help: anyone who knows about asthma still up?

[LupusinaLlamasuit]

Hi

DS aged 4 has not had a formal asthma diagnosis. But he has recently been given a trial of the brown inhaler as well as the blue one he has had for ages.

Tonight (as for the last 2-3 nights) he has a bad night cough and has been coughing a bit when outside (he doesn't wheeze). He - like the other kids, and us - has had a nasty virus over the last week.

We have not needed to use the blue inhaler while on the brown one, except on occasions like this when he has something else. But I'm a bit stumped about how to use it right now.

As well as the beco-thingy, we have been using the ventolin 3-4 times a day during the cough/cold, maybe 3-4 puffs each time.

And, he starts coughing about 11pm each night, so then we ramp it up. So an hour ago I tried to give him 5 puffs. Seemed to make very little difference to the cough.

He is coughing pretty much non-stop at times, and certainly did not settle after the Ventolin an hour ago. So I have just given 7 puffs (we were advised up to 10 in an attack is OK)

But it doesn't seem to be helping the cough.

So. Do I do something else? Do I just chill out and assume this is just a cough, he's gonna cough all night till the virus is gone etc, or do I assume, yup this IS asthma, if he keeps having massive uncontrolled coughing fits, I need to see someone quickly.

Sorry to go on and ask lots of questions but this is all a bit new to me and no idea whether I'm doing the right thing. Am teeny bit paranoid if I relax over it, I might miss some silent decline in the night. That sounds dramatic doesn't it. I just still don't know whether this is asthma - if it was, shouldn't the steroids have prevented such a bad fit of night coughing? TBH this seems just the same as some of the coughing fits he used to have before he was on it...?

Argh!

[JodieO]

Coughing at night is fairly common with asthma, my dd has it and I have it mildly now (worse as a child). I wouldn't give him too many puffs just for the cough, only if he is having an actual attack. Too much raises the heart rate quite a lot which can be a cause for concern.

I never give 5 puffs at a time without it being an attack, 2 is the normal for dd plus the brown one morning and night. She now takes the blue one as and when she needs it during the day but only 2 at a time unless an attack. She wheezes with hers though.

She's been on oral steroids a number of times over the past 2 years as her wheezing has been so bad and she had her blue inhaler more often before those but the oral ones work faster I was told.

She gets worse when she has a cold/virus and will often cough most of the night with it but it hasn't been necessary to give her more unless she actually has trouble breathing.

Hope he's ok.

[LupusinaLlamasuit]

Thanks,

the only symptom we have had though is a night cough, I wouldn't know (and have never discussed this with any GP/nurse) what to look for in an 'attack'

Because he doesn't wheeze as such, I do find myself listening to his breathing and trying to work out whether it is affected or not. Sometimes the coughs come so close together and get shorter/more strained, and he gets sort of breathless and raspy. But again I have no idea if this is just cough.

I'm very confused TBH.

[MollieO]

Ds is supposedly asthmatic (4) but I've never found the inhalers he's been given to be much use tbh. What has made a difference is a daily dose of antihistamine. He has eczema as well so his paediatrician thinks that it is allergy-led. He takes antihistamine from Feb to about Oct/Nov each year and that makes a difference so he only needs inhalers when he has a chest infection. The amount of puffs you've been told to use seem high. Do they make a difference?

[JodieO]

Breathless and raspy sounds to me like a wheeze. It might be an idea to give nhs direct a call to see what they think. With my dd as she breathes you can hear it on her chest, tying to think how to describe it; like a bubbly sound I think as she breathes. It is quite a distinct sound though imo.

If he is wheezing it may be that he needs something else, as I said before, a cold/virus often triggers my dd's asthma causing her to have trouble breathing.

[JodieO]

Oh forgot to say that dd is 7.

[LupusinaLlamasuit]

We were advised 6-10 puffs when bad by a hospital Dr when he was admitted for observation when generally under the whether.

Blue inhaler seems to be working briefly, but still coughing just as much. Gonna call NHS direct just in case...

[JodieO]

Hope it all goes well. I do think that they should clarify what "bad" means, it's a subjective term. I wouldn't use that many at one go because of a cough, I did use that many under guidance when dd was having trouble breathing though in the past but also spoke to nhs direct and the gp. When she's like that they prescibre her the oral steroids as they're more effective, usually a week long course.

With that many puffs though, at regular intervals I'd definitely keep an eye on his heart rate.

[JodieO]

Also, I don't think the inhaler will stop the cough, that's a symptom of asthama and it's worsened by a cold/virus.