How do I comfort my friend, I'm in tears myself?

Hey, so my friend (she's in 7th grade) has a 10 year old sister and she's having some problems. If you'd like, read the super long email below sent from her mom. If not, I'll sum it up at the bottom. They'll be a dash-line where it ends.



Tia was born full-term 10 years ago last month (March). She was slightly jaundiced but otherwise healthy. We took her home and returned when she was 3 days old due to her choking and slightly turning blue after she nursed and while she slept. Our oldest daughter had moderate to severe GERD so we were very familiar with the symptoms and assumed Tia had the same problem. The doctors agreed and put her on medication and an apnea monitor. At 2 weeks of age Tia was hospitalized for Jaundice. At 6 weeks she was hospitalized for RSV. Tia was again hospitalized for RSV when she was around 18 months old. She continued to cough, choke, gag and vomit massive amounts of mucous and slept in 15 minute increments. We lived in and out of emergency rooms, hospitals and doctors offices. She has even been rushed by ambulance from the doctor鈥檚 office to the hospital. Over the entire 10 year span Tia has had 2 sleep studies, she has been scoped 3 times, checking all of her airways, tonsils, adenoids, lungs, scarring, etc., she has had 2 MRI鈥檚, 2 EEG鈥檚, 2 EKG鈥檚, 2 Cystic Fibrosis tests (she was borderline), countless x-rays, allergy tests, immune tests and so on. She has been on every nebulized drug available, she has been on numerous steroids and antibiotics and nothing works, no inhalers, no allergy meds, nothing! She spent 3 days with an oximeter attached to her which indicated she has intermittent hypoxia鈥ut why. No one can find the cause of Tia鈥檚 breathing problems, her constant dips in oxygen, her lack of oxygen while sleeping. The sleep tests confirmed she is not getting enough oxygen but that there is no obstruction, she does not have Apnea. We have countless videos of her odd breathing while she is asleep鈥?the doctors are alarmed by what they see and hear but again, cant figure out what is causing it. Once Tia clears and starts breathing again she is no longer blue and shows no sign whatsoever of being ill or having problems. (note: there have been times where Tia was seen by various specialists while she was sick and experiencing the breathing problems. They would always try things like Albuterol, Pulmicort, Symbacort鈥?and the list goes on鈥?and nothing would help. 2nd note: Tia has done much better over the past couple of years where she sleeps and has less frequent nights like last night *read below* We thought..hoped she might be outgrowing this problem but sadly she is not.)



Last night was an extremely chaotic stressful night. Tia was fine, took a bath, brushed her teeth and went to bed. She has been recuperating from what the doctors initially thought might be whooping cough but she was not congested and she was only coughing a few times per day. Shortly after she went to bed I could hear some really odd sounds coming from her room鈥?sort of a grumbling. When I went in I found Tia blue in the face struggling to get air. She was coughing, choking and she was completely congested. I screamed for my husband and the two of us raced to try everything we have learned to do in the past to help her breathe. Last night was the worst in 10 years. If we had been asleep, in the shower or both downstairs where we didn鈥檛 hear her鈥?.she would have been gone. Thankfully that is not the case, I had the phone in my hand to call 911 but we were able to help her clear her airways and then she was fine. I took her to the doctors today and after giving him the details he said that was very consisted with Cyanotic Episodes and that we should immediately call 911, don鈥檛 take any chances. The only reason we were hesitant to call is because we have done that so many times in the past and they end up not doing anything for her. They give her a breathing treatment and call it a day. This has broken us financially, this has broken us physically and has broken us mentally. We are exhausted. BUT, we have not lost our determination to figure out what this child needs! (*note: the doctor is not convinced it was whooping cough because her symptoms have resembled whooping cough all of her life. It isn鈥檛 possible that she had whooping cough 4-6 times per year鈥?is it?) Tomorrow we go back to the Pulmonologist and in a week we go back to the Neurologist at the MIND clinic an hour away.



Please, I beg of you, if you know anyone or have experienced anything like this yourself and know what it is or what we can do to help her鈥lease please please contact us! There has got to be an answer out there somewhere鈥here just has to be! She has suffered long enough鈥?.more importantly, we don鈥檛 want to lose our little girl! Can you help us?

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Well, there. I'm in tears. But here's how to sum it up for the people who didn't read iHow do I comfort my friend, I'm in tears myself?
you didn't sum it up !
Okay, I read it all. I highly doubt people in this section would know how to help, try posting this in the medical section of Y!A and you might get better answers there. Best of luck.

xxHow do I comfort my friend, I'm in tears myself?
What can you say? Everything will be all right. Say it so many times they'll be positive.
Tia needs to be tested for Cystic Fibrosis. Because, The 'growling' is a sign mucous in the lungs.How do I comfort my friend, I'm in tears myself?
I know this sounds corny but just say your there for her, if she ever wants to talk that you'll listen, or if she doesn't want to talk that's okay too. Say that your also there if she ever wants to get away and do something fun to get her mind off it. That seems like the most you can do.
What in the world can we do Paige?