Cough cough cough that has lasted years in both children

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Both ds and dd have had a cough that has lasted for years, it seems slightly worse in winter. It's the same cough in both children. It doesn't produce anything and wakes them and the rest of us up every night. Tried all the usual propping up, olbas oil, vicks (and on feet) , chopped onions on radiator, well ventilated room. GP prescribed us Betamethasone nasal drops and after a week that hasn't worked either. Booked in to see a Paediatrician but its a month away and I can't bear another month of no sleep. Any crazy / normal ideas welcome.

[Sirzy]

If you have been given that then no wonder it's not working yet, that takes up to 6 weeks be fully effective. Have you not been given ventolin?

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Sometimes the cough will get worse, because the inhaler loosens the chest.

What is it with parents and a refusal to believe their kids have asthma this week!

[amillionyears]

What times of day are you giving the inhalers?

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

I appreciate your concern but they are very healthy children other than this cough. In fact they are top of the class in everything you suggest they might struggle in. Even the GP didn't prescribe an inhaler the second time around, she prescribed Betamethasone to help stop swelling. I'll be seeing the nurse soon and paediatrician next month. I still think there's an allergy here I haven't sussed out yet. DS cough was worse last night than it was when the inhaler started, to me that doesn't make sense.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

I really think your children have asthma.

If the blue inhaler isn't helping for more than a few hours, then they probably need a brown steroid inhaler to use all the time which will keep the inflammation under control.

I am pretty horrified actually that you didn't let them have the inhalers when they were first prescribed. Asthma is a serious illness and you have potentially put your children's lives at risk.

Do they struggle at school, always tired, poor concentration, bad behaviour?

[chocolatespiders]

You could see if there is an Asthma nurse based at your GP surgery they are normally very very good and informative. Think I learn something new everytime we go

[Sirzy]

Are you using a spacer? Have you been shown how to use the inhaler correctly? How many puffs do you give at a time?

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Thanks for all these bits of input.

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Once again the cough is here again in both children, just a few hours in to the nights sleep. Even after giving the inhaler its cough cough cough, cough cough cough. Ds cough probably worse tonight than before I started this course of medication. Is this really Asthma ?

[Whojamaflip]

My ds has inhalers for asthma - his is affected by changes in temperature (ie going inside from out) and certain foods - by far the worst is the artificial sugars and the cough can take nearly a week to get back under control using both the brown and the blue inhalers.

It can take some time for the inflammation to be brought under control...

[chocolatespiders]

If it a blue reliever inhaler the effects are very short term and the brown preventer inhalers are the ones that the effects last 12 hours so you take morning and night. This is all I can remember from the Asthma clinic. Most people would not take the blue one regularly at set times as it is used as a reliever for as and when relief is needed.

[amillionyears]

You say that they are going to see the nurse in a week.
She should give you more information then.

It sounds like your children may have had untreated asthma for a long time.So it may take a long time to get their asthma under control.
They may need more puffers, or different puffers etc.

Salbutamol, again as far as i can remember is the lightest dose one.
The nurse will presumably ask you if it has made any difference, or how much of a difference.

[amillionyears]

The salbutamol, [from what I can remember, as the children concerned no longer live permanently at home], lasts for up to 4 hours. And starts to work after the first hour.

Are there instructions in a leaflet in the box?

[amillionyears]

The thread may not have everything you are looking for, but it does go into quite a lot of aspects of asthma, as it has been running all day!

[amillionyears]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1686153-To-not-agree-with-the-nurse-practisers-view-that-my-DS-has-asthma-and-to-think-a-diagnosis-should-come-from-a-doctor

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

I didn't know it would only last an hour, though it doesn't relieve the cough within that first hour after taking.

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Oh and I meant to say how do i get to that link you suggested ?

[chocolatespiders]

Is the salbutamol one the one that the effects only last an hour. You may need a brown inhaler which the effects last longer from,

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Thanks for your reply. GP suggested 3 times a day for both inhaler and medicine and just to continue until seeing a nurse in a week or so.

[amillionyears]

Glad you came back.
I had been hoping that the children were taken to the GP.

How long and how often did the GP say they were to have the Salbutamol and medicine for?

Also, have you seen the thread today all about asthma.
I have been hoping you may have seen it.

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

I'm now five days on after giving on the advice of GP Salbutamol via inhaler and Allerief containing Chlorphenamine via oral liquid medicine to both children. They are both still coughing all be it slightly less than before, during day and at night. I changed both of their pillows to anti allergy featherless type just in case. Still baffled as to why this is still going on. Any ideas why ?

[amillionyears]

Have you taken them both to see the GP now?

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Thanks, couldn't get appointment today so will see GP in the morning.

[butterfingerz]

Inhaled steroids as treatment for asthma is one of the oldest, safest and most effective modern medicines, they have been used for decades on thousands of asthmatics with little known ill effects. If your doctor has prescribed a brown inhaler, the steroid, then yes he will have been happy to dish it out because of its longstanding history of being safe and effective against asthma. The reason your gp may think its asthma is because virus and bacterial infections that cause coughs are productive and do not last years.

Your dh may have been an asthmatic child that simply grew out of it, my sister was severely asthmatic until the age of 6 but grew out of it, lucky for them. But giving your dc a steroid inhaler while they are suffering with asthmatic symptoms can prevent long term damage to the small airways caused by untreated inflammation, and help their lungs grow into normal functioning ones.

If you decide to go ahead with the steroid inhaler, you need to be consistent and give it at the correct dose at the allocated times, every day. It'll take a while to have an effect, weeks even to build up in the system and reduce inflammation. You will not know overnight whether its worked.

Also, there are lots of natural, not chopped onion woo, remedies that help asthma. But I think you should go back to your gp and give conventional medicine a chance first. Your gp can also refer you to an asthma nurse who will advise you on triggers and suchlike.

[VanellopeVonSchweetz]

Thanks for the schooling, I'll give the inhaler a try. I'll let you know how I get on in the morning.