Kim is home sick

Kim (our oldest daughter, age 18) came home a few hours ago. I didn’t even know she was home until Barb came and got me. I went upstairs to see her and talk to her. She was very sick. She was having trouble breathing. Her asthma was acting up and her inhaler wasn’t helping. Barb wanted to take her to the hospital but Kim was refusing and getting more upset by the minute. I talked to her for a bit (Kim and Barb sometimes have ‘difficulities’ with each other when one or both are under stress) and convinced her it was time to see a doctor. It was after hours for everyone except the emergency room so we visited there. Tests, meds, more tests, more meds, more tests, and they sent her home with still more meds. She is breathing so much better. Barb and I are “breathing easier” too. The doctor really got on her case about smoking. Something Barb and I can’t even hint at without her storming out of the house. On the way home from the hospital, when she couldn’t bail out, I brought it up as gently as I could. She actually talked to me about it. She said that since Karen died (same age as Barb and I and a heavy smoker) she has cut way back. She said she wouldn’t have a problem stopping completely until she had recovered from this episode. I didn’t push it to make it permanent. This was a huge improvement from earlier attempts to encourage her to stop. One step at a time.

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