Pectus excavatum (sunken chest) and asthma?

[spicandspan]

My DS is 2.8yrs. Looking back, I now see has has a long history of low level, grumbling chest infections / chesty coughing etc, since he was about 6 months. He is a noisy breather and often snores.

In the last 3 months his breathing is worse. He is on a steroid brown inhalor morning and night, and a ventolin inhalor regularly. Things have got worse this week and now he's also on antibiotics for a chest infection.

He was refered to the hospital recently as gp was worried his tonsils were enlarged and that might be restricting his breathing. The paed agreed they were v large but were not causing a prob.

He has also developed quite a marked sunken chest, with his ribs flaring out. I asked the gp and the paediatrician about this and they both were quite dismisive, saying is may or may not be related to asthma, and its possible he might need an op when older but nether really saw it as a problem.

Could the P.E be causing the asthma? Or could it be the asthma causing the PE? Is it a sign he's struggling to breathe more than we think? Or is it just one of those things?

I feel like noone is really looking at all the issues together and joinihng the dots. Its really stressing me out.

[spicandspan]

bump? Anyone offer any advice at all?

[lambethlil]

Someone else will be along soon.
DS has a pronounced PE, mild asthma, now outgrown. He had the PE from birth, you couldn't miss it and I'm not sure it ever 'develops'. What you describe sounds like struggling for breath, and the drs should definitely be taking it seriously.

[Grumpla]

My DS (3.5) has pronounced PE. He was going from cold to cold for years, particularly winter, really bad croup several times, chest infections, A&E trips the works it felt like he was never 100% , always just getting over a cold, ill with a cold or coming down with the next one. He had about 5 courses of oral steroids in 1.5 years and almost as many antibiotics when infections settled on his chest.

Following a referral to ENT he is now on singulair tablets and a ventolin inhaler for when he gets a cough. The difference has been amazing. No steroids, no croupy cough, no more antibiotics. I wish we had pushed for a referral sooner.

ENT said she didn't reckon it was asthma but recurrent viral croup, that he was very susceptible to colds etc settling on his chest with a lot of congestion / inflammation in upper respiratory tract due in part to the construction caused by the PE.

She said often PE is outgrown so we are doing another 6 months on the singulair then assessing the situation.

Have you seen an ENT consultant?

[spicandspan]

thank you thank you for answering. Was feeling a bit sad noone could make any suggestions!
The PE was not evident as a baby, but it seems quite clear now...
The drs aregiving inhalers etc. I just wonder if he has been struggling for longer, and more, than we suspected, and it is affecting the growth of his chest iyswim?

How is your som with the PE - does it cause him any probs? I googled and freaked out...

[hermioneweasley]

Dd has PE and while she doesn't have any problems (and desperately hoping that continues) when she was diagnosed we were to,d to keep an eye on her if she had any colds because there could be complications with chest infections etc.

[spicandspan]

Not seen any consultants, just the general paed at hospital.
I thought PE got worse with age, not better? Would asthma come under ENT then?

[spicandspan]

I feel really out of my depth tbh. I know nothing about asthma, nothing about PE, just have these inhalors and antibiotics and feel like each appointment just deals with the presenting problem, does not look at the whole picture. Does that make sense?

[Grumpla]

No he is fine. When he was getting croup/ cough though it was really scary - his whole chest was heaving, diaphragm sucking right in, struggling to breathe. Once his lips started turning blue. The steroids were a real miracle cure - but not very sustainable to have your toddler on steroids so often! Loads of sore throats and constantly runny nose too which also seems to have improved.

I don't think it was ENT now I think about it that was for something else. Maybe just a paeds consultant? I will check!

[Grumpla]

Yes I totally understand what you mean about treating the presenting conditions! We had had several trips to GPs, clinics, A&E etc - felt as though every time he "got better" that was it. Never mind that we would be back again a month later. it was only when we got to see the consultant that she seemed to be looking at the bigger picture.

[spicandspan]

ahh, my ds is not that bad grumpla. It's not severe enough for hospital, it's just his breathing problems are always there. He always sounds rattley, and coughs most nights, and wheezes. Constant. Just once or twice it's got really scary, but usually it's just general unwell-ness.

[spicandspan]

That's what I need! When gp referred us to hospital, it was actuallly to check out his tonsils, but I thought it would finally be someone who would take the whole story into account. But it felt like she just said no, tonsils are fine, 'asthma like symptoms', keep with the inhalors, see you in six months.
Yet here we are, 6 weeks later, back on antibiotics (again).

Also confused because when I rang GP to ask for dr to check his chest to see if he needed the antibiotics, they had no appointments so suggested we see the asthma nurse at the surgery. And she said she would see him regularly to monitor him - great, but it was only chance we saw her anyhow! It all just seems so... random.

[MaryPoppinsBag]

I have just stumbled on this thread, and whilst my DS(3) does not have chest infections over and above what his brother had, he does go blue around his lips.
We always thought it was because he doesn't have much meat on him, but it happens when he is running round a lot and swimming.
Being cold in the swimming pool could account for the blue lips, but his lips have turned blue running around in the summer. And when he's in the pool his legs are going ten to the dozen.

I have never had it checked out as it was present at birth, and assumed it was nothing to worry about. I am going to get him checked out now though.

[MuffinPip]

Wow MaryPoppinsBag!! You could have written exactly about my 5.5 year old daughter there!! She also goes blue when she's swimming. We just got back from a holiday in the Bahamas where she spent the entire day playing in warm pools in hot weather & still she went blue!! Even another parent asked me if she was ok!!
Drs have previously dismissed it but I've now got an appt to see a Dr on the 26th of this month & I want some answers or clarification that she is ok!!