Toddlers with Viral induced asthma and attacks

[Allboxedin]

Hi there, well yet again my little one ended up in A and E and was admitted for a few days due to another attack this past weekend. It is happening every 4-6 weeks, every time she gets a little snivel.
She has been taking Montelukast and the Becotide every day so what I wondered is if these meds actually work and if they work for your little ones. I am at a loss what to do. I am on the verge of stopping her going to playgroups at the moment (and Dr agreed!) but aslo don't want to be paranoid or prevent her doing stuff.

What do other mums do with this problem? Please tell me any ideas. At our wits end as DH keeps having to take days off work and we have a newborn too which makes her staying in hosp quite difficult.

It was a pretty nasty one this time and she had to go on several different IV drips as the nebs weren't working for her this time. She also seems scared to go to bed at night now since she came home. She usually wakes up in the night time with these attacks.

Also mums of more kids, did their siblings get it too?
My toddler is 2 now and started having bad eczema when she was a few months, then found to have several allergies including milk at a few months (she has now grown out of the milk allergy and eczema though)
Baby is nearly 3 months and not showing any signs of milk allergy or eczema so am just crossing my fingers but I am so worried she will have to go through what her sister has. :(

My son who is now 6 also has the same viral wheeze (asthma) problem. We tried Montelukast but it didn't work for him.

My DS1 is now 5 but started on Seratide at 2, having tried various other things. He's still on it now, along with Montelukast, and that combo has been great for him. Becotide didn't work for him, nor did Seravent.

DS2 (3) is on Flixotide which has been fab for him.

There are many more drug combinations out there. As you can see, we went through lots of combo's with DS1 before finding the right one. Can you go back to GP / Paed / Asthma nurse and ask to try something else? The current regime clearly isn't working. Be persistent. Preventers are supposed to prevent and yours clearly aren't.

I've got 6 month old twins and I too am waiting to see if they get the wheezes like their big brothers. DTS has already had 2 chest infections and has eczema patches. It's not looking good

Best of luck - it's horrid, I know.

Is viral induced asthma a new name for what used to be called viral induced wheezing?

Wheezing, asthma, whatever they call it, the treatment seems to be the same.

Thanks both. Is Becotide the same as Beclomametasone btw, Isn't that the long name? (just checking)
I don't currentl;y have an asthma nurse. She has seen a consultant a few times but those appts are months inbetween and mainly for allergies. It has been the ward Dr's who have prescribed her current meds. Should I go and see my GP to see if they can refer her?
I hope your twins will be ok, it must be a handful for you with 4!! Lets hope they will be fine.

VIW is not treated with long-term daily meds like OP described, well, it didn't used to be.
I sort of thought all forms of asthma could be triggered by heavy colds (viruses). Just showing my ignorance, I guess! DC3 had VIW once & still has wheezy moments, something I pay attention to.

Ragged, I was reading a little bit up on it last night. Bascially the same thing, I think they lumped them all together in the early 1990's. I will try and find the piece I was reading on it.

Ragged, that is what I dont fully understand either is why they treat VIW the same as long term asthma. My dd has no symtoms at all between these attacks. Its confusing

I was told (2007) that VIW & asthma were different, and how you tell the difference is that lots of VIW episodes indicates asthma & not just VIW. When you think how little toddlers are, not surprising that getting all bunged up could make them wheezy.
But who knows!? It all changes. I used to work with an asthma expert (& sufferer) that he said the world is a huge umbrella & covers an enormous range of conditions, almost like it's a spectrum condition with normal (non-asthmatic) & very severe ends to it.

DS has been talking about getting a bit wheezy lately which has put it all back on my mind.

But does VAW deteriorate the same way as asthma. (stridor,trachial tug, pulling in ribs to breath,unable to talk and becoming drowsy and floppy) or does it usually continue as just a 'wheeze'?

Yes to going back to GP and getting a referral to a paediatric respiratory dr, and also an asthma nurse if your GP practice has one.

Toddlers can have viral wheeze without asthma, or they can have asthma (which often goes hand in hand with eczema) triggered by viruses.

If your DD is on max dose of becotide, as well as montelukast and lots of salbutamol and still not well controlled then she needs referral to a paediatric respiratory consultant. (not just a general paed or in allergy clinic). See your GP and ask for a referral.

Ok thankyou ples and sidge. I will book her in. She is on 4 puffs daily of Becotide (not sure if that is max or not?)
My husband also had asthma as a child which would indicate it is hereditory so prehaps 'asthma' I am not sure if VIW is atopic?

400mg a day is the max dose for the brown inhaler. We are at the stage with Ds where we are about to find out "what's next" as that doesn't work for him. Thankfully we have been reffered back to peads, but still have the practise asthma nurse for support between.

There is an asthma thread on here which is great for ongoing support

I can't find the asthma thread.

My DS1 is diagnosed as having VIW but still takes daily meds, and has done for years. This is due to the frequency of his attacks and their severity - he would be having endless courses of prednisolone otherwise.

He too has no symptoms between attacks. He's not atopic either - all the allergy tests came back clear, and he has no eczema The wheeze is not exercise induced either, though if he's wheezy anyway, obviously exercise makes it worse.

Every summer we drop his dose of the meds to see how he copes, but so far we've always ended up back in hospital within a few weeks . Hoping he'll grow out of it but no sign yet - at 5.

DS2 3.2 is more atopic - allergic to egg, eczema patches, but he seems, touch wood, to be growing out of it sooner than DS1. He just has one puff of Flixotide daily and hasn't been bad for ages and ages, can't remember the last time.

Hope you get your appt soon. For what it's worth, we've found the asthma nurse the most helpful of all.

Jojay, We get the prednis every time too.
Its so horrid for them isn't it and it must be so scary. You feel so powerless as a mother when they are in such a state. Will defo get the appt with the nurse - thanks

The pred is brilliant when they need it, but it's such a hefty dose, it's not ideal for them to be having lots of courses. A daily dose of a lower grade steroid is far preferable I believe.

It is so horrible, yes, esp at that age. DS1 used to get really hysterical and panicky, though he handles it better now he's getting older. I so know that powerless feeling though, horrid

I really hope you get something sorted soon.

Oh, and my GP was able to prescribe various preventors without going through the paed, so it might be quicker to just see them to begin with, rather than wait for paed appts etc, but if you can get a appt with the asthma nurse soon, that would be great.

DS2 was exactly the same as your DS, Allboxedin. He got a serious attack every time he got a cold which was every few weeks between 1 and 3. We were living abroad at the time and the thing that got him under control and kept him out of hospital was a home nebuliser. He used to take daily montelukast, Flixotide and bambuterol (long acting beta agonist that I don't think is licensed for children here but is similar to salmeterol/
Serevent). Once he'd had two inpatient experiences, the second for 5 days as he was on oxygen and hourly nebs to start, the paediatrician gave us a home nebuliser. When we were using it we would visit the doc daily and he would advise on doses/check up. DS2 would take nebulised atrovent, salbutamol and budesonide and I would wake myself at 4 or 6 hourly intervals for night doses.

They're not keen on home nebulisers here, I think, but you could ask your GP or consultant. It significantly reduced the oral steroids he was taking (I think he only ever needed one more course) and we didn't need any A&E visits after he got it. But we were living somewhere where we could have daily access to the doctor. Having the nebuliser was brilliant - we took it on holiday with us so that we could start medicating if he got sick before we could get to a doctor. He grew out of his asthma at about 4 and hasn't had a wheezy episode for years (he's 10 now).

Thats very interesting singer. Me and DH were actually joking that the hospital might get so fed up with us that they might just give us one!!
The ward staff have been great though and know her by name now!
All these steroids sound horrid in such a young child but what else can you do?
DD also had strong steroid creams for her eczema but she has grown out of that now - the steroid creams were the only thing that helped clear it up though even though everything else was tried first and the GP was horrified with the dermotologists prescription!! So much better than watching them suffer though, I guess we should be glad for all the medical help we get here.

I very much doubt they would give a home nebuliser, other than in very serious cases they don't do it here certainly not as standard.

DS is 2 and has had 9 admissions, lot count of the amount of pred, dexmethazone, oxygen, nebs etc etc he has had but its part and parcel of being an asthmatic and hopefully it will get more controlled as he gets older and we get the meds right. We asked about the idea of a home nebuliser but they said -understandably really - that if they are bad enough to need nebulising they are want them where they can monitor them closely.

I doubted it too sirzy. It seems to be a fairly common problem doesn't it :(?
Just have to plod on and hope for the best.
Arent those sleepless nights on the childrens wards draining though? I'm still recovering after two nights this last time, even though dd has pretty much bounced back to normal.

Yup, I find the first week or two after an admission so tiring especially when its 4 hours inhalers and other such things. At least on the childrens ward they do the meds for us if he I am asleep :) I am just thankful that we have such a great ward!