To ask here and not in the proper place?

[OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere]

I know this should be in children's health and i will probably go there later.
But I could do with some advice and holding down fairly quickly and I would be really greatful if people could reassure me.

I have PTSD. This manifests itself in medical environments/situations. I am working on it

It looks like DC5 has asthma. I picked him up from Nursery today. He had a mild cough this morning. Nothing else.
When I got him and picked him up I could hear him wheezing. Thank God for the NHS, my GP saw him right away and within half an hour I had steriods for him.

This is the fourth episode where a cough/cold has gone straight to his chest. The GP cant diagnose him right away but we are doing the 'step up, step down' thing with inhalers and I will take him back on Monday.

If he gets worse today I have to take him to A&E. He is two.

I am not a cotton wool, panicky mum but my DD died and that has made me not cope with this stuff very well.

DS doesnt know. He is sleeping next to me and as far as he can tell I am calm as a cucumber.

But I am on the verge of a breakdown.
Tell me more about asthma, what to look out for, triggers, signs - whatever I need to know.

I can do this but I have to work it through my head.
I know it seems pathetic because I nursed my DD for two years and I am not unused to illness but this all seems a bit hard at them moment.

Any tips/advice would really help. Thank you.

You were so cool when your DD was in hospital. I was like and then

Damn you and your lack of medical related lunacy

Cool exterior was all I had in the coolness stakes. Anyway, I had people like you jollying me along, so I shall do the same with you.

MrsDV, no advice, just sending love and assurance that my PTSD is exactly the same, for similar reasons as you know. I tend to let the medics know so they can guide me through thinks - I'm not so good at decision making in that situation.

Big love xx

FrankWippery posting about pneumonia reminded me - ds got pneumonia after swine flu when he was 4, he now always gets the flu jag so that might be worth considering for autumn/winter.

No advice about asthma, but just wanted to say that I think you're bloody brilliant, and your posts make me wish I had a friend like you sometimes! So here, have some anonymous Internet hand squeezing, and the hope that your DS has an uneventful (in the asthma sense) life, and knows just how lucky he is to have a mum who loves him as much as you clearly do!

Mrs DV, I don't know a huge amount about asthma in children (I was diagnosed at 13). I will say that in the case of asthma, steriods are your friend. The doses in inhalors shouldn't affect behaviour too much, if at all.

If you have trouble getting your DS to take his inhalor try letting him loose with some stickers on it (worked on DNeice). Apparently you can get ventolin (reliever) as a syrup for young children if you struggle with the pump, they can be a pain in the arse to get the hang of, I assume you've been given a spacer with it though.

Nursery shouldn't be a problem, have a chat with the manager and his key worker and they should be fine. I'm a childminder and one of my little ones has mild asthma, I just have his mother sign a form saying I'm ok to give him his inhalor if required and make sure she signs if I have to give him his pump.

Have a look at Asthma UK www.asthma.org.uk/about-asthma/ it is a brilliant site. Also try giving the asthma nurse a call just to chat through your concerns, they are very knowledgeable and full of great advice.

Finally, and sorry for the long post, have a massive >>> a big cup of and some lovely

My daughter has this. She gets a cold and straight to chest. Her last episode in jan was pretty scary as she woke in the night and was sucking in her stomach and heart beating very fast. I stayed up all night she fell back to sleep. Rang out of hours first thing and they said go straight to A&E. She was given loads of puffs of ventolin and given a mask. They kept her in for the day to monitor her oxygen levels.

This started as a baby but she is 7 now. Luckily we only have 2-3 episodes a year.

So this week, same thing but now we know to give her 10 puffs if she is doing the stomach sucking thing. She responds well and is now just "chesty". I don't call it asthma. She is doing gymnastics as we speak.

It does freak me out as I have lost a son at three days old. I always feel that i must not panic and end up going the other way - but there is a happy medium to be had. Its better to use the services and professionals and get reassurance. It's okay to be a bit anxious.

Feel for you and the hospital bag. I have the baby towel hat I used when my boy was in intensive care. Still bury my face in it...

Hi MrsDeVere, let us know if you want us to move this to c's health and all best from MNHQ

Thanks Olivia.
Prolly for the best.

Thanks again for you all your lovely and posts.
They are really helping.

DS loves his pump at the moment (he is a funny kid) and laughs when he has it. I am hoping this is getting some of the stuff in his lungs.

He is still jolly and after the pump his wheezing stops for a bit but not quite for the four hours. I am going to have him in with me tonight (but I suppose you guessed that).

I gave him a nice bath incase he has to go to the hospital later and he will be wearing his best PJs. Ipad and phone are being charged as well.

Much as I love my OH he is being useless
But I am beginning to realise this is his way of dealing with things. Its only taken me 6 years.

Some pysch would LOVE to write a paper about us....

raven I know sweetheart (((hugs)))

It never, ever, ever goes away x

Hope he is sleeping well now Mrs De Vere :)

I currently have everything on charge incase DS ends up going in tonight, he likes to wait until between 11pm and 3am to decide to be ill enough to need A and E, doesn't seem to realise I need sleep!

I just thought of something else.

with dd2 she has eczema as well as asthma - recently she has had a flare up in her asthma and eczema because of hayfever. using piriton at night, has really helped with the wheeziness, as well as the itching that normally keeps her awake. We were also recommended to use it when dd1 had an asthma induced nighttime cough. Might be worth mentioning to asthma nurse/dr.

Wrt the liquid steroids, they never had the effect of making my dds hyper, the worst thing was making them take them because they taste so foul, but they work so quickly that it is worth the torture!

I hope your ds is ok tonight, and you manage to get some rest.

Hazey - mix the pred with a small amount of blackcurrant juice and it makes it much better tasting.

He had a good night but is a bit wheezy now.
I hope you stayed At home sirzy

The boy knocks back his meds with a smile.
Strange child

Glad he is feeling better MrsD, and that he takes the meds so happily!

Glad he is doing ok, Ds is much better this morning just keeping the inhalers up for a few more days!

Ds is great with his inhalers but hates the pred and I have quiet often been showered in it!

Glad it was a good night.

So sorry to hear about your Dd and there is no time limit not to be crazy!

Your DS sounds like my DD1, she had trouble breathing, wheezing and gaspy as a result of every single cough and cold for 2 years, this was a "viral induced wheeze" which was treated with inhalors and can be a precursor to asthma but there is a reason they don't diagnose before 3 usually and that's because it can disappear! DDs has at 2.8 god willing the last couple of viruses she has weathered without the breathing difficulties.

I would say be prepared with the inhalors but speak to asthma nurse about viral induced wheezes if he isn't having episodes driven by dust/allergies.

Genetically ecsma and asthma are linked and can be "triggered" so for me ph gave me asthma then it went away, for DD1 it was viruses, again it's gone, this doesnt have to be a serious lifelong diagnosis at this point and even if it remains can be well managed.