Dreading tonight already as I know I'll be up all night with DS asthma

[asthmawasthma]

DS (5) has asthma, he's on lots of medication for it but generally when he picks up a bug or his hayfever is bad like it is today it really affects him at night. I've been up most of the night for the last four nights with him due to constant sneezing and blocked nose from hayfever which was making him uncomfortable. Now he's started with the dreaded cough. It always starts off with a croup sounding cough and means he will be up all night hacking away. Which means I'll be up all night consoling him and giving inhalers etc.
I know I'm moaning and it's not fair on Ds as obviously it's not his fault. But I feel so rundown and poorly myself at the moment just from over tiredness and burnout that I don't think I can cope with another night of no sleep! DH is useless and even if he agreed to help he would sleep through it all anyway so there's no point asking! Just needed a moan!

Home nebuliser is a terrible idea, it makes people feel safe at home when actually they are seriously ill.

Anti-histamine for the whole of hayfever season and possibly just every day. I tried coming off mine in December and was so clearly worse that I started again and just have it year round.

Finally get a better antihistamine than Piriton. Piriton is very old-fashioned, causes drowsiness and doesn't last all day. Plus you are just paying £££ for the brand, the actual drug costs pence.

Our nebuliser WAS prescribed. We were trained how and when to use it and to speak to our asthma nurse as soon as possible if we had to use it. You can't just go and get one and you definitely can't just buy the medication to put in it! The decision was made after ds was hospitalised.

The GP will tell you when he has had too much, if he needs medication you must speak to the GP. Don't withhold medication except on medical advice.

Antihistamine is a great idea (I love cetirizine). The home nebuliser idea is insanely dangerous. If a child is ill enough to need a nebuliser, they need proper medical assessment. Home nebulisers encourage parents to keep children at home who need to be admitted. I have seen casually acquired home nebulisers result in preventable paediatric intensive care admissions.

@bergamotorange I've never withheld it, it's just something I worry about. One of the nurses we saw in a&e once told us that having only 3 lots a year is enough to scar his lungs the same as a smoker by the time he's 20. Not sure how true that it but it's always really worried me since!

Uncontrolled asthma is more dangerous though!

a lot of pred isn’t good (although I don’t understand the scaring the lungs bit!) but it is only prescribed when it is needed.

my son has adrenal issues caused by taking prednisone a lot when he was younger but without that he wouldn’t be here now so it is what it is.

@asthmawasthma That nurse was hugely mistaken!! It doesn’t have that effect at all. Anaesthetist here who treats lots of patients with asthma!

No disrespect to nurses but I would not take the opinion of an A+E nurse on the long term management of childhood asthma.

Also struggling to see how steroids would scar his lungs when the whole point is that they reduce inflammation and allow you to breath.

There are other reasons to try to avoid lots of courses of steroids but ultimately breathing comes first.

That's an incredibly irresponsible thing for the nursery to tell you. If he needs it he needs it.

I would highly recommend making an appointment with a GP tomorrow for something to relieve this bout, and then with your asthma nurse to discuss the right treatments and see which antihistamine she suggests. It might be worth taking it long-term. I agree with a pp that Piriton isn't ideal, but it might help tonight.

It's rubbish managing asthma OP, I sympathise. I usually end up sleeping in my son's room on a chair so I don't sleep too deeply. I do find a humidifier helps too.

You must speak to a GP or asthma specialist, not take the words of a single nurse.

I don't know about the drug but if you are not seeking a possible medication that you know could help then you are withholding it - the GP needs to advise you about this drug and how often he should be taking it.

*nurse not nursery

@bergamotorange like I said I'm not withholding it. At the moment he isn't at the stage where he would need it. I'm well versed in knowing when he needs it and when he doesn't as we've had lots of experience of his asthma over the years.

Thanks everyone, the nurse was obviously just trying to worry me so it's good to know it's not the case!

Air purifier is game changer - just make sure you get decent one. Our paediatrician explained some recirculate air and do more harm. Keep windows closed in evening, clothes not hung out, Vaseline around nose when outside, sunglasses on. Make sure you change clothes and shower before going into bedroom. It’s awful, you have my sympathy, not that it’s much help with sleep. If it’s grass pollen allergy, discuss the use of desensitisation with doctor, it may be suitable.