Is this asthma? what can I do? who do i go to next?

[addictediam]

I just want to make it very clear dd (14 months) is NOT having an asthma attack nor is she struggling to breathe if I thought any of these I'd be dialing 999 not pissing around writing this!
She is toddling around the room happily playing and chatting away.
And that is part of the problem we have!

A little history - I have asthma, I was diagnosed when I was 8 yo hospitilised and put in an oxygen bubble. I have never wheezed but do get short of breath, can't breathe and a ventolin always solves the problem (or a nebulizer when I'm really bad)

So back to dd, she has a cough, its worse at night, the only way i can describe it is to say its a rasping can't quite catch my breath cough. Last Saturday we went to the ooh Dr and was told she had an ear infection (the 2nd in 3 weeks) and they gave her antibiotics. 3 weeks ago dh took her to dr and they said ear infection gave antibiotics. She still has this cough. It sounds exactly like the one I get when I'm really struggling, infact I did have this cough 4 weeks ago and was hospitilised myself and given a neb. Steroids and new inhalers. Which is why I sent dh to the dr with her.

It all looks so bad written down :( do I take her back to the Dr, take her to a&e (even tho I know she's not that bad) the minor injury clinic (only nurses there no drs) or do i accept she's not asthmatic and drop it? (i'm sure she is tho, and when it comes to her health ive never been good at dropping it!)

The reason all this is taking so long to resolve is because I'm heavily pregnant with a few complications, in and out of hospital etc and its fallen to dh to deal with it and unlike me he will accept what a hcp says, whereas I know (thanks to mine and dds health) they can and do get it wrong.

So where do I go from here?

Dd has finally crashed out so I'm going to put her to bed and het some sleep, I will check in in the morning.

Thanks

A cough at night could be asthma, it could be something else. I would go to the gp and mention your concerns ask to try some ventolin and see if that makes a difference.

When my ds was diagnosed with asthma the night time cough was the thing that really made them decide that that was what it was. I'd take her to the doctors and explain it in the exact way you've explained in your post ie she has a recurrent night time cough and as I have asthma IRS familiar to me and sounds like the one I had/get.

Thanks for the replies.

I was sure I put more info in my op than that last night, I must have been half asleep!

Each time we've taken her to the gp its been for the cough they've checked her chest and said it sounds clear so can't be asthma (even when I've explained I'm the same and so are many of my family members - brother, dad, cousins and aunts.)

She's had the cough several times before, its bought on by a cold and hangs around long after the cold is gone. Tixylix and doesn't touch it. and she will cough and cough until she's sick or physically can't get her breath. She's worse at night/nap time when she's led down (even with an elevated head) or when she gets very excited ie when dh starts chasing her around the room.

Writing it down had made it clear to me she needs help. Do I go back to the gp on Monday or do something today?

I have JUST had ds diagnosed with asthma - he's 5. I've been fighting since he was 9 months.

From 9-20 months he went to sleep at bedtime, started coughing then stopped, couldn't breathe and I'd have to sit next to his cot so I could grab him and pat his back until he eventually breathed and brought up loads of clear sticky mucus.

Now he coughs and coughs and coughs when his asthma is bad.

I'm so relieved to have the diagnosis not least because he will now get flu jags (swine flu + pneumonia last year).

What I'm trying to say is I know how hard it is when they don't present asthma 'classically' with a wheeze.

Good luck - ask to see your asthma nurse if possible.

Can you record the cough on your phone so the Dr can hear it?