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Original poster

Wheezing into 2013 - Support thread for parents of asthmatics

993 replies

Sirzy · 26/12/2012 14:19

As the old thread is filling up I thought I would get a new one started!

This thread is for anyone with a child with asthma, or asthma type symptoms. Between us we have to much experience of inhalers, nebulisers, steroids, sats and all things asthma!

OP posts:
dizzyhoneybee · 09/04/2013 06:00

DS has the montelukast tablets, they seemed to help for a while but now I'm not sure; I mean if they were working well then presumably he'd not have needed to switch from an orange inhaler to the purple one which has two medications in there - it's a mix of the blue inhaler and either the orange/brown one (I forget which, sorry).

DS doesn't have bad asthma but he started with the brown inhaler, then had to switch to the orange one as it wasn't doing the job, then had to add montelukast and now ceretide as well.

Original poster
Sirzy · 09/04/2013 07:56

I can't remember, don't think it took long though.

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dizzyhoneybee · 09/04/2013 08:04

Our GP said we'd notice a difference within a week. We didn't, in so much as it made no difference to him coughing at night.

dorapeppageorgenoddy · 09/04/2013 09:34

Thank you all for replying, much appreciated -

dorapeppageorgenoddy · 09/04/2013 09:35

Sirzy, I hope your ds is better today

Original poster
Sirzy · 09/04/2013 09:36

He has just woken up (after a restless night) and seems much better so far thanks x

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laracroft2001 · 09/04/2013 19:58

Hi Dora.. Yes it was my DS who is getting referred for the sweat test due to recurrent cheat infections. He had pneumonia as well as two other viruses recently ... Once you had the test how long did you wait for result. They are also doing bloods to test his immune system.

He got out yesterday morning and is 1million times better. Been told to stop the brown inhaler and just to use blue when needed. Consultant will call us in in three months to reassess. Hopefully he has just had a bit of bad luck recently!

Sirzy- glad he is ok now

egolito · 11/04/2013 21:17

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to stay calm when a wheezy child coughs. Mine has started and have already called 111, the out of hours GP, you name it. i dont think that after 5 Overnight hospitalizations, intravenal medication and currently on highest doses of Beclomethasone, I manage to distinguish a normal cough from a not normal.
My hormones must be playing with me as well, 33 weeks pregnant.
Any tips would be appreciated, I have started to hate nights now.

Original poster
Sirzy · 15/04/2013 21:08

how is everyone doing?

We are just back home from the 3rd a and e trip in 10 days. Just missed being admitted but got the nurse coming out tomorrow to check him.

they have upped his dose of seretide in the hope it brings everything back under control

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Original poster
Sirzy · 16/04/2013 12:00

Community nurse has just been out, Sats 95 so happy for him to stay at home and monitoring again tomorrow

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laracroft2001 · 16/04/2013 17:16

Hey sirzy. Not so good with the a and e visits but good he is at home. We are doing OK I think. Still got a dreadful cough but much more like his normal self .. Fingers crossed the better weather will help. Sweat test date in for middle may and still awaiting bloody test results.

Consultant told us to stop the brown inhaler, only use blue when needed and will review in 3 months Time

Original poster
Sirzy · 16/04/2013 18:06

Hope his cough clears soon Lara. If it doesn't may be worth speaking to the consultant about starting the brown inhaler again

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Original poster
Sirzy · 17/04/2013 11:25

sats 97 today, resps up a bit but getting there slowly!

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redlaura · 18/04/2013 21:40

Hello, posted this in the sleep section but just saw this thread and thought "hallelujah!!!"

My 19mo son has a predisposition to asthma (can't diagnose it this young) and also big adenoids which means he has sleep apnea. He's on the waiting list for having his adenoids out.

he has a great bedtime routine and goes off to sleep on his own in his own bed but from a baby we brought him with us in the night (he had awful colic, lactose intolerance and just terrible sleeping habits. our philosophy was "take the path of least resistance to sleep", which it still is.

he wakes up once a night still and we bring him into bed with us but he no longer goes to sleep. he plays with my hair for ages as he doses off and its tryjng my patience. If it wasn't for this, I'd have no problem bringing him into bed until a little older and we can reason with him, but he just tugs and tugs at my hair! we also give him a little milk as it sends him off that bit quicker. basically we have taught him that if he wakes he gets milk and a cuddle all night so why wouldnt he?

Before Xmas we tried revolving door sleep training where we would keep going back in to lay him down and say good night. Worked to a degree and he stayed the whole night in his bed, but over winter he kept having wheezing episodes, with one admission into hospital and many trips to A&E. obviously all our hard work was undone as we kept him on our bed for a while to monitor his breathing, which always takes a while to settle and we are happier having him with us so we can keep an eye on him.

So we're back to square one. He goes to bed fine, then wakes up and comes in with us. We are having average nights sleep, not bad not great. I just don't see the point in going through any kind of sleep training for him then to have asthma and we bring him in bed with us. Very confusing for him.

Can anyone who has had experience of living with asthmatic kids share their thoughts? Is it a case of accepting this and living with it, which is near where I am anyway, or sleep training after every episode has passed? Recently he has slept through on three random occasions in the last three weeks off his own bat. Shall we let him figure it out for himself and just accept that he has issues and will be in bed with us?

Thanks for your advice

Laura

IHideVegInRice · 20/04/2013 00:16

I posted previously and forgot to follow up...to precis, DD given prednisolone for 5 days and is now like a different child. She was having what the dr believed to be a prolonged episode rather than one of her usual acute attacks and fingers crossed we have regained control of it. She is still at times puffy/wheezy but we can deal with that and she has noticeably more energy. Hurrah! Hope everyone else is doing ok too

Sanjifair · 21/04/2013 07:10

Another one who has used montelukast successfully. DS (2.5) has been using it for about 6 months now. We use the brown inhaler (50 ug) as well. Got through the whole winter with no chest infections, and only needed blue inhaler for a couple of weeks when he had a heavy cold. I was worried about trying it because of the side effects but for us it worked well with no discernible side effects.

lollipoppi · 22/04/2013 17:48

Hi all,

Sirzy, how is DS now? Hopefully much better?

Redlaura, we always have a bit of sleep regression with DS after a hospital admission or a bad episode,

I'm sure your exhausted too, so short term i would tie your hair back and get some sleep Smile
It may just take him a week or so to settle back into a routine

DS is coughing lots today, he has been playing out in the garden, I've just pumped him full of ventolin and see how the night goes!

lollipoppi · 22/04/2013 17:52

Sorry ego, wasn't ignoring you... Although I have no advise, I go into full scale panic mode as soon as the coughing starts like now

Original poster
Sirzy · 22/04/2013 18:12

We are ok thanks Lolli, were given an emergency course of pred to take away with us this weekend but thankfully he hasn't needed that still on 5 puffs 4 hourly with the odd 10 puff rescue dose needed. Hoping that the increased seretide will help stabilise him.

Can't help on the sleep front as at 3.5 DS still rarely sleeps through, some of his medication helps with this slightly but when he is ill it's a nightmare.

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Original poster
Sirzy · 22/04/2013 18:13

Lolli I hope his cough calms down quickly

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lollipoppi · 22/04/2013 21:09

That's good news sirzy, hope he makes a good recovery!

Can I ask, does your DS go to nursery / pre-school?

Ds goes to nursery 2 days a week, but can't help but worry that when I send him in on inhalers, do they administer them properly!? They say they do but I can't help but worry !

Original poster
Sirzy · 22/04/2013 21:11

He does, he is in nursery at the moment (when he is well enough to get in) and then is going to pre school in September. The staff at the nursery all have pediatric first aid training and have been trained in how to do the inhalers properly but when I took them in I still demonstrated to make sure they knew (paranoid I know)

Thankfully they are really good with it and will phone me if they have any worries.

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lollipoppi · 23/04/2013 08:41

DS is due in tomorrow, think I may just ask them to demonstrate how they do it, which I'm sure is very patronising of me to ask them to do it in front of me, but it will just put my mind at rest!

Original poster
Sirzy · 23/04/2013 19:43

I don't think it is patronising. The staff at the hospital regularly check that parents are giving inhalers correctly so it makes sense for parents to check others do it correctly.

DS managed his first full day in nursery for a 3 weeks today. Hopefully he can get back to normal now!

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Original poster
Sirzy · 26/04/2013 16:19

Well we managed to start reducing DS inhalers yesterday and he did well until 5pm then he ended up with an asthma attack then and 2 more over night.

Even with the 5 puffs every 4 hours he has just had another attack after having a 20 minute play in the garden.

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