When my DS was 3, it was before inhaled cortasteroids. He needed an average of 8 breathing treatments a day. This was also before battery pack nebulizers. Needed electricity to run it. Before spacers; couldn't use an inhaler. Every trip we made, anywhere, was outlet to outlet.
When we made our first trip to DW with him at 3, we had made arrangements for a plane with electricity available, in case he had breathing difficulties in the air. They screwed it up, and we discovered, when we were in the air, that there was no way to run the nebulizer if needed. It was an hour flight, and sure enough he started to wheeze and retract in the air. Was fine with a treatment on the ground, but during our entire trip, every time we sat down for a meal, he took one bite and started to choke and wheeze. We had to interrupt every meal to find an electric outlet and give him a treatment before going back to the cold food.
He's now 15. Even though people delighted to tell us all about their grandson Jeremy who grew out of it at age 7, he has not. in fact, after years of improvement, when he was 13, an anaphylactic reaction to a few strands of hidden cheese plummeted him into uncontrolled asthma and severe reflux, which took over a year to turn around.
For us, the miracle drug has been advair. Even though it has the exact same meds as the long-acting albuterol and the inhaled CS taken separately, somehow the delivery together has turned it around for us. Even with the spring pollen, he goes days without having to use his rescue inhaler.
But when we go this summer, we will take the nebulizer, the epipens, the backup inhalers, the emergency prednisone, the antihistimines, cortisone cream, eyedrops, stomach meds.....
We will remind ourselves to be thankful that hte current nebulizer is 1/4 the size of the first sewing machine sized one. That it recharges, and dispenses the meds in 1/2 the time. That there have been advances in treatment. We will give thanks for inhalers.
We will give thanks for the stellar first aid centers in each of the parks, which let you drop it all off, hold it for you, and let you administer it all when you need to with cheer and grace.
And---we will still sigh when we enter our 15th year of packing it all up.