Inhalers

[PirateFairy45]

Blatantly posting for traffic.

My 3yo has been prescribed an inhaler but the 1st and only time I gave it her, she freaked out.

She won't go near it now. How the hell do I get her to take it??

I don't want to have to pin her down to have it!!

No need to frighten the life out them either when I bit of play will have them using it very quickly

Unfortunately sometimes all the playing and distracting in the world doesn't work, but the child needs the medicine, and so using techniques shown to us by the nurses on the children's ward to hold the child and give the inhaler has to be done.

If you do have to 'pin her down' then sit behind her, cuddle from behind and sort of pin her legs with your legs. Hold the mask in front of her face with one arm and use the other arm across her body to hold her arms by her side. Like a big bear hug.Cuddle and rock whilst you give it, sing or whisper in her ear (she'll shush to hear what you're saying). Then when it's all done give her a big cuddle and make a fuss of her

Not read the whole thread so sorry if repeating other's advice, genius nurse told me to give my DD her inhaler (+ spacer) while she is asleep.

She's not struggling to breathe, it's for a cough at night. She's at it now. Just gonna go get the inhaler.

Every single night she's coughing constantly she wakes herself up and doesn't get proper rest

It's horrid for her and she's constantly tired.

Docs want to try the inhaler before bed before they try any other method or investigations.

Ok, done it whilst she's asleep now. Let's see if it helps.

Well done :-)
I don't want to scare you or others reading this but as PP have also said it a wheeze can deteriorate really quickly out of the blue. My DD had only been a slightly wheezy a couple of times before and we very rarely had to use her inhaler. No full on asthma attacks or anything. She just had a cold but over the course of the night wheezing got worse. We could not get her to do her inhaler and did not push it, as like lots of people I think did not like seeing her distressed. I took her to the doctor in the morning expecting them to give her a nebuliser or something. Doctor measured her oxygen and called an ambulance. She spent 4 days in hospital on IV salbutamol. Was much more distressing all round. This was 2 years ago and she is fab at taking her inhaler now and also now has a steroid one twice a day, but still remembers the ambulance. The nurses at the hospital taught me a way to pin her down where you lie them down with their head held steady in your groin, legs pointing away from you, arms out the the side pinned under your legs. (This also works well for reluctant tooth brushers!)

And I realise the reason for giving your DD her inhaler might not be the same/as urgent, but others may read this and not get into the situation we did...

I don't want to scare you or others reading this but as PP have also said it a wheeze can deteriorate really quickly out of the blue

This.

DS had "just a cough at night" for which he was prescribed inhaler. But the inhaler was distressing so we didn't use it much. And I didn't understand why an inhaler anyway as there was no wheezing, just a cough (I was ignorant of how asthma presents in young children) and thought it pointless and that something else was required. I admit I was stupid.

Then came the night that the cough got so bad he was coughing up mouthfuls of fluid from his lungs. Went to the GP in the morning who immediately called an ambulance for bluelighting to hospital. After which I stopped being quite so ignorant and stupid and we started using the inhaler properly no matter what.

Bribery, sweets, stories, TV. Pinning down if you have to. Whatever it takes to get the medicine in.

I second what others have said re: just working it into your routine and making it fun.

My 2yo has a brown preventer inhaler for a persistent night-time cough, which is working wonders. We associate it with teeth brushing (do inhaler first so that you clean any residue medicine off their teeth) and reading a bedtime story.

He has the aero chamber with the teddies on; Dr accidently prescribed the Volumatic one once and I took it back as it was massive.

Just remain calm and strong. Good luck!

Cexu, exactly. We were given an inhaler with no real explanation on instruction other than try this if she sounds wheezey. I was not told about the asthma nurse until she started having asthma attacks about a year ago and given the steroid inhaler. The asthma nurse was brilliant at explaining if all properly to me and to her! If we'd have offered an appointment with her in the first place I think we would have known what to do and avoided hospital.

Our asthma nurse is amazing too! Forgot to mention that ds was prescribed his inhaler after being blue-lighted to resuscitation just after he turned two (Feb this year). He had a cough in the night, then the wheeze worsened and he was struggling so I called 111 who told me to call 999.

Saw our asthma nurse the other day, as said I was confused about when and how often to give blue inhaler, if ds is poorly or struggling. She wrote out an action plan to stick on our fridge, and said call her anytime if I'm concerned or unsure

I've had 3 Dc on inhalers at various points, all for 'just' a cough. But the medication did works. The small orange aero chamber was a bloody godsend. I had the dc pretending it was a trumpet, giving it to ted themselves, explaining how it would help them feel better, even if it tastes a bit yucky. Reward charts for taking their medicine with a treat they chose. There continues to to a spacer and old inhaler (no cannister) in the toy box for doctor play.

And I hate to say it, but when they needed it and refused, screamed, shouted, there were times when the screaming big breaths did get the medication in a lot sooner than pussy footing around did. I'm not saying you need to do that, I don't see the point in unnecessarily traumatising your child. But don't be afraid to do it if it needs to be done in an emergency situation.

I don't want to scare you or others reading this but as PP have also said it a wheeze can deteriorate really quickly out of the blue

Yes, my youngest was admitted to hospital a few times when he was a toddler and he went from happily playing to struggling for breath in about 30 minutes. Luckily he was never bad enough for a long stay but it was always around 6 hours on the ward with steroids and nebulisers. The nurses on the ward just don't have the time for playing around and persuading kids, and you can't really reason with a 2 year old anyway. When they need Ventolin, they NEED it, right away.

My DS has been in hospital a few times & had to stay in. He would scream & go crazy, but the nurse did say that it would mean more meds will get taken into his lungs because he'll be doing big inhales of breath. Also through the night we used to give it to him whilst he slept.

He's now very good at taking his inhaler & has his preventer morning & night & will take the blue one when needed thought the day.

I remember the screaming, crying & feeling awful but just remember it's important your child gets it. Asthma can be bloody scary!

Goodluck Op to make you feel better

I swear by a spoon of golden syrup as a bribe for this type of thing. I'm 35 and use a spacer, i think the trick is to just be breathing normally but deeper than usual, fairly slowly, so I think maybe you could start with getting her to practice that first and then introduce the spacer - definitely ring asthma uk for advice, they are wonderful. I'm just not sure enough of the drug would go in with pinning them down? I think you need to learn the technique yourself so you can teach her and check she has done it right. I've struggled with my technique off and on and now at 35 seemed to have cracked it, such a seemingly simple thing but can be tricky. I've been advised to gargle afterwards so maybe that would be a fun part for her, and to wash it fairly regularly so maybe she would enjoy that bit too. Buy her something amazing and tell her she can only play with it after she has taken it? Asthma UK are amazing - ring them as many times as you like till you have both cracked it.

Maybe gargling a bad idea for a 3 year old but she could swill her mouth out and spit - maybe chocolate milk?!