Possible asthma - just started ventolin. Bad first night

[mimmymouse]

DD is just about 21 mths old. Has family history of mild asthma on both sides. Had eczema and CMP, egg and nut allergies. Eczema, CMP all under control. Gradual reintroduction of dairy into diet has not seen eczema return. Still not excessively eating dairy. Still not eating eggs or nuts.

However, has (since starting nursery) had a persistent cough for about 4 months. Always worse at night. In recent nights it started to keep her awake and give her a fright. Then on Sunday she developed a wheeze as well. Otherwise, in excellent general health. Lively. Alert. No fever. No runny nose. Last "nursery" cold was several weeks ago.

Took to GP yesterday who suggested this might be asthma, given the background. Prescribed ventolin (blue inhaler). Told to come back in 3 weeks.

Then last night had 3 coughing fits of severity and length before unseen. I was absolutely terrified, let alone DD. Very shallow breathing. Lots and lots of wheezing. Sounded like paper being scrunched up. Coughing for 25 minutes.

Is this common when starting with ventolin? Has it just opened her tubes enough for stuff to move around? Should I whisk her straight back to GP or give it a few days to settle down?

I'd love to hear your experience with starting on ventolin.

Thanks so much.

Bump

In both my DSs ventolin never made them worse. Are you (your GP) sure she doesn't have bronchiolitus? With my DSs that was definitely worse at night.
If the ventolin hasn't worked after 10puffs you should take her to A&E to be checked out.
Hope she is feeling better tonight.

Thank you - that is really interesting. No, GP was quite open minded about the cause of the night coughing and had suggested that it might be a "viral" complication. He suggested that this was just one way of exploring what might be causing the problem - and, as I outlined, there is family history which could make asthma a compelling diagnosis.

I've just read the NHS pages on bronchiolitus and it sounds like a distinct possibility. I'm trying to stay calm! Just terrified she will stop breathing.

LittleMissGreen - sorry, just thought to ask. How long did the bronchiolitus last in your DSs? Was it months? Or just days?

Bronchiolitis is unusual by that age, but starts improving after 3-5 days.

It could just be a coincidence that you had a bad night so I would keep with it for now giving the ventolin when needed. Did the GP show you how to use the inhaler and spacer properly?

I believe so. I've also had the pharmacist explain it and read the NHS pages about it! So I hope we do it right. And of course you are right - it could just be an unfortunate co-incidence. Thanks.

If its no better in a few days go back to the GP or like has been said if you need 10 puffs in a 4 hour period go to a and e

Could be an underlying viral infection, like you mentioned bronchiolitis can leave a lasting effect on the airways. Ventolin is a bronchodilator so it should offer immediate relief.

If she has a CMP allergy, that could cause wheezing and asthma type symptoms, when did you reintroduce it? My DS comes over all wheezy with CM but is fine with goats milk. Goats milk is mainly whey based compared to CM which is primarily casein, casein is a bugger to digest, it's used to make glue! Whey milks (breastmilk is whey) are thinner and have smaller molecules so are easier to digest.

Is she drinking enough water? Dehydration can present similar symptoms to asthma. Young children can dehydrate so much quicker than adults. When she starts coughing, try giving her lots of water with a pinch of salt in it. This often saves me from administering my DS with his inhalers - pinch of salt on the tongue and a big drink of water, crazy but true!

But if it's persistent no matter what you do - straight to A+E, never 'wait and see' with asthma.

butterfingerz that is so interesting!

She is a pretty good drinker and she did accept water more readily last night. The salt is really interesting. She did also accept the inhaler and enjoyed the relief it offered.

We had a much better night - because she wanted the inhaler, it was easier to administer and she was able to experience relief. She only had one coughing attack which was less severe in both duration and in terms of the actual coughing than the previous nights. I put a steamer on in her room and this seemed to help. She actually hugged the machine three times this morning! Otherwise, she slept well and her breathing, although still noisy, was less shallow.

The dairy has been reintroduced very gradually over the course of 6 months. This was only done on the advice of the consultant who retested her before we did food challenges. In the tests, CMP did not show up at all. We've gone very slowly here, so I doubt the wheezing is due to that. However, it is something we are going to explore - the obvious link between asthma and CMP is too overwhelming to ignore.

Thank you all very much.

obviously the vast majority of people with food allergies, ezcema etc have asthma.

so its quite possible that your child needs to go on preventor asthma meds in the future.

am pleased the cows milk allergy is outgrown so you can reintroduce.

has there been any tests for enviromental allergies? a multiple food allergic person often has environmental allergies.

have you been on the allergy page of mumsnet? am sure others can help there as well.

I have, thank eragon. Many helpful people there, indeed. And your points are well made. I have to keep reminding myself just to go one step at a time and not diagnose my poor DD with just about everything!