Wheezing into 2013 - Support thread for parents of asthmatics

[Sirzy]

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!

Well.
Just back from a and e! Ds went downhill very quickly...temp of nearly 40, shivering, coughing, very unwell.
They are now saying it isn't a chest infection as his temp has gone down and sats ok (96) but he has now started vomiting. Lovely.
Sent us home even though he failed the fluid challenge. Which does make one ask whats the fucking point of them, really.
So...probably back tomorrow as if he can't keel the meds down don't really know what to do.
Am feeling so low :(

Badvoc how was he overnight?

Cedmonds great that he is off the oxygen, do you think you might go home today?

Is temp seems Ok.
He had a restless night and was coughing but nit sick again (but then again nothing in his stomach)
Gp says they won't refer til,he has more episodes of,infection.
Ffs

......am going to carry on with the amoxyycillin - probably pointless but at least I feel like i am doing something.
Gp and nurse said he had a chest infection.
Dr said not.
Who knows?

Lolli - what dose of seretide is he on now?

Cedmonds - glad he is off oxygen now

Bad - if he keeps struggling insist they do an x-ray and that your GP reffers him to a specialist. Hope he feels better soon

Sirzy he is on seretide 50 at the moment

Badvoc it's so difficult shit when everyone tells you something different, you know him best and if you feel he isn't right or getting worse insist on having him seen, it's all very well them seeing him for 5 mins and saying don't worry but your the one sitting up with him all night watching him struggle, hope he is on the mend soon x

How many puffs? DS is on 4 puffs of that a day and been told it is the highest he can have. Not sure what the next plan is!

Well, we have an appt with the gp at 3.30 that she made us yesterday.
But what will she do? He has ABs and pain relief and inhalers...and I don't feel up to being fobbed off by a and e again tbh.
I may ask for him to be referred again...he has only been at school for 1 week fgs... :(
He seems ok ATM but then again he did at this time yesterday too...sigh.
My instincts are just all over the place ATM. I don't trust them. Or rather dh has made me doubt them.
The azithromycin made such a difference to ds1 and whilst I hate the idea of long term ABs I have seem firsthand the difference they can make.

DS is on 4 puffs a day, the consultant said when he first went onto it that that's the highest he can have too, i think if she wanted to increase it I would defiantly have some questions to ask! Hoping we don't have to get to that point, but I can't tell you what a difference there is in DS now he is off the montelukast!

Badvoc, have you thought about calling the asthma.org helpline? I've found them really helpful in the past, maybe they can give you some advise so you go to the doctors appt prepared

I have never called them.
I am debating whether to phone and ask to speak to the gp instead and ask if she will refer him.
He really worried me yesterday...complaining of pain in his legs, abdo pain, then the sickness...but the paed was very dismissive.
Lots of dc in with breathing probs last night though...and I guess ds2 wasn't that bad compared to them (sats were 96) and temp had gone down.
Just pray he doesn't go downhill like he did yesterday :(

Lolli - glad being off the montelukast is helping him, that is the one I would love to get DS off but can't see it happening any time soon!

Bad - hope he feels better soon. Insist they refer you, I am pretty sure they can't refuse a second opinion x

Sirzy...I Have just phoned and they am speaking to the dr after surgery after 11.30am.
I am going to explain how bad he is, what an awful winter he had last year and how ds1 was exactly the same.
I will ask for him to be seen ASAP.
It didn't matter if he missed ore school but he is at school now and it does matter.
Any tips? What should I say?

I think you just need to be firm and rather than asking tell them that you think he needs seeing by someone who specialises in Pediatric Resporitory care.

I was lucky that DS was picked up whilst in hospital and they reffered him over instead of having to fight the GP!

It was a locum we saw last night. I did tell her the history but she didn't seem to listen.
I may have to get shirty :)

Spoken to dr and she is referring him.
Also wants to see him next week to check on him.
She has suggested trying singlair. Had I effect with ds1 though. Anyone had good results with it?
Thanks for the support x

GLad you got referred.

DS has been on singular and with everything else it seems to help!

Ds had to go back on to o2 last night and this morning managed to stay of it during the day. His normal pattern!! So we are still in and they are trying to get hold of his consultant at Great Ormond Street. To find out what to do next!
Sirzy how old is ds now? Ds (7) is on 125 seritide 2 puffs twice a day.Plus the certerizine montelukast and antibiotic.

He is only 3 so they have said they can't up things anymore - he is on 2 puffs twice a day of seretide 50, monteukast, 10ml of certrizine and 5 puffs morning and night of ventolin (then extra during the day) which is just about keeping his stable (well out of hospital at least!)

Cedmonds - hope he feels better soon, that has always been the pattern for DS too.

Cedmonds hoping your out of hospital now?

Badvoc how's your DS doing?

Hope everyone is ok.

DS had an asthma attack walking back from pre-school yesterday... the one time I hadn't taken my handbag (with his inhaler in) out with me. Thankfully we were only a couple of minutes from home when it happened but lesson learnt and I am never leaving home without it again!

Oh no Sirzy hope he is ok!
It's always the way isn't it

I had to pick DS up and run all the way home whilst pushing DD in her buggy once, I'm not sure who needed the inhalers more by the time we got home!!

Oh no sirzy hope he is ok now!
Des is home. And plodding angling nicely
How is everyone else

That's good news!

DS is ok, but when I went to give him inhalers last night I realised that nursery haven't put them in his bag!! We have spare ventolin but no spacer!

Glad he is home Cedmonds.

DS is ok, he seems to be having more attacks but less serious ones (if that makes sense!) so I guess the inhalers are working in a way but still not perfect.

Oh no lolli. Hope you manage to get a spare today perhaps ask your GP to prescribe an extra spacer that can be left at nursery? DS has a spacer (and inhaler) at nursery, one in my handbag (with a smaller spacer), one with his inahlers and 2 spare spacers which are used when others are being washed. Hopsital often send up home with a new spacer which is handy to be able to make sure we have enough!

I definatly need to stock up! I've always got lots of ventolin but never really thought about the spacer, Doh!!

Luckily SIL works there and she has keys so she is going to go in today and pick it up for me Phew!