I am seething with this doctor and very worried. Do I have any right to be?

[ChristineSmartyPants]

Here and here are the previous threads where lots of posters advised that I should be taking my daughter to the doctors and that it possibly sounded like asthma, and then that I should take her back.

Well, we got another appointment for this afternoon. My daughter was being a bit reluctant about it, but allowed the doctor to listen to her chest and used the peak flow meter.

He said that he could detect a wheeze, and that her peak flow was lower than he would expect for someone of her age size and that both of these things indicated that an 'asthmatic response' so I sat poised, waiting for the prescription.

He then told me that it was 'pointless prescribing anything' as the asthma was mild and so she could 'live with it'. So now I have an 11 year old daughter who is convinced she is going to have an asthma attack, no medication, and not even a recommendation for antihistamines.

AIBU and what on earth shall I do?

Whether your DD has asthma or not, OP, I am concerned that the doctor didn't give you anything, even advice, on how to deal with the chest tightness. I have asthma and I know how horrible it is. When it's there, you feel as though you can't do everything you normally do, because you can't breathe in as deeply as you want and you feel like pushing it might make things worse.

The trouble with asthma is it is so often underestimated. I've done it myself - I left one attack so long that the doctor told me if I hadn't been nebulised when I was, I probably would have gone to sleep that night and never woken up again.

I will suggest, however, water. Water and a small quantity of salt [or perhaps ready salted crisps, as they're a bit more palatable]. Sounds nuts, but there is a school of thought which says that asthma is caused by dehydration, and the airways constricting so as not to allow breathing out so much [because breathing out gets rid of water in vapour]. I was sceptical myself [still am, to an extent] but have tried it a couple of times when I've felt the tightness coming on and either it's worked, or it's been a placebo, but either way it got rid of the tightness.

The salt, by the way, is there because apparently it helps to break up the mucus in the airways. Also I think it helps the body to use the water more efficiently.

Might be a whole load of hogwash, but I figure it's worth a try.

Even though 2 doctors (who were, admittedly, less than empathetic by OP's account) have diagnosed it as mild & low-level? It's starting to sound as though you value your internet diagnosis above the 2 qualified people who've met the child in person.

I support the reccomendation for OP to take her DD to an asthma nurse, as I said.

Glitterandglue - interesting about the salt! Thanks! I've noticed that, in intense tropical heat, my breathing has improved when I followed the rehydration routine (water, salt, banana, sugar) but never really put the two together

She hasn't actually been diagnosed though, that's the problem.

Definitely see the asthma nurse - we're far more knowledgeable about asthma than GPs !

,

Sorry - pressed enter too early there!

Thanks for all the advice. To be frank, I just don't feel safe leaving her with diagnosed asthma and no medication, even if there are breathing techniques she can learn/'tricks' available to rid herself of the chest tightness.

It's her last week of Primary School next week, and I'd really rather she didn't spend it with a tight chest. It's not very pleasant for her, and if medication can sort it, then I will go back and ask for medication.

I will definitely make an appointment with the asthma nurse and let you all know how it goes!

Peak flow monitoring + symptoms diary sounds wise. The asthma nurse can give you loads of advice on this. You would need an asthma nurse to show how to use a ventolin inhaler (for a child via a spacer) so you could try it in a useful way, unless you already know.

Inhaled steroids get added in to manage symptoms that are more than occassional. Systemic side effects from these are not really much of a problem unless v high dose and usually in younger children, please don'y worry about them if needed.

ChristineSmartyPants - is there anything triggering her symptoms? I developed asthma (never, ever had any symptoms before) after moving house and the dust and allergens (sp?) from the previous occupant's dog set me off coughing and wheezing - it was truly awful and I barely slept for a month before seeking help.
I was 5 months pregnant and GP prescribed ventolin and a steroid. But what really helped was moving out for a week to stay with my PIL.It seemed to settle my system down and I didn't need the meds after that. Not been asthmatic since (17 years ago!).

Is there any chance you can take a holiday and see if that affects her symptoms? Just to check if there is an environmental factor involved?

PS feather pillows, moulds, pollens and furry pets are all common triggers for allergies but you probably know that! My mum had to dump her feather pillows when they started to make her wheeze.

Really hope you get this sorted out.

I had cough-variant asthma undiagnosed throughout my teens. A lot of doctors don't recognise that asthma can manifest simply as a cough, that feels like every breath in is full of dust. I tended not to have acute attacks but longer phases of coughing, usually triggered by cold or exercise, that would last a day or so. I didn't develop a wheeze until I was much older.
I was diagnosed at 18 because I was working with horses (dust) and coughing all night, every night.
To diagnose me the Dr put me on regular (3 times daily) peak flow tests, because a single test doesn't tell you much, the indicator for asthma is a drop of more than 40 units, for me this would happen overnight, then it would come up during the day, so the graph from my chart was a zigzag, not a line.

I agree that steroid inhalers aren't necessarily the best thing (I have gone through phases on very high doses, but improved when I moved out of the city), but you do need a proper diagnosis to decide how to manage it. I also think there is nothing wrong with prescribing a ventolin inhaler for emergencies, or to take before doing anything that she knows will trigger it. At the very least it won't do her any harm if used properly and would give her a security net that might make her feel more confident about dealing with her symptoms, rather than having a mild attack, and panicking.