisy breathing in infancy. Along with these issues, we noticed that Jed had difficulty swallowing liquids and eating certain foods. With the help of specialists and his feeding and speech therapists, we have adapted and shifted the way we do things to optimize his experience at mealtimes.
But the real difficulty of this diagnosis entered in when Jed first got sick. Even just a basic virus can cause extreme congestion and makes the most basic feedings more difficult. In addition, he would wake himself up in the middle of the night, coughing and unable to breathe through his nose. We tried elevating his head, humidifiers, saline drops, steam showers and the Nose Frida. All of these things barely scratched the surface of the problem and we were exhausted and discouraged.
When we had finally exhausted all of our resources at hand, I discovered the NozeBot! Because we had experienced so many disappointments already with Jed's congestion, I had my doubts that this machine would do the trick! I can say now, without hesitation, that the Nozebot has truly been a God-send for us.
Upon opening, I was relieved to find it simple to assemble with the very clear and basic instructions. It is easily stored in the box and is not big and bulky like so many other at-home electronic medical devices for children. Cleaning the parts is easy and quick and there aren't ten million pieces to worry about losing.
Within seconds of using the NozeBot, the gunk was coming out and Jed's passages looked and sounded clear! Jed fought against it, at first, but by the second or third time using it, he sat their cool and calm as if to say, "Ahhhh, I can breathe again." My husband and I have slept soundly knowing Jed can breathe at night and does not wake himself up in a panic anymore.
My older son, Clay, has asthma and his colds often stick around for far too long, as well. We are really looking forward to using the NozeBot on him when troubles arise.
I would recommend this device to anyone and hope that it offers many other families the kind of relief we have experienced. Thank you so much for this tremendous product.
You can follow the adventures of Misty and Jed on Instagram at @happinessisdownsyndrome.
If you enjoyed this article, you will love these, too:
- What Parents Need to Know About Breathe-Holding Spells
- What is Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate?
- Can I Use a Nasal Aspirator in the Ear?
- The Importance of Newborn Baby Tummy Time on Infant's Breathing
- What is Down Syndrome and How Can The NozeBot Help?
Have the NozeBot handy year-round!
