Asthma support thread

[Sirzy]

Just gone to bump the old one and noticed it was nearly full so time for a new one.

Thread for anyone who is dealing with an asthmatic (or possibly asthmatic) child who wants hand holding, advice or just somewhere to vent!

All welcome.

DS has just been diagnosed with his third chest infection since October. Thankfully he is back at his consultant in two weeks!

[PeppaIsACowbag]

Hi Sirzy how's your ds doing, has he got antibiotics? Hope he feels better soon.

I'm up with dd she's quite wheezy on montelukast but think she needs seeing again so will see how she is tomorrow. She seems to be going in cycles she will have around three great weeks then she gets to the point where she's needing her ventolin every 4 hours again. She's got a bad cold at the minute so the blocked nose isn't helping either bless her.

[Sirzy]

Hope she is ok.

DS finishes his antibiotics on Tuesday was doing well but today has woken up with the cough back and quite puffy so may end up needing more or pred.

[PeppaIsACowbag]

How is he now?

I had a bad night with dd last night, she was having coughing fits and vomited twice through coughing, and then twice again this morning, then sounded wheezy even though she had just had her ventolin.

I rang her asthma nurse who said her asthma doesn't sound like its been controlled enough, she's been on montelukast for a month and had a course of pred recently so I should get her in GP for an asthma review. Took her in this afternoon and GP listened to DDs chest and said it was totally clear so she wouldn't prescribe any pred, I explained it was night and early morning she was suffering so she said if she has a coughing fit again where she ends up vomiting etc to take her straight to a+e so they can see/treat it. Felt a bit like she thought I was making it up to be honest!

Luckily DD is a bit more settled tonight anyway, she had a bit coughing earlier but nothing as bad as last night (touch wood!)

Do you mind if I ask at what point do you take your DC to a+e? What symptoms etc?

[TongueBiter]

Ooo I just started a thread about DS(6) with cough variant asthma - forgot about this one!

Any advice how to stop the constant coughing? He was coughing for almost five hours last night after a day at football camp. Tried ventolin, drinks, steamy bathroom, honey, calpol ...

Just noticed he's stopped now - it's been since 4pm - every 10-20 seconds.

Not sure if I should be doing more?

[Sirzy]

For DS I take him to a and e if 10 puffs of ventolin don't last for 4 hours with him. I think for a lot of children the cut off is 5 puffs for 4 hours.

Tongue - does your DS have a preventer inhaler?

[TongueBiter]

Yes, the brown one - begins with C...

He definitely isn't as bad as last night, but I'm thinking a chat with the asthma nurse wouldn't go amiss. I actually thought he had outgrown it as we've had very little occurrence over winter.

[MrsMot]

Hello folks, haven't stuck my head in for a while but ds2 wheezes on.

He's 11 next month and while we'd hope he would grow out of his viral induced asthma he's developed a lovely severe house dust and pollen allergy so is likely to be stuck with it for a while longer

This Winter's been one of his worst for a while. Despite being on montelukast, antihistamines and adult-dose symbicort, he's still struggling. The one glimmer of hope is that we haven't needed to use pred for eight weeks.

His sleep is appalling - I've used Sleepbot to monitor him as he's always tired and he shows regular disturbance. I shared a room with him a couple of weeks ago and his snoring and movement levels were atrocious. We next see the respiratory paed in May so will see if he can have his adenoids done to help.

Another factor we'd not considered is his mental health. He gets so down when he's off sport yet again and feels so rubbish when he's tired all the time.
Add in a reasonably early onset of puberty and you have one very unhappy boy.

Asthma sucks

[grumpalumpgrumped]

Hi all,

Sorry to hear about all the suffering DC's.

My DS1 (6) has had asthma symptoms since 9 mths, had a truely awful spring last year and finally got it under control last year with seretide, but he gets cramp a lot and I have read its a side effect? Anyone else experienced this?

DS2 (3) my robust healthy one has been coughing since the week before xmas. Has ventolin, just started clenil (been a week and have just upped dose). 10 weeks of disturbed sleep
is making the whole family miserable. he coughs from about 3am-8am. He looks run down. I had forgot what its like.

Feel like I want to get off the asthma roller coaster and then have moments where I wonder if its me and maybe I am neurotic and there is nothing wrong with them Think sleep deprivation is making me crazy!

[Sirzy]

Mrs mot my sons sleeps awful aswell. A full nights sleep in a thing of dreams. Hope you manage to get things under control soon.

Oh no grump, two suffering must be a nightmare.

[PeppaIsACowbag]

I really feel for those with bad sleepers! DD always starts coughing early hours tried everything. She's just started another 28 course of montelukast and a course of pred as she's had a bad wheeze last couple of days. She's got a review soon.

[PeppaIsACowbag]

We have been admitted today DD been really struggling sats are at 91 she's just had a neb and think they are going to keep her on oxygen overnight.

[MrsMot]

Oh poor thing, sorry to hear that Peppa
You mentioned the review is 'soon', how soon is that? Sounds like she's really struggling. Is she on an antihistamine?

How are things now grump? Ds had cramp on Seretide at times. It eased eventually.

Ds is cheerier atm but is reporting a sorer-than-usual throat. Sleep still awful but the lighter days really perk him up.

[Cliffdiver]

How do you carry round your DCs inhaler and spacer?

DD1 (3.3) has recently been diagnosed with asthma, we've got a spare inhaler and spacer to carry round with us which for now I've just put loose in the baby changing bag.

However I'm worried about the spacer getting dust / food particles in. Had a look online but can't find anything, only inhaler bags.

If anyone has any links to bags they use that would be great, thanks.

Wishing those of you whose DCS are currently unwell a speedy recovery .

[Sirzy]

Hope she is better soon peppa.

DS is 5 and normally have 60mg of pred.

His consultant wants to take him into hopsital for a few days soon to monitor and do tests. I just hope the sterile atmopshere in the hospital doesn't mean he has less problems that few days than normal

[PeppaIsACowbag]

DD is doing a lot better now, feel like we have finally been listened to she has had blood tests and a chest xray to see if there's any allergies etc causing the wheeze episodes. She's been discharged now .

[WellThatsLife]

Glad she's feeling better Peppa. DD1's woken up this morning with what appears to be a cold and a tight chest which often how her bad episodes start. I'm hoping it's going to settle as she's due to have a general anesthetic in 2 weeks and if it doesn't we'll have to postpone the operation.

[PeppaIsACowbag]

Hi everyone hope all is well. How us your daughter wellthatslife? Hope she feels better.

DDs blood tests came back negative for any allergens and her chest xray was clear so it was just a normal asthma episode she had. She's been put on montelukast long term now and on flixitide 200mg a day.

She's still coughing and wheezing a fair bit, her asthma nurse advised to give 6x ventolin every 4 hours over the weekend to keep her airways open as she could still hear a few squeaky sounds on her chest.

Should ventolin totally stop any wheezing/coughing? Im wondering if I should take her back in to be seen again. It's nothing major but can still hear crackly/wheezing noises between her ventolin.

[Doingakatereddy]

We are struggling with my DD whose 2, she had been given an inhaler but no other support or diagnosis.

For past few weeks her coughing at night is awful & it's affecting day time naps now, we are all exhausted. Coughing is bad when shes flat, and she has constant runny nose and is generally very irritable, not eating.

We get repeated instances of this but it's getting worse & I'm not sure what to do next.

just wondering if anyone has any advice?

[WellThatsLife]

Hi peppa, she's got a little worse, is getting out of breath easily but no significant night time coughing, we've increased her seretide to maximum and are just hoping it'll settle down. can't afford her to be ill, got work booked at the end of week, only took it because they were desperate for cover(l'm a pharmacist and if i can't go in they'll really be struggling, dh can't really take time off as his boss is away).

[PeppaIsACowbag]

It sounds like your dd could do with a preventer inhaler doing, dd's main symptom is her night time cough, although this has settled down a lot lately, she's been put on montelukast long term which I think is helping. I would visit your gp and explain.

How's your dd doing well that's life? Hope she's better! DDs just finishing a course of antibiotics for a chest infection, I think that's what brought her attack on last week.

Hope everyone else's DC are well

[Franke]

I just came on looking to see if there was a support thread for asthma and here you all are.

My ds1 (dc2) is 10yo and suffers from asthma. He has no allergies. MrsMot, you mentioned the effect on mental health and this is something that is really beginning to concern me with ds. He's had a lot of time off school this winter for obvious reasons and it's really beginning to take it's toll on him mentally. He's off again today, not because he's wheezing or anything but because he feels on the verge of being sick the whole time. I'm pretty sure this a result of anxiety. And he just seems so down. I'm feeling pretty helpless. I should mention we're in Germany so although his care is good, I feel a bit out of the loop because of communication issues (my German is ok but not great).

Are the previous support threads easy to find? Do they all have "asthma support" in the thread title? I'm really relieved to have found this thread

[WellThatsLife]

Hi Peppa, thankfully she's alot better, she wasn't well Friday but I think that was due to stress as we've had a lot of problems with bullying at school, the school seem to have got on top of it thankfully. Unless anything happens op is on for tomorrow

[speedbird17]

Hi everyone, hope you won't mind my posting, DD (2.10) has had recurrent episodes over winter of wheezing/coughing/chest ones and finally after about the sixth appt in less than 3 months we have seen someone who has diagnosed a viral triggered wheeze as Dr mentioned not allowed to diagnose asthma in under 5's? She has had a reliever and spacer since Nov, but now on 10 days of antibiotics and Montelukast, but no preventer?

I have had asthma all my life and it is now well controlled with inhalers and exercise. Just need a place to vent about DD and be able to ask questions!