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!

[ballroomblitz]

Thank you ds is much better today. He has the wheezing throughout his life with a funny cough, the cold being a trigger, but still I get keep telling it might just be viral wheezing (despite the nurses rolling their eyes when I say this and telling me their asthmatic kids end up like him once they get bad colds). The times he's been in hospital he requires back to back nebs once or twice a day, to so many hourly. Make him very shaky and his heart race which scares him a bit.

Ds was also hallucinating this week before he was admitted to hospital ali because he had a fever and it was freaky. Talking about stuff that wasn't there and weird random stuff. Scared me a little tbh.

Yes I'm going to ask about the brown preventer inhalor again. He was on it for near enough six months when the gp decided to see since it was summer to take him off it.

He has been taking the blue inhalors since god knows when he was a baby I was told to let him play with the spacer at first so he thinks it was a toy. As he got older, we told him he was like a fighter pilot. I'm not saying I didn't have moments I had to hold him down and pin him with it doctorswife but now he takes it no problems. You sound about the same situation as me. Wonder why they give us all these drugs but are so reluctant to say asthma. App the doctor told me it's incase they prescribe a load of drugs for young kids when they don't need them and it could be viral wheezing.

[wontwearsocks]

Hi ballroomblitz , just noticed you asked about an oximeter earlier in the thread. We bought one on Amazon to use on dd1 when she was having frequent attacks. We have been told we don't need it but I found it reassuring to see dd's SATs improving with Ventolin and know we didn't need A&E or to make the decision to go if SATS were low. The doctors we see don't rate their accuracy though but I would only use it secondary to the other ways of assessing dd. I'll try and find the one we bought and link for you.

[Sirzy]

Wont wear - hope she gets through it ok. A year without hospital sounds great

[DizzyHoneyBee]

DS got a lot better when we replaced all the carpets with laminate flooring.
Unfortunately he has a problem with his asthma whenever I do dusting, I don't mind the solution to that though! :)
Oddly, he is OK with feather duvets though.

Cold air triggers DS, I got him a skiing balaclava from Aldi for £1.99 and he wears i like a scarf but over his mouth and nose, that helps a lot. He's also worse in the mornings.

[DizzyHoneyBee]

Also hoping you get to the end of year Wont wear, and that everybody else has a hospital free year next year. My DS has thankfully avoided hospital apart from one admission for bronchiolitis.

[wontwearsocks]

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Evanmore-Pediatric-Oximeter-monitor-rechargeable/dp/B004V7DSYS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356727603&sr=8-2&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 oximeter]

[wontwearsocks]

sorry link here


oximeter

[wontwearsocks]

Thanks Dizzy, it has been such a relief to see an improvement in her asthma but unforunately this year she has started to get severe bouts of tonsillitis. I feel sorry for her. I have another dd who never seems to be ill.

One admission isn't bad going. Well done your DS.

[Tinkerisdead]

Thank you for all the info.

Wont wear- yes yes i recognised your previous username. Helloooo. That antenatal baby was 4 at the end of nov. cant believe it. I've got dd2 now too she's 10 months.

[Sirzy]

DS can't stop coughing tonight, but sleeping through it all at the moment thankfully!

[alibobins]

Still no change ds2 has got a temp of 39 and coughing away luckily his chest isn't wheezy at all.
Ds1 had a lazer party and loved it.
We were advised by hospital to have wood floor and anti allergy bedding but neither of my boys are allergic to dust.

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

Dd1 much quieter tonight fingers crossed. Really hope all of your poorly dc feel better tomorrow x

[ballroomblitz]

Thanks wearwontsocks I don't want to use an oximeter as the one go we should go to hospital kind of thing but the last couple of times he's been bad his sats are bad in the 80s and lower the first time (floppy couldn't breathe). Reassurasance for me more than anything.

[wontwearsocks]

DrsWife My Nov 08 baby was four in mid-November. She is still the baby here though. Congrats on your 'new' arrival.
Does your dd have any allergies?
We started dd off on Becotide as a preventer (the brown one) but it didn't seem to help much. Once she started on Singulair we did see a big improvement which lasted for a while but eventually she was changed to Seretide (purple) preventer and this is what seems to be working for her.

DD1 is up now and seems better. She still has a heavy cold but she isn't struggling at all. I used to despair that she would ever get a cold that would just be a cold and not end up with hospital admission, nebs, oxygen, steroids the whole deal that we are all so familiar with but this year has been great.

[Sirzy]

Ds seems pretty settled today, running round without coughing to much

Now to wean him off the ventolin

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

That's great sirzy :)

Hope ali's ds is doing ok x

Dd1 much better today still not 100% but not coughing so much and has held off the wheezing

[alibobins]

Ds2 must be feeling a bit better today as he has got the energy to cry and argue with me when his blanket has moved or the tele is changed from Disney channel lol he's still not eating and sounds dreadful but it's a a start

[alibobins]

Sirzy I'm glad your ds has avoided hospital :)

[Sirzy]

Being able to argue is always a good sign they are on the mend!!

[lollipoppi]

How are we all doing today?
DS is much better today, we are down to 4puffs 4hourly, which he is just managing.
He has been a stubborn little mule all day testing his boundaries which is always a good sign that he is on the mend

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

That's great loli :o I really am one of the lucky ones by sound of it! I'm
Very grateful to not always be worrying about it and just having to deal with the flare ups as they happen.

Glad to hear everyone's doing so much better today. We haven't needed puffer at all today so looks like for now we r in clear. (fingers crossed)

[Sirzy]

Glad you have both had good days today :)

DS has been pretty good too. Still on 5 puffs 4 hourly but he always takes ages to wean down so that doesn't bother me yet!

[alibobins]

Ds2 has been awake nearly an hour and managed 2 bites of toast :) :) I'm so relieved he still sounds and looks awful but a huge step in the right direction.
Sirzy ds1 always has 2 puffs of ventolin 4 times a day as instructed by his consultant we just increase the dosage when needed or give extra as required.

[lollipoppi]

Good to hear DS is on the mend Ali and sirzy

[Arachnophobe]

Hi I hope your DCs all had a calm night. I joined toward end of last thead as 8mo DC3 was 'dx' as pre-asthma by a hospital paed at A&E just before xmas.
He has been wheezing for over five weeks, not needed admission thankfully and steroids just once but had 3 courses of antibiotics in that time as deemed chest infection by the same GP at almost weekly visits back due to little improvement .
My beef is lack of consistency in advice - two different GPs have told me to administer ONLY 2 puffs of ventolin x 4 a day whereas a&e Doctor assured me I am fine to give ten each bad episode and repeat as needed gradually decreasing dosage over a couple of days.
I took him to a&e on Saturday daytime as he had a terrible night struggling and I gave him 10 puffs (administered properly six breathes per puff) and he still had tugging in his chest and throat 24 hours later. Nurse at A&e found stats ok reassured me that fine to keep giving 10 puffs sent me to out of hours gp based in same building to have him checked over
and avoid the d&v + 3 hour wait for a doc in a&e... GP said although indentation present his chest was nice and clear but to only give 2 puffs 4 times a day and if that not enough he has to be taken back to gp or a&e.
Luckily despite constant crackle and wheeze and hideous coughing fits he has been coping with 2 puffs but there is no long term strategy if this continues. DS1 had wheezing episodes at each cold and a couple of admissions following bronchiolitis as a baby but he would be clear in between and it thankfully stopped at nearly four.
I am reluctanct to assume same for Baby as he has had break and coughing fits are worse. I hate leaving him, too scared to touch a drink and have a night off bf over xmas in case he rapidly deteriorates again. I am ok leaving him with my Childminder as she has it herself and also very experienced in general and I work locally so can get to him quickly if need be so should be grateful for that.
I am still hoping it just clears up but as no joy so far does anyone have any tips for managing? We have minimal carpet and I bought wellkid baby drops for vit D. Does a humidifier at night help?
Sorry for the essay but it's been another long night.