AIBU school and inhaler

[MrsCaptainCaveman]

First time poster here!

Dd8 has cough variant ashma (CVA) and has a blue preventer inhaler at school.

Since she started school I've struggled with them understanding what CVA is; what the symptoms are; it doesn't present like classic ashma; when she needs her inhaler.
All of this is on her medical form and basically if she can't control her cough she needs her inhaler!

When she was younger I'd have to speak to her teacher(s) to alert them to the fact she may "need inhaler today". Now she's older I've explained that she needs to ask for it herself (inhalers are kept in Reception not the classroom). However, she's not great at speaking up for herself (teachers know this) and she won't always ask if she needs her inhaler.

Today I pick her up, constantly coughing, and I ask "did you ask for your inhaler"? To which I got a NO! I've obviously told her in no uncertain terms that now is not the time to not take inhaler when needed (she knows about coronavirus from). Fortunately after she'd taken it once we got home she was fine.

Usually I'd just let it go as I feel it's really up to her to speak up and ask for it and, under normal circumstances, doesn't present a massive risk. But given the current situation and wanting to keep her ashma under control, AIBU to speak to the school and remind them that she has CVA and if they think she needs inhaler to just to give it to her?

YABU = Dd needs to speak up and ask for her inhaler.
YANBU = School need to be more aware of her condition and act accordingly

Speaking as a fellow asthma mum AND teacher (13yr old grown out of it now - there is hope!) you should def speak to school again & insist that the class teacher/TA keep her inhalers within easy reach in the classroom (can be locked in a drawer etc if they're that pedantic about it) so that she's able to have it quickly, whenever she needs it. All of the year group staff need to be aware of her condition so that it's not reliant on 1 person to monitor her or access her inhalers etc. There's absolutely no reason why the school can refuse this - insist!

OP. You don't ask, you tell. In no uncertain terms!
As I said in my earlier post, my kids primary tried it on, until they felt my wrath.
This is a life saving medicine, not a packet of sweeties.
A medicine that can save your child's life.

Have a look at your DD's school website and see if they have a medical conditions policy or something similar. If they're not acting in accordance with this (some policies are mere copy and paste jobs and not adapted to match actual school practice), you may wish to point this out. If, on the other hand, they specifically rule out allowing children access to their own lifesaving medicine, it's time they revised it. Children should be able to self-administer this kind of medication if they're competent to do so.

My dcs school has this stupid policy that it has to be kept in reception. So there's one there. Unbeknown to them my dcs have them in their bags also. They're not dangerous to other children despite what the school says. Makes me so angry. They don't have time for someone to run to the office to collect an inhaler. Bloody bonkers. Ask them if they want to responsible for an unnecessary Hosp admission because of their ridiculous attitude. Mine are expected to remember to leave their second one at reception every morning. Yeah right.

DS was only 3 years old when he was diagnosed. But we had to see a pedatrition to get his asthma properly under control. The first GP did fob us off a bit but, the medication they where giving wasn't totally helping so I pushed for a refural.

The pedatrition was very good, she had case like his before. Yes he will not develop a weeze until he needs more serious intervention. If given steroids while still just coughing then it charms things down. That's if his blue inhaler isn't working.

I'm going to speak to the school tomorrow and see if she can keep it with her!

No you are going to TELL them that she must have it with her. Your daughter needed urgent medical treatment, that treatment was in the school but it didn't get to your daughter. The school has a duty of care.

The teacher and other staff are adults and responsible for her, they should not be relying on an 8 year old to ask for an inhaler. Particularly as asking and coughing are not always compatible.

Schools have no excuse whatsoever for inhalers not being where the child is, report any schools failing to safeguard in this way to ofsted and the local media.

Sorry for jumping on this thread but my 2 year old has been coughing through the night until he is sick for months now but the doctors keep telling me it's a virus. He was in hospital last year twice with breathing difficulties and does have a blue inhaler. Could it be CVA?
This doctor I see also told me the blue inhaler is a preventer which also confused me! And that I should use that before bed but it makes no difference.

my son 11 has the same, and i took in inhalers and detailed "traffic light" charts detailing when to give him his inhaler, i explained it wasnt the normal asthma, coughing etc in person with his teacher and the office, and we went for a assembly and he was hard core coughing, pretty close to a full blown attack and i got up in the assembly grabbed him and started to give inhalers and trying to bring him down etc, after the assembly i asked the teacher if she had given him any inhaler and she just looked at me blankly, she had no fucken idea!!!!!!! so i said he will now be holding on to his inhalers and he will be using it as he needs, and the only time i have put his inhalers in the hands of the school was last December for his school camp..... they lost them.... on the first fucken day!!!!!!! the whole camp he was given no maintenance doses and had he gone in to an attack no way to halt them... they were not returned to me for a week after the camp, so i told the principle that he will never be handing his inhalers over to anyone else again, totally unacceptable ( they said oh we have lots of Ventolin he could have used..... hes not on Ventolin)

Can you make a visual card that she can pass to the class teacher when she needs it.
Sorry if this has already been suggested.

The inhaler should be in the classroom with her op, that’s a serious safeguarding issue. Make an appointment with the head and if that doesn’t work escalate it to the board of governors. She should be able to access her inhaler easily whenever she needs it.

I was diagnosed at 18, now almost 43, but that’s crazy they are expecting your DD to ask for her inhaler and it’s in reception. It is time critical to take it ffs.

I have cough variant ( I have to be really bad to wheeze) and my god even now doctors don’t get it. ‘Oh you aren’t wheezing so you are fine’ said a recent one at the walk in centre that I was sent to as my gp couldn’t see my in person but had spoken to me on the phone and was worried about me from hearing my coughing. I had to explain between coughs that I am a coughing asthmatic not a wheezing one. ‘Oh err umm err uhh I will give you some steroids then’. Bit of a change of tune lol. That was last September and touch wood and frantically washes hands to avoid Coronavirus I have been fine since then.

Push for self medication as independence is surely best for dd (and safer).

My daughter is asthmatic. Her inhaler has always been in the same clsssroom and from very young she has looked after it herself so that she can self medicate when she needs to. The asthma nurse positively encourages this. Also, school can have a spare blue inhaler for use by any asthmatic. This is really useful and at my daughters current senior school they have a few, including one in each of the first aid bags that go out to the games pitches.

Asthmatics should have their inhaler on them at all times. Like epi pens.

They are no good in reception. And no good even in the classroom where shy children may well be too embarrassed or feel staff are too busy to ask.

Dd is signed off now she grew out of it but she always had to go to the bloody office/medical room for inhaler.

By about year 4/5 I started to shine a spare one her bag. Along side anti histamine tablets/paracetamol.

That way she could sort herself out rather than have to faff about asking people or me having to be called to authorise or come in and give her some medicine.

Shove. Not shine

I have no asthmatic DC but have asthma myself, I'd be very unhappy with that. The inhaler should be in the same room as your DD at all times. Yes, your DD does need to learn to recognise her symptoms and advocate for herself, but let's face it she's 8. Any adult looking after her should understand her asthma isn't a nuisance, it's a potentially lethal condition.

I am asthmatic, diagnosed as as an adult, but my history of childhood coughs and chest infections suggest it was missed as a child when a GP said my breathing just wasn't quite as bad as they would expect in an asthmatic

I always have my inhalers on me. I have Fostair (pink) which is a preventer and reliever in one - always have one in my handbag, plus a blue reliever for when I've used my daily allowance of pink puffs.

I keep a second blue inhaler in my work rucksack, and a third in my team's storage unit. Everyone knows it's there in case of emergency, and that my asthma action plan is in my handbag, on my phone and on my work computer.

I can't believe some schools are still insisting on keeping inhalers away from the children who need them. If they won't allow her to have it on her OP then just send a spare in her bag and don't tell them.

I sympathise with her, it's hard for some children to speak up. I had this issue at school with a teacher who ignored the advice from my consultant that I had a bladder problem and needed to be allowed to go to the toilet during class. She was so nasty to me that I didn't dare ask to go. Kick up merry hell OP, your daughter has a medical need for her inhaler and it needs to be on her at all times. At 8 she is old enough to administer it herself.

The DFE guidance is clear on this. This school should have a policy that reflects this

www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3

An inhaler is covered under emergency use

there is inhaler guidance

www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-asthma-inhalers-for-use-in-schools