DD aged 9 : asthma suddenly got a lot worse. Advice needed please.

[Snowbell]

My dd has had a blue inhaler since she was 3 and hasn't needed to use it much over the last 6 years - it's only been hard exercise that has set it off. For the last 4-5 weeks she has had a chesty cough, which we thought was an infection. The doctor gave her a course of antibiotics which made no difference. So we went back to the docs and she was given the brown steroid inhaler. I had no idea that asthma could cause a mucous-y cough. She has been using the new inhaler for 8 days now and the cough is still the same. She also had a blocked up nose before, but since starting with the new inhaler her nose seems even more blocked up and she is having to blow her nose a few times a day. She is coughing up quite a lot of mucus as well.

To those of you with asthma experience, does this sound OK? I thought the doc said that it would take about 3 days before the steroids took effect. I have made another docs appointment for next Thursday.

Doctor always told us the orange/brown inhalers needed time to get into the system and "build up" as a preventer...we were told at least three weeks. But i'm no expert, sure someone will have better advice

thanks frogs, that's reassuring.

It can take a couple of weeks for the steroid in the brown inhaler to reduce chronic inflammation.

Also she may have an element of hayfever - many people with asthma get hayfever as well and may have a blocked nose, sore itchy throat, productive cough, tight chest and watery eyes.

Try giving her some antihistamine daily (cetirizine is good as it won't make her drowsy) and ensure she is using her blue inhaler every 4 hours or so (you don't have to wake her to give it 4 hourly overnight, but if she is awake she can take it).

Sidge you said exactly what I was thinking. I have nothing more to add really!

Thanks for your comments, Sidge. That's helpful. She's never really suffered with hayfever before but it could be that she has it now. We probably have piriton syrup - is that any good for hayfever?

It's possible to have a sudden onset of hayfever, even if she's not had it before. I've got hayfever for the first time ever this year! So much so that I have to use a nasal spray daily, an antihistamine and use my DDs blue inhaler occasionally.

Piriton syrup is fine, it's a good anthistamine but can cause drowsiness so best saved for bedtime really. Try and get some cetirizine syrup for daytime.

My 12 Y DD has been given a nasal spray for exactly the same problem - which seems to have helped a lot
She has been given a brown inhaler in the past, but will not take it. She gave it a good try for a few weeks, but swears it does not help.
Certainly try hayfever medicine DD2 is snuffling and demanding hers, so I think the pollen levels have risen with the last few days nice weather.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I think she maybe has got hayfever as well as asthma. I gave her piriton syrup last night and she was a lot less bunged up this morning. I've now bought some cetirizine so she can have it in the morning.