Asthma - not an allergy but can anyone advise?

[babylily]

DD is 20 months and was diagnosed with asthma at 9 months (it developed literally the day after I stopped breastfeeding - just to add to the guilt factor!). Since 1st January it has been getting progressively worse (she has also developed mild exzema to keep it company). We saw GP last week who gave us another salbutamol inhaler and told us to see the asthma nurse next time who would probably prescribe a steroid based inhaler. We have duly made an appointment to see the asthma nurse at the end of April - the next available appointment!!!)
Am I just being over-reactive but surely when a toddler is wheezing all night, holds her breath, is sick from coughing and using an inhaler at least 10 times a day there should be something else that can be done?! DH has been hospitalised twice by severe attacks whch came from nowhere, and it's hard to sleep at night when we're worrying about DD being unable to breathe.(never mind the three to four times a night when she needs to use her inhaler...
Does anyone else have experience of this?

It sounds like she need a preventer inhaler too (the brown one). It has low dose steroids in and you give it every day, usually just a couple of puffs if her asthma isn't playing up.

Hi, I have asthma and I think if your DD is needing this much preventer inhaler each night, you need to get some help right now with her meds and not wait until end of April. I would call NHS direct immediately and see what they think.

That sounds like a heck of a long time to wait to see the nurse. I would think the next step would be a preventer inhaler as Nutty says.I can't believe the GP is ready to make a child with breathing difficulties wait until the end of next month!

Is dd under the care of the childrens outpatients department at all? Ds1 was only referred back to the GP's asthma clinic once the Consultant was satisfied that his asthma was well under control.

It is totally up to you, but in your position i think i wouold go to a&e when her asthma is soooo bad.

It took me 14mths to get my dd diagnosed with asthma as the gp wouldn't confirm it under 2, and so he wouldn't give an inhaler at all.
In the end i went to a&e and refused to move until someone told me what was wrong with her.
2 hours later she had been properly diagnosed with asthma and given two inhalers with a follow up appointment to check we were happy with it all.

No she wasn't in immeidate risk as she wasn't having an asthma attack at that point so maybe i shouldn't have gone to a&e, but 14mths of battling with the g.p was wiped out and resolved with in 2 hours of being at the hospital, and dd started to get the treatment she had needed.

Like Nutcracker says, she sounds like she needs the pulmicort turbohaler to prevent it. That will be taken morning and evening everyday.

Is the one she's using have little tablets that go in the bottom? I used to have that one when I was younger and it seemed to be the only one that would work effectivly.

Does she have any allergies?

Thanks for your speedy replies. We thought about ringing NHS direct last night when it was really bad, if it's bad again tonight I won't hesitate. She doesn't have any other allergies (that we're aware of - luckily for the cats who she adores!).
My GP is great at sitting back and asking 'what do you think we should do?'. And there was me thinking that he would be the one to tell me!
The salbutamol ventolin inhaler she has is the same one as dh uses - so as it doesn't work with her attacks I'm of the opinion that her asthma is worse than his - which is a greater worry. He has one of the brown steroid inhalers but I don't want to give her that in case it's wrong. I haven't seen one with tablets in - but I'm sure I will become familiar with all the medication over time...

Hi. The asthma campaign have a helpline too: here is the website I wholeheartedly second what has been said re A&E too. With correct meds asthma doesn't have to be a problem. Hope she grows out of it--lots of children do (even if I didn't)!

hello my ds was diagnosed with asthma at 6 months but was told that he didn't have allergies...now for months and months until feb. i finally pushed for the test. he is allergic to EVERYTHING....has your child been tested.. also my ds had been hospitalized several times.. at times lips turning blue and all, it was so scarry.. i know ped here don't like to test so young....but it was worth it... and also like the other mom stated an inhaled steroid..definetly helps.. and when the asthma is active like my ds was most of the time oral steroids.....

My ds is older but we were also needing to use the salbutimol inhaler more than twice a week. He was put on the brown steroid inhaler twice a day and hasn't had a coughing fit since. See you GP and have a chat.

Don't wait till April, the Asthma society says that if you have to use the blue inhaler more than twice a week the asthma isn't properly controled and you may need different meds.

I've been on the asthma society website (thanks for the link arabica) and e-mailed an asthma nurse. Tried to arrange an earlier appointment with the asthma nurse at our doctors practice but no go - they have recommended NHS direct during an attack - our doctor has insisted we use the salbutamol for 6 wks before the need for further treatment is assessed.
Actually had quite a good night last night - she only needed the inhaler once in the night! I feel positively rested for once!

my nephew grew out of his asthma when his mother read stuff about probiotics and allergies and changed his diet. It might just be a coincidence but there are lots of claims on websites like this one www.healthspan.co.uk/articles/article.aspx?Id=116

that it helps. Might be worth a try.

As others have said, if you are not getting the wheezing under control, you need to get more help.

If you need to use the inhaler is holding her for less than 2 hours, you should really be taking her to hospital. They will take you seriously.

It sounds like she needs a brown inhaler to use every day, and that should keep the attacks at bay.

I was on the thread for ezcema and then saw this one, my ds has had bad ezcema since he was four months old but also was a very sickly boy. He had antibiotics as least every two months with chest infections. I just thought it was bad luck. Around the time his ezcema was at its worst he had a very bad chest infection and was diagnosed with atshma and was given an inhaler. A few weeks later I got rid of my cats and took him off dairy completly for his ezcema, and within one month his ezcema dissapeared completely and hasnt needed his inhaler since or had many antibiotics since. He is now five and the only time he gets chesty or dry patches is when granny gives him sneaky ice-cream or he eats dairy at a birthday party. Within 24hrs he is coughing and wheezey. Did your dd go on to dairy milk after you stopped breastfeeding? It might just be connected. I hope you find a solution.

as an asthma sufferer it does sound like her astham is out of control and u need to see either the nurse or gp asap. She will need a preventer as someone else said. However it is very hard to diagnose asthma under 2 as they have concerns my son may be asthmatic but as he cant really do the breath test (sorry name escapes me) they have decided to wait. But with your daughter it sounds like she needs seeing urgently

Hi babylily, I just wanted to add that you're absolutey right not to try your dh's steroids with your baby, she definitely needs a prescription with the right type and dose for her bodyweight. My ds doesn't react to things like housedust, but reacts to viruses with an allergic response; I wonder if your dd has had a virus that has triggered this? My ds is 10 now, but his asthma nurse says that if someone's needing the blue inhaler more than once a week they need to be on steroids. I know it's different when they're so tiny, but I would agree with the others- go to hospital and don't just take your GP's word for it.

Nemo - it's the Peak Flow Test. I thought you couldn't use this test until they were about 6, and therefore not be able to diagnose asthma as the PFT is part of the diagnosis.

My DD - almost 3 - has what is called WAVE - wheeze asssociated with viral episodes - but it is treated the same way as asthma (becotide inhaler plus ventolin when required).

Asthma is a very serious illness and you need to be on the right drugs to ward off asthma attacks. Even if you are on the right drugs you can still fall victim to an attack, as I just found out when I caught bronchitis (I'm OK now). But I'd also recommend taking your DD to a homeopath. As a child I was diagnosed with loads of allergies which I did not grow out of; homeopathy got rid of most (not all) of them which has made my life a lot easier!

This sounds so like a Dairy allergy - the day after you stopped breastfeeding - come one!

Take her off Cows dairy and substitute with a calcium enriched other - Soya, Rice, Goats or Sheeps. Asthma is linked to Dairy allergies - Please get her an appointment with a recommended Kneisologist in your area that tests for foods intolerances or allergies and find out - but taking her off them and seeing how she is would work just as well.

My son had all sorts for Asthma - including oral steriods at certain times. He now has no medication at all and does not need it. The Docs are just treating the symptoms - not the cause.

I literally beg you - please say you will get her checked out! My son had 2 inhalers daily (x 3 each) and a plug in one when he was very ill. Antiobitics to the stage that he was resistant to them. He has not had any of these since coming off dairy. He has Soya Milk.

NO YOU ARE NOT BEING OVERREACTIVE.

& CATS! a real classic for causing asthma, and you won't necessarily know they're causing her problems. Think VERY SERIOUSLY about rehoming them.
I would totally agree with everyone, using the inhaler several times a night means she has asthma which is not under control. You don't have the right medication and your gp sounds like a plonker. My dd (now 9) has never had a peak flow thing test (we don't live in the UK and I know that's a big deal there) but the specialist could tell she has asthma - she has the brown preventative inhaler every evening and ventolin syrup when she needs it - rarely fortunately. Please go another route, as everyone suggests, being awake every night is not normal and awful for all of you.

I would definetely get rid of the cats.

babylily asthma can be linked to a lot of things - go and see a different doctor but don't feel you have to panic into getting rid of the cats, your child can be tested to see if they are allergic to cats then you can decide. You may have to fight to get proper allergy testing but it is really worth it. One of my children is allergic to soya, it's quite a common allergen apart from the other concerns about it. I wouldn't suggest that for a child already having a possibly allergic condition (asthma is often an allergic condition). Starting the day after you stopped breastfeeding could just be coincidence or it could be a problem with fatty acids rather than milk intolerance. If it is a problem with milk probiotics may help.

All I know is that I would have got rid of everything to help his health, we even got rid of carpets and vacumed his bed every day with dust sheets. So the cats were a small price to pay to see him free of sores and infections. Even thought he is clear he still reacts to his grannys cats. He changed within a month, could you ask a family member to home them for a few weeks and try the soya, it cant do any harm.

If not Soya, Sheeps milk is the closest in constitution to Breast Milk.