Parents of asthmatic children, please come and talk to me:(

[Narketta]

6yr old DS was diagnosed with asthma at 2yrs old, through the warmer months of the year he has always been fine. In the cold/flu season his asthma is a nightmare because everytime he gets a cold it goes to his chest.:(

This winter has been the first where he hasn't ended up on steroid tablets and antibiotics so we are hoping that as he gets older his asthma symptoms will improve.

However since the weather has changed from cold to warmer DS has caught a cough, I had to pick him up from school on Monday because he was ill. We are managing his asthma through the day and he's happy enough with hardly a cough in sight but the last 3 night have been so awful I could cry for him.

As soon as he falls asleep he starts to cough and cough uncontrollably this will wake him up and he is really distressed. He coughs until he brings up mucus his blue inhaler doesn't ease the cough, the only thing that helps is he wants me to pat his back. He went to bed at 7.30 and we finally got him to settle again at 10.00.

I have spoken to the doctor about this and they've just said that asthma does tend to be worse at night and early in the morning and to carry on doing what we're doing.

I'd just like to know how other parents cope with asthmatic coughing at night. I feel like I should be doing more but I don't know what to do:(

I'm so desperate for him to be well, I wish there was a miracle cure:(

My dd1 is nearly 6 - diagnosed with asthma at 20 months old following lots of chest infections, wheeze, breathing difficulties and hospital stays.

She started on a preventer inhaler when she was diagnosed and her asthma was well controlled for about 18 months then she started having attacks again. She was put on Singulair and it really helped.

She went through a good period after that and then went downhill again.

She started night coughing last year and had several attacks close together and she was changed to Seretide which stopped the night coughing and she has had only one bad attack since then.

Is your ds on a preventer?
Does he have any signs of hayfever or other allergies? If he is coughing at this time of year maybe Singulair or a antihistamine would help.

Thanks for replying fingerscrossed:)
Yes he does have a preventer which normally has twice a day morning and before bed, his doctor has said to give it to him 3 times a day when his asthma flare up but it's not making any difference.

Fortunately he doesn't have hayfever or any other allergies.

i have every sympathy, my 6yo also is treated with inhalors for seasonal asthma...every sniffle, sore throat etc always goes into chest and it takes him twice as long to recover from illness than his peers. i was exactly the same at his age (eventually grew out of it, until I was about 21 when it returned)

the coughing is the worst, it literally grates on your nerves and you feel so sorry for them. the lack of sleep gets to everyone

i've done everything steaming, vix, dehumidifying, humidifying, propped up, inhalors, no inhalors, and nothing seems to make any difference. sometimes i think the inhalors exacerbate the cough

i've no practical advice expect to say i know what a nightmare it is

Also meant to add that I totally understand how crap it feels to see your child struggling and unwell.

Is there an asthma nurse at your doctors?

Has your ds ever been in hospital with it? Does he see a paeditrician or an asthma specialist at all?

I think your GP was a bit useless telling you it tend to be worse at night. If your ds is coughing that badly at night the GP should be offering you some more help.

mummmsy totally agree about the coughing grating, my nerves are in tatters, and like you I've tried all of the things you listed and nothing works.

fingerscrossed I think I will be asking to see another doctor in future as DS's doc really wasn't very understanding or sympathetic.

I think trying an antihistamine might be helpful.

A paed we saw once when dd was in hospital advised us to give her an antihistamine if she was cold-y as it would help to dry up the mucus that would be causing her to cough at night. We have done it since and it does seem to help.

Thanks I'll try the antihistamine. He's just started to cough again so I'm going to go and sit with him, looks like being another long night:(

good luck!

My DS1 is 14, he was diagnosed with asthma at 2 years old.

Strangely enough this has been the first winter for us where he hasn't ended up with steroids (presumably because it's been a mild winter). Over the years he has had many bouts of night coughing when all he has really been able to do is sip water to try and help the cough & use his inhaler more than usual. He also finds it easier to sleep "propped up" sometimes - not sure if that is just his personal preference though or if it actually helps IYSWIM.

He has been hospitalised twice with his asthma - once age 6 & again age 12. The last time was quite scary as he had to stay in for 4 days because his blood oxygen levels were very low. Both hospital stays were during snow though.

Sorry that I can't be more help but, generally, we've found that our GPs don't usually prescribe extra steroids unless he is having extra problems during the day & his chest sounds bad. Hope your DS feels better soon.

Definitely try some piriton I know myself it can make a huge difference to my asthma. Also if you can invest in a humidifier ( just make sure it's not within reach) the steam should make it easier to breath, makes a huge difference to my ds when his asthma flares up

How much ventolin are you going? Ds is only 2 but I know when his coughing is bad at night then he needs 5 puffs to calm it enough for him to settle.

I have severe asthma which tends to be worse in winter (I had about 6 infections this year) but now the weathers changed I need antihistamines or I struggle, may be worth suggesting to your gp. I have night coughing and waking up struggling to breathe so gp is referring me to the specialist. Do you have central heating? I was told that it makes the air very dry and that putting easing to dry on the radiator helps to moisten it, I can't sleep with the window open as the airs too cold at the moment.

This sounds like my life!! My daughter is 4 and has had asthma since she was a baby and recently every night she has coughed and coughed until she has bought something up and then started again!! I have felt like I am going out of my mind with it and feel so sorry for her as she has no quality of life being like this. I second the idea of the allergies, I didn't think my daughter had any allergies either but she was put on singulair 2 years ago and it does seem to have made a difference.

I think if this persists you need to be referred into see a paediatrician. We have been under one since my dd got pneumonia at 17 months and we have been slowly stepping up her treatment since then. She is currently on seretide, ventolin, singulair, and slo-phyllin - which is supposed help with night time coughing!!

Make sure your little one is propped right up in bed as well. Hope things improve soon for you