I need some help regarding asmtha!!

[coffeecake]

Hi, I would really appreciate some info about this, I'm desperate.
Basically DS (nearly 4) has had a cough for 6 months.
It started with a bad cold that he caught from his big sister, he then got a dry cough and then chesty.
Since then his cough has not stopped, I can only remember him not coughing at all for one whole day, and that happened maybe 2 or 3 times.
Everytime he seemed to get over it, he caught a cold again which made his cough come back.
After 2 months of cough I told my doctor who suggested anti biotics if the cough got any worse.
It didn't so I didn't give them.
I went back 2 months later and saw a different doctor and was prescribed a brown inhaler to use twice a day for 4 weeks (Clenil Modulite preventer).
But I was really scared to give him that as she wasn't even sure it was asthma.
In fact she even said "It could be asthma but I don't think so". It just seemed a bit "experimental" to do that.
I was then prescribed a ventolin inhaler by yet a different doctor because DS had caught another cold which set his cough back again.
Having misunderstood the doctor (I thought he told me to use the ventolin just in case of weezing, and DS was never Weezy) I didn't give it.
When the cough carried on I went to see a 4th doctor, who explained to me that I should give the ventolin a go for 2 weeks, 2 puffs 4 times a day.
So this time, I religiously did it. It seemed to improve for the first few days but we then had milder weather. When the weather turned cold again his cough came back (associated with another little cold).
He has had a swab for whooping cough which came back fine, but I went back to the doctors today and she suggested trying the brown one for 4 weeks, once in the morning once in the evening.
I asked her a few questions about it as I was really confused about it all, and she basically got impatient and said "I will give you a leaflet about it, but that is the treatment you need to give him".
I almost burst into tears in her office, as I have been worried about this for 6 months now, and they all seem to contradict each other, no one has any explanation for me, they just tell me to go away and do as I'm told.
I am not entirely comfortable about giving him this inhaler when there hasn't been a proper diagnosis. Plus when I read the side effects it freaks me out (slow growth, changes to normal production of steroids in the body, a decrease in bone mineral density etc...).
Please please, can someone enlighten me on this?

Coffeecake - I nearly cried when I read your post because you sound exactly like I was two years ago and our stories are nearly identical. My DS suffered exactly the same symptoms. It started when he was three and a half. We were given antibiotics, inhalers of all colours, steroid tablets, etc, but nothing realy worked. The various doctors we saw were very unsympathetic and put it down to asthma, which I was never really convinced of seeing as he never wheezed and the inhalers didn't help at all really. I even insisted on being reffered to a specialist chest and lung paeditrician at the Brompton hospital who tested for reflux (you should check that out) but even then the various anti stomach acid medicines did nothing. This went on for over a year. We saw a herbal doctor who gave him natural herbal drops for a possible underlying virus that was triggering coughing and that did seem to help a bit. I also gave him Allitech garlic liquid which has been brilliant and I still give him to to this day (you can google it - it's from a company called Dulwich Health). He is five and a half now and is still prone to coughs - always following a bit of a cold, but it is no where as bad as it used to be. Good luck and always follow your instinct. If that means kicking up a fuss and insisting on a refferal then do it.

Well thanks very much Sotired, it's useful to know. I thought of going down the Homeopathic route if all else fails!!
Thanks for your message.

Hello there Coffeecake....I don't really know how these messageboards work and whether you will even see this as you posted in January, but fingers crossed you might see it and reply. I just read this and is EXACTLY how I 'm feeling at the moment. I am dying to know how you are getting on with the brown inhaler......I have all the feelings, concerns that you had. I am having the dilemma of a) do I want to use something so full of unnatural chemicals on my toddler when she might not have asthma and what are the long term affects b) if I don't, will she develop asthma later in life as I havent use the brown inhaler now!! Oh the stresses of motherhood!! I do hope you let me know, thanks lots x x x