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Original poster

Asthma and puberty - how was it for your DC?

29 replies

Schulte · 02/11/2021 10:23

Hoping I’m posting this in the right place - there don’t seem to be any asthma threads at the moment?

DD is 12 and has suffered from asthma since she was 7. Before that, she had eczema and an egg allergy, plus suspected peanut allergy, but she grew out of all those things. She also had croup many times before she developed asthma.

Her asthma has progressively got worse - we are constantly stepping up her preventer treatment and she’s still getting flare ups - and noticeably harder to control since she turned 11 and started puberty.

I always thought asthma gets milder as they grow up but with DD, she seems to go the opposite way and it’s so hard for her and us.

Just hoping someone has some positive stories.

OP posts:
PlanDeRaccordement · 02/11/2021 10:29

Asthma is very individual from my experience. I have it as do two of my DCs. It does go through years of being terrible and years of being what I call “in remission” as you barely notice it. There is no set rule or normal cycle I’ve seen.

Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 10:33

Do you find that your hormones affect it at all? Nobody else in our family has asthma so we’re learning all the time.

OP posts:
mumonthehill · 02/11/2021 10:43

I would try and pin down what is causing the flare ups if you can, although it is not easy. Also get regular asthma checks as she may not be taking the inhalers in the right way so worth checking. Does she use a spacer? Again worth trying. I did not grow out of it but ds has and at 14 is now off all medications. If her asthma is not controlled she needs to be seen by gp so they can try different inhalers. It can be trial and error.

Talipesmum · 02/11/2021 11:22

Has she been having asthma checks? A couple of years ago my 10 yr old was finding it hard while exercising and they changed his inhaler to a new sort and it’s much better.

PlanDeRaccordement · 02/11/2021 13:20

No usually hormones do not affect asthma. It is more likely to be an external trigger. As a pp stated, exercise induced asthma exists. It can also be weather extremes like very hot and humid, or very hot and dry or cold and damp or cold and dry. It can also be allergens like pollen or house dust or mould spores or pet dander. The thing with allergens is a person can develop an allergy at any time, so even if they have been alright in the past, they can suddenly start reacting and getting asthma flare ups. And less expected things too for example, for me chlorine fumes from indoor swimming pools set off my asthma. For my DC perfumes, air fresheners, scented candles, incense trigger their asthma as well.

Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 15:30

We talk to the asthma nurse all the time and DD’s inhalers have already been changed twice, her technique checked, she does use a spacer, she’s on Montelukast and antihistamines too. It must be very obscure triggers for her - we’ve never managed to pinpoint what has set off a bad episode. The only thing I can think of this time is that in the night it started, the temperature suddenly dropped by 10 degrees. I can’t do anything about the weather Sad. We’re doing our best to keep on top of dust, cleaning when she’s not there with windows open, occasionally use an air filter… what else can we do?

OP posts:
mumonthehill · 02/11/2021 16:15

Is she under a paediatrician? Ds was for many years and was allergy tested through this. We had blood tests and then skin prick tests and I would think that this would be worth asking for. Things like dust are difficult to eliminate, I spent years putting soft toys in the freezer!!

PlanDeRaccordement · 02/11/2021 18:51

spent years putting soft toys in the freezer!!

Me too.

littlestmunchkin · 02/11/2021 18:59

Has she started her period? We've been through this exact thing since July and dd is constantly breathless but I think it helps her when I give her an iron supplement - I get breathless when anaemic. If those are her symptoms? I'm not absolutely sure it's sorted but it seems to be helping. It got worse again over half term as I wasn't around when she was having breakfast to pop the spatone in her juice and coincidentally her breathing got worse again so maybe ...

We are on the third type of inhaler try and montelukast so not much else that can be done for children from what we've been told.

Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 19:38

@littlestmunchkin

Has she started her period? We've been through this exact thing since July and dd is constantly breathless but I think it helps her when I give her an iron supplement - I get breathless when anaemic. If those are her symptoms? I'm not absolutely sure it's sorted but it seems to be helping. It got worse again over half term as I wasn't around when she was having breakfast to pop the spatone in her juice and coincidentally her breathing got worse again so maybe ...

We are on the third type of inhaler try and montelukast so not much else that can be done for children from what we've been told.

Oh, so your DD too? Yes, the asthma getting worse coincided with her first period. The flare up she’s having at the moment came at a time when her cycle was a bit all over the place, that’s why I asked about hormones - the Asthma UK nurse suggested it could be related. She can be absolutely fine with her best peak flow ever and then bang, next thing you know she’s asking for her inhaler because her chest is tight. Usually around bedtime.
OP posts:
littlestmunchkin · 02/11/2021 20:17

My dd is 13 and has just come out of a sports club in a bad way so I think I'm wrong re the iron. I'm going to do some research. Her trigger seems to be a combo of exercise and weather related . She's also just had covid (and was ill) so I am hoping it will settle as I was also really breathless for a while afterwards and I don't have asthma - so I would expect it to last longer for her

The asthma nurse basically said there is nothing else she can take til she's an adult?

Are the antihistamines because they think it's allergy related? My dd used to have a food allergy but ok now (but still not eating that food).

littlestmunchkin · 02/11/2021 20:17

She's had her period since she was 9 though. Although I think that was when it all began.

littlestmunchkin · 02/11/2021 20:20

Her latest bout started with that really hot weather in July coinciding with sports day.

We changed her inhaler , it didn't help at all and she got heart palpitations and headaches

Now on yet another one. It made it better then she got covid. Now back at square one with headaches and heart racing and today had to stop her sport as she could t breathe .

Not sure what we can do now but it's miserable for her

Lynne1Cat · 02/11/2021 20:32

My 2nd son (now 37) has Eczema and Asthma, from being a few weeks old. The Asthma was very bad when he was little, including lots of hospitalisations, Prednisolone, etc. The Eczema settle down when he was about 10. Through his teens, the Asthma settled down (he was about 14 when it seemed to stop) but the Eczema worsened, right up until about 2 years ago. He's finally rid of both conditions, at the age of 37.

PlanDeRaccordement · 02/11/2021 20:37

next thing you know she’s asking for her inhaler because her chest is tight.

Why does she have to ask for her inhaler? From when my DCs were 5 and starting school they carried their rescue inhalers with them at all times and used them as needed by themselves. They did not have to ask for them....

Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 21:08

She doesn’t always have it on her body when she’s at home, especially since she uses a spacer too so it’s all kept in a bag. It can be upstairs and she’s downstairs, so we get it for her if she feels out of breath. Is that wrong?

OP posts:
Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 21:09

She also likes to be near me when she takes it, sometimes she comes into my room to sit with me until her breathing settles.

OP posts:
littlestmunchkin · 02/11/2021 21:09

We were told the blue inhaler is only for emergencies , not when her chest is a bit tight ? It makes her heart race and that's one of her issues anyway so she avoids it .

Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 21:11

Sorry @littlestmunchkin, that does sound miserable. DD hasn’t been able to do her sports for a couple of weeks now, I really hope she can go back soon. Does your DD take her inhaler before she starts exercising?

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Original poster
Schulte · 02/11/2021 21:14

@littlestmunchkin

We were told the blue inhaler is only for emergencies , not when her chest is a bit tight ? It makes her heart race and that's one of her issues anyway so she avoids it .
Really? We were always told to take it as soon as she feels she can’t breathe properly, and as a precaution before exercise too if needed. She’s just coming off a salbutamol weaning regime of 10 puffs every four hours and then fewer each day, so she’s gone through a lot of her blue inhaler this past week!
OP posts:
PlanDeRaccordement · 02/11/2021 21:46

It’s not bad, I’m just surprised as she is 12. But then I have asthma so more comfortable with it, I suppose. I’m more worried whether school allows her to have inhaler with her or not? We had one school insist all medications be kept in office by nurse and our asthma consultant was furious and wrote a letter saying that my DC could die of asthma attack in time it takes to send someone to get inhaler from office and back to my DC. So since then, the schools have always allowed my DC to carry their inhalers.

Blue inhaler isn’t just for emergencies. You are right to use it whenever she feels a need as it’s better to nip asthma flare up in bud than wait for full blown attack.

My one DD has exercise induced asthma and the instructions have always been 2 puffs of blue inhaler 15 mins before exercise and to have inhaler with you while exercising.

littlestmunchkin · 02/11/2021 22:22

Ok I'm going to get her to do that with the blue one next training session. Is it normal for it to make her heart race when she takes it ?

PlanDeRaccordement · 03/11/2021 08:04

Yes heart racing for a short time is one of the side effects of the blue (salbutamol) inhaler.

Original poster
Schulte · 03/11/2021 08:07

My DD gets her heart racing if she takes four puffs or more, I don’t know if you get used to it after a while. She knows it’s better to have a fast beating heart than struggling to breathe so she’s fine with it.

@PlanDeRaccordement I can imagine that parents who have asthma themselves are more relaxed, to me it’s still such a big unknown. I did have fights with primary school as they also kept the inhalers in the office, luckily secondary school is much better and DD has her inhalers on her at all times while at school.

Should I push for her to be under a consultant I wonder? She has needed two courses of prednisolone this year already.

OP posts:
PlanDeRaccordement · 03/11/2021 08:11

Yes, I would push for a consultant as two courses prednisone in a year points to asthma that is poorly controlled/progressively worse than before. So would be wise to have a specialist take a look at her and her records. Has she had any hospital visits to A&E for nebuliser?