HELP ! Does ANYONE recognise this sequence of symptoms.. ....

[pagwatch]

DD is six.
Since she was small she has been prone to serious breathing problems which have at times required that she be hospitalized. We have never been able to get a diagnosis as her attacks are weird.
She has an inhaler and the attacks are reducing but still remain in the same sequence.

She will complain of feeling a little unwell. Then she will start to cough or wheeze a little. During the next 24 hours her temperature will go through the roof, the breathing problems ( whether wheezing or coughing) will increase. She will have 24 - 36 hours of being very unwell ( if we have to go to hospital this is when it will be).

Then either her temp will start to fall and 24 hours later she is tired but OK OR she will be very vomitty and then will start to feel ok.

This happens every 4 to six week.

IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY !

Anyone out there have any ideas.

[pagwatch]

See I would say it was croup but every 4 - 6 weeks - and shes six ? It doesn't seem right

[AnyFuckerForAValentine]

how long has this been going on for ?

[AnyFuckerForAValentine]

is she asthmatic?

[Elibean]

Poor dd and poor you, too.

My neice had croup for the first time when she was 5, and if a child has small airways croup is still possible at 6 but....my dd never had a high temp with croup? OTOH, my friend's ds did - suppose it depends on the virus.

A virus of one sort or another every few weeks sounds normal for a 6 yr old at school...so maybe if she has some sort of virus triggered asthma, that could make sense??

Have no idea, really, but didn't want you to ponder alone - would drive me crazy too! What do the GPs say? Would they refer you to a paed specializing in respiratory diseases, or have you already BTDT?

[AnyFuckerForAValentine]

does she have reflux?

any other health problems?

heart ok ?

[AnyFuckerForAValentine]

high temp not usually associated with asthma, esp a virus-related attack

[pagwatch]

there has been talk of asthma but only in the context of these attacks and Dr not at all convinced.
Her first attack was probably around three years old.
She has constant moderate excema.
No other health issues at all - very fit active and healthy - except for this.

Should add her brothers have terribly odd immune systems including DS2 who regressed after MMR and has autism and multiple food intolerances. As a result DD has not had any vaccinations

Thank you for replying. This is just awful for her as it hits so regularly and means missing school and games and all her fav stuff.

[greenbeanie]

My ds has exactly the same by the sound of it. Whenever he gets a cold he has a high temperature for upto5 days with breathing problems and wheezing. He has been admitted to hospital several times. The GP just keeps saying he will outgrow it.

He has croup. The things that we find help are a humidifier in his room, karvol and alternating calpol and ibuprofen. The only other thing we tried that was successful was to take him to a homeopath, I have to say I was very sceptical but felt we had nothing to lose. Within 24 hours he was a different child and although he still has similar attacks every few weeks the severity and duration are much improved.

Good luck, it is so hard for your dd and for the whole family coping with the associated sleep deprivation and worry.

[Sam100]

Our dd had similar symptoms at age 2 but hers came after a bout of pnuemonia - then about every 6 weeks after that she would get sick again - wheezing, temperature, vomiting and end up either at GPs or hospital, get admitted - have steroids, get better go home. After the 4th stay in hospital she was seen by the children's asthma team and put onto a medication called singulaire and various inhalers (preventitive brown one and reliever blue one). She has not had any episodes since then although gets worse over winter and better in summer.

The vomiting could come from the breathing problems - doctors said children often suffer from tummy aches and sickness when breathing not good.

Would go back to GP and ask for a referral to paediatrician.

[Sam100]

Btw - doctors not convinced our dd has "proper" asthma but they are treating her as if she does. She does not get classic asthma attacks where she can't breathe - she starts with what seems like just a cold then gets sicker and sicker.

[AnyFuckerForAValentine]

ask for a referral to a paediatric respiratoy specialist

whereabouts (vaguely) in the country are you ?

[pagwatch]

Anyfucker - we are in Surrey..Guildford

I will go and see her GP again and get a referral. Its been going on too long and the inhalers arn't helping

Thank you all so much. I needed to think out loud IYSWIM

[AnyFuckerForAValentine]

good luck

I am oop north so can't help with who to ask for a referral to

[smudgethepuppydog]

Do you have pets? DD used to have spells like this every 4-6 weeks at your DD's age, turns out she was allergic to our cats and as soon as oral steroids were out of her system she'd end up back in hospital on a neublizer. Basically she'd have an episode, be hospitalized, be given oral steroids, be well for a couple of weeks then slowly go back down hill. We'd always had the cats but teh allegy didn't become severe until she was about 3.

[CarGirl]

I have allergies and only on a few occaions had a severe reaction to cats/pollen or something and it does appear to be like an asthma attack but it isn't IYSWIM. Doesn't tie in with having a temperature though unless it'd just to do with an immature immunity system?