Asthma in 19 mo?

[Twohootsunderthemistletoe]

About 5 weeks ago DD got a cold (as did I) and ended up on antibiotics for her chest (cough etc). It's the first time she's had abs and had a bad chest like this although she did have the odd cold last winter.

Over the last week she's had another cold (and is teething with her eye teeth!) and this time it again seems to have gone to her chest but she is much more wheezy with it this time.

Took her to GP tonight and he gave her an inhaler (ventolin). He said the wheeze was not linked to a chest infection this time and more likely her airways were inflamed following the cold. He said to use inhaler until the wheezing stopped. I've given it to her twice tonight and it doesn't seem to have helped the wheezing (I used to have inhalers and always felt that I got immediate relief after using one and could breathe more easily afterwards).

I asked if this meant she could have asthma and he said potentially yes. However, he did say that atopic children normally have all 3 conditions of eczema, asthma and hayfever. DD doesn't seem to have eczema although does get the v odd small dry patch on her face when she is teething but that's all - certainly nothing like I had as a child. She didn't get hayfever this summer (although some of her little friends her age did) etc.

I had quite severe asthma as a child and really, really didn't want DD to have it. I breastfed for the first 15 months in the hope it would help prevent it I now really feel I've let her down (I know you probably think it's silly but I remember the things I went through as a child in PE etc and it was awful).

DD runs everywhere and is v active and never seems to be out of breath or wheezy so I am finding it hard to take in / believe it could be asthma.

What do you think? Please help me get this sorted in my own head. I could have cried tonight seeing her with this inhaler mask up to her face I know there are much worse things for kids to have but I just keep thinking back to my awful times with asthma

[fransmom]

twohoots it's not your fault! i know you might think that it's easy for me to say but (and i'm not medical or anything) i would've thought that the nebuliser mask was to help her breathing while she had a cold, not that she necessarily has asthma. if you at all concerned, go see another doc x

[coppertop]

FWIW when I saw the nurse about ds2's suspected asthma she said that if a child doesn't have asthma then taking ventolin will make no difference to their cough. I'm not a pro but if the inhaler's having no effect at all then it's certainly a good sign that it might not be asthma.

Even if dd does turn out to be asthmatic it's certainly not your fault. xxx

[Twohootsunderthemistletoe]

Ah thanks ladies Am welling up again at the thought of that awful mask! Tbh I think it may be asthma as she seems to have slept a lot more soundly tonight (no coughing as of yet). Having said that she doesn't normally cough at all (only when she's had these 2 colds??). Must admit if I get a nasty cold it always goes to my chest - think it's from having asthma - and 9/10 I have to get abs to clear it.

Will see how she is tomorrow. GP did say if she wasn't better in a few days to take her back again - I don't suppose he'd say that if he thought it was definately asthma. He did say though that they don't like to diagnose before 2-3 years anyway.

DH has perfect health and did have as a child. Whereas I was always a sick child and had all these things wrong - I just don't want DD to be like I am/was

[fransmom]

hello twohoots. how were things today?

[Twohootsunderthemistletoe]

Thanks for thinking of me FM - sorry didn't see this earlier!

Today DD is a little better but still does have a bit of a wheeze/chesty cough (more in the day than at night though?) and you can 'feel' it on her back when you cuddle her. I think it will just take time. Not sure if the inhaler has helped - guess it must have but it's only really today I've noticed a slight improvement...? I'm hoping it's not asthma and just the fact that her airways are still not developed at this age and therefore more prone to inflammation following a cold and also an immature immune system (at least that's what I've read can be the problem).

She really is v good at taking the inhaler though (am sure that will wear off lol) and thinks it's a great game Bless her.

[fransmom]

ah bless. hope things have been better this evening. you could be right about the immature airways thing - stands to a mother's reason anyway (not sure if it would stand to medical reason - but then med reason says that teething babies colds are coincidence! )