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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not agree with the nurse practiser's view that my DS has asthma and to think a diagnosis should come from a doctor?

572 replies

PolkadotCircus · 17/02/2013 08:15

Soooo my v healthy but skinny boy 9 has had a nasty winter virus that he has had problems shaking off,symptoms involve a cough that won't go away.Loads of other kids and adults have had/got it here.

The same happened last year and our fab doctor gave him temp inhalers to calm his airways down which worked a treat and were never used again.

His grandad is the same(very skinny and some times gets a chest infection in winter it takes a whole to shake off) but still cycling 16 miles a day at 80.

Anyhow dtwin 1 keeping dtwin 2 awake so tried to get an appointment with our fab GP but because he is so fab it is nigh on impossible so was offered an appointment with a nurse which I reluctantly accepted as all I wanted were temp inhalers and ds better ASAP.

Anyhow after a very lengthy appointment when his puff was measured,history looked at,records filled in,weighed etc she finally gave us some inhalers.Puff was poor(errr yes he has a virus and a temp) and we were told to come back for a follow up asthma review.I said but he doesn't have asthma only to be told well this happened last year etc,etc.

So we went to the review puff beyond normal now and very good,virus over so no surprise.Nurse then said as he had asthma she'd like to see him again,keep him in her records,how many inhalers did he have etc,to keep him topped up when tight in the chest etc etc.

I said very firmly he doesn't have asthma and never gets tight in the chest.She then asked if he had eczema or hay fever.He had eczema as a baby and gets a bit sneezy in the summer ahhhh then they are linked so he does have asthma.Me-no he doesn't he just gets a cough he can't shake some winters.
I don't want asthma on his records unnecessarily.We politely agreed to disagree.

So aibu to think a)he doesn't have asthma and b) a diagnosis should come from a doctor.

OP posts:
NC78 · 18/02/2013 17:13

My kids have asthma and are monitored by the nurse practitioner. The chances are that she is correct, however, you have every right to ask the GP for a second opinion.

Sidge · 18/02/2013 18:16

amillionyears most leaflets are produced by pharmaceutical companies and as we are advised to avoid bias we tend not to use them.

Also we don't have much spare space to store them, and I prefer to give tailored advice for my patients with asthma (it's such a variable condotion) whereas leaflets are obviously very generalised.

I'm not going to rise to the 'nurses not being a profession' comments. I guess my BSc honours degree, 4 diplomas, numerous certificated courses and compulsory registration with a professional body count for little then.

YouOldSlag · 18/02/2013 18:34

No, I'm not a clinician, but since when has that been necessary to have a view? I've never worked in the NHS either, so please don't have another bash at them too!

You were claiming your stance as a healthcare manager gave you insight into a nurse's degree and therefore qualified you to diss it in favour of doctor's qualifications.

amillionyears · 18/02/2013 18:50

Sideg, I wasnt the poster who said about "I'm not goign to rise to the "nurses not being a profession" comments.
Dont know if you think I am, but I think your post makes it look like I am.

Sidge · 18/02/2013 19:17

amillionyears gosh no I know you weren't!

I'm sorry, my post does read like I'm saying you said that whereas I just sort of tagged it on the end of my reply to you.

No offence intended at all.

amillionyears · 18/02/2013 19:23

Thats ok. Thanks.

Actually did want to ask a further question.
Are most medical leaflets produced by pharmaceutical companies?
And did they often used to be, or is that a more recent, uh, I hesitate to use the word, development.

CheeseAndMushroomToastie · 18/02/2013 19:29

I was diagnosed with asthma a few years ago. Same symptoms as your son. I only ever take inhalers when I get the annual monster cheat infection/virus. It usually gets so bad I need steroids. Would rather they say I have asthma and keep an eye on me then solve the problem temporarily.

Yabu. Why don't you attend the reviews and monitor his peak flow etc to see what happens. If it improves with the inhalers is that a bad thing?

CheeseAndMushroomToastie · 18/02/2013 19:31

Also my nurse practitioner that does my asthma reviews actually runs the asthma clinic at the surgery, so probably sees more asthma patients on a regular basis than some of the GPs there. Just saying.

MrsDeVere · 18/02/2013 19:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sidge · 18/02/2013 19:42

amillionyears yes IME most informational leaflets are produced by pharmaceutical companies. Not all, some are produced by charitable organisations or associations but as they usually have to be purchased we can't afford to get them but will direct patients towards a support organisation for their illness/disease.

We only tend to get NHS leaflets for current 'campaigns' such as flu, HPV, shingles, bowel cancer etc.

dayshiftdoris · 18/02/2013 20:33

You know what OP... good on you! Not saying your right (or wrong) but you actually have made a thoughtful and logical argument there that deserves to be heard. You have accounted for the poor peak flows and noticed them to return to normal and are wondering if the diagnosis is correct...

I think the nurse thing is irrelevant because i think if you had seen a GP your post would say 'I think it should come from a paediatrician or respiratory consultant'

I think give Asthma Uk a call about what to do next... they might suggest you go along for next 6 months and then review... they were brilliant when my son was a baby and had 'viral wheezing' or 'baby asthma' or whatever the hell they were calling it that week Grin

(Sorry havent read whole thread)

montmartre · 18/02/2013 21:36

RAF Pilot is one of the jobs you cannot do if you've ever had asthma- I was on track for that until diagnosed at 16 with asthma. Diagnosed mistakenly HmmHmm

by my GP though not a nurse practitioner! Grin

If nothing else, this thread has really helped me, as I had no idea there were 2 types of asthma, and I really think my ds has the coughing one. He was given inhaler after a very nasty chest infection last autumn (we were one step away from taking him to A&E) and it made a big difference to him. He has nighttime coughing, that seems unrelated to anything (though he gets a cough with every cold) and isn't wheezy hardly ever... dust makes him cough and wheeze though. This week, our GP told me to bring him back when he was wheezy so they could diagnose him Hmm ... perhaps he needs to send us to the nurse practioner?

amillionyears · 18/02/2013 22:08

I knew about the army. Didnt know about any others until I had a look [posted a link on here many pages ago]
Didnt know about fireman, though that makes a lot of sense, as a smoky environment is going to be no good for an asthmatic.

DizzyHoneyBee · 18/02/2013 22:21

Sirzy, that has been my experience with regard to insurance; I had to pay £40 for a travel insurance policy for my DC because they have three different asthma medicines.
Incidentally, I can't find the link for the main asthma thread; does anybody know it please? Sirzy?

ClayDavis · 18/02/2013 22:46

Was looking for that earlier, must have missed it. There isn't a current adult asthma thread is there? They never really seem to take off.

stealthsquiggle · 18/02/2013 23:14

The 'three different medications' question now has me worried. I wouldn't have noticed it before, because the answer would have been 'no' - but actually I am theoretically taking 3 now (as in, I have 3 on repeat prescription. It is months, if not years, since I have taken salbuthamol). I had better double - check our travel insurance.

ClayDavis · 18/02/2013 23:25

I'm pretty sure they'd count the salbutamol even if your asthma was so controlled you don't need to take it. They counted my seretide as one, even though it is technically 2 medications in one inhaler.

stealthsquiggle · 18/02/2013 23:28

That's what I was thinking, Clay. It's not a huge issue if they raise the premium a bit - I just don't want the whole thing invalidated because I forgot to mention additional drug (singulair, to add to seretide and salbuthamol for nonexistent emergencies)

Mooshbag · 18/02/2013 23:40

Whenever I have a cough, said cough lasts for at least 3 weeks. I'm registered with a doctor so maybe next time I have a cough I should go to said doctor. Don't want another said three weeks of said coughing. Grin

ClayDavis · 18/02/2013 23:42

Asthma nurse suggested a trial of singulair the week before I went on holiday last year and I had to ask her to hold off as it wasn't completely necessary and would have invalidated the insurance. I think there are insurance companies that will insure people with asthma for the same price as those without.

DizzyHoneyBee · 19/02/2013 08:43

When I was getting insurance for my DC they asked how many medicines he has prescribed, which is three; seretide is one, singulair plus salbutamol.

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