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Original poster

Asthma support thread

158 replies

Sirzy · 10/02/2015 11:25

Just gone to bump the old one and noticed it was nearly full so time for a new one.

Thread for anyone who is dealing with an asthmatic (or possibly asthmatic) child who wants hand holding, advice or just somewhere to vent!

All welcome.

DS has just been diagnosed with his third chest infection since October. Thankfully he is back at his consultant in two weeks!

OP posts:
LunchpackOfNotreDame · 13/10/2015 22:50

Hi all after a dose of steroids and antibiotics dc blew a 330 at their check up today. During their attack on Thursday they blew a 235. We still have no asthma plan in place so can anyone give me pointers as to how far their best peak flow we should be seeking medical attention?

We ended up going by symptoms and as they had "squashed lungs" got seen. Is there anything else we should be made aware of?

PeppaIsACowbag · 26/10/2015 23:00

Hi lunchpack how old is your DC? My dd is only three so haven't had any experience with peak flow etc, are they feeling better now? This and the last thread were really helpful for me when dd first diagnosed but it's been pretty quiet lately.

I hope everyone's DC are OK. Dd is finishing an 8 day course of pred, 5 day course then a 3 day reducing course after an a+e dash she's been having a tough time of it lately. She's been referred to the hospital for consultant care now though so hopefully won't be waiting around too long. Think its going to be a long winter! Sad

Original poster
Sirzy · 30/10/2015 08:30

Hope everyone is ok.

Ds consultant isn't sure what to try next so has sent us to the children's hospital in the hope they can bring it under control. I am hoping the appointment comes before winter arrives!

OP posts:
LunchpackOfNotreDame · 30/10/2015 21:12

Hiya they're 10 and doing better but peak flow keeps fluctuating dramatically so the asthma nurse is still keeping an eye on them fortnightly. It's all pretty cramp really as everything and nothing sets them off

MigGril · 31/10/2015 07:07

Hi I wanted to join this treated as have a DS who's 4 with asthma.

He's relatively stable right now but it took us some time to get to this point. He's on singuler, seretide and antihistamine at the moment which seems to keep him relatively stable when he's well and at home. Problems we do have are when ever he gets ill or if he's exposed to a higher rate of his allergy. He's allergic to house dust mites and I'm still convinced there is some other allergy as well but it wasn't pick up when they did the testing.

I noticed a couple of you mention the flu nasel spray which is the one DS had. But I did question them about it as in the US where they have been using this vaccine method for some time they won't give it to asthmatics but hear they seem to be saying if your asthma is severa they won't. But I'm not sure how they are defining it.

Original poster
Sirzy · 31/10/2015 07:16

I looked it up and it was something like if they are on over 800mg inhaled steroids a day they don't advice having the spray. Ds had to have the injection as he is on 4 puffs of seretide 250 a day.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sirzy · 16/11/2015 11:55

How is everyone doing?

Looks like winter has started here, just out of a and e with 3 days of pred and a review tomorrow.

OP posts:
WellThatsLife · 16/11/2015 23:39

Hope he's better soon Sirzy. Dd1 is doing really well at the moment, consultant just reduced her preventer so we'll see how she goes now the winter weather's arrived

MigGril · 18/11/2015 14:56

Doing ok hear DS had a bit of a issue after staying at our inlaws for a few days in half term. But they have 3 dogs and he is allergic to house dust mites, MIL didn't tell me the dogs had been sleeping on the spare bed untill they brough the kids home. Not sure how to deal with that one really as they don't seem to take it that seroulsy at the best of times.

I got the Asthma nurse to give us a peak flow meter after his review the other week. Although wanted to ask is there any good resource for what his level should be at his age. Seems to be dependent on his hight. He's just turned 5 or do we just have to get some readings and see how he is from there. Will have to see if he can use it first. Good thing is I can still remeber how to use one, my sister had one. She needed quit a lot of steriodes during her teens with her asthma.

PeppaIsACowbag · 18/11/2015 23:27

Feel like poor DD is catching cold after cold at the minute, she's using her ventolin every day. Her GP doesn't want to increase her preventer inhaler until we see the consultant so were scraping by with pred. Consultant appointment is in a couple weeks.

Hope your ds is feeling better now Sirzy.

MigGril · 19/11/2015 09:36

Peppa hope you get the concultant appoiment soon.

Ours has always said better DS on a higher dose of preventer then having more doses of Pred, infact she was keen on him having as little of that as possible. To the point he was on Seretide (preventer with both steriod and long acting reliver) quite early (under 4 when he first had it) the phamists qestioned the persecution the fisrt time but as it was the constulant and not the GP who had given it they seemed fine with it after that.

PeppaIsACowbag · 19/11/2015 15:19

Thanks Mig she's on seretide at the minute, been on it a good few months now and it was great at first really settled her symptoms. Soon as the cold weather struck though she was struggling again. She's only on the lowest dose though (seretide 50) so hopefully consultant will prescribe her the stronger one.

Is your son settled on seretide now?

Original poster
Sirzy · 19/11/2015 15:33

Ds is much better now, still needed 5 puffs of ventolin every 4 hours though.

He has been on seretide since he was 2, he is 6 now and on seretide 250

OP posts:
MigGril · 19/11/2015 22:08

Yes he is, he's only on the 50, 2 puffs twice a day, but has montalaske (singular not sure I've spelt that right) and antihistamines everyday to. We really notice the difference without the antihistamine and he gets a higher dose when he's bad as it helps.

We've tried going back but without much luck this is his stable maintenance dose really.

I could tell early on that there was an allergy element to his asthma, but we really had to push to get them to test him.

PeppaIsACowbag · 28/11/2015 18:27

Well we had a scary episode this week, dd came down with a chest infection and was struggling so ended up in an ambulance with sats of 81, had some oxygen and was fine. She's now on antibiotics, pred and had her seretide upped to the 125 dose. Seeing the consultant on Xmas eve. She's on the mend now Smile

Bloody hate winter! How is everyone doing?

Original poster
Sirzy · 28/11/2015 20:35

Scary peppa, glad she is on the mend now

OP posts:
MNerAnon · 30/11/2015 07:29

Peppa, when you say he was struggling, can you describe it further? I wanted to compare notes with my DS last night (I just started a thread about it before finding this one!)

MNerAnon · 30/11/2015 07:30

Sorry, she... Not he!

PeppaIsACowbag · 30/11/2015 10:10

Hi MnOther, I've just seen your thread, sounds like he definitely needs to be seen at GP today, he needs to take the brown inhaler regularly for it to have effect.

Dd was breathing really fast, I counted a resp rate of 44 and had intercostal recession where all her muscles suck in under her ribs with every breath. She also had tracheal tug where the hollow at the base of her throat was sucking in too. She went downhill like this really fast, was scary how quick it happened!

Hope your ds feels better soon, ask if you can be referred to an asthma nurse I always find them much better at dealing with asthma then GPs and can give great advice etc.

MNerAnon · 30/11/2015 12:01

Thanks Peppa. Your daughter sounds quite different as his resps were 18 per minute. I think it should have been 25-30 at his age so slow and drawn out with big rests between each breath. That was on a good round when he wasn't coughing and gulping as though under water. I was worried though because he seemed to struggle for breath when he was trying to swallow what sounded like copious amounts of water just before each cough.

We're waiting for GP to call back today. Poor thing has been coughing all morning and now cries out in pain each time he coughs. It sounds sharp and dry, but wet at the same time, and no cough is productive in clearing anything. I know it sounds like a contradiction but it's what I'm hearing.

PeppaIsACowbag · 30/11/2015 14:07

Poor mite I hope GP prescribes something to make him feel better.

WellThatsLife · 30/11/2015 15:25

On the ward with dd1 all day after gp sent her in this morning. Hopefuly getting out tonight as she's much better. Increased het monteleukast to 10mg. Been trying to sort out who's looking after d2(9yrs) as dh is away as his dm is very ill(not expected to recover but she may surprise us as she's a stuborn old coot!)

romanrainsalot · 02/12/2015 10:17

Joining this thread. DS age 4 has asthma. Seems to have flared up again at the back end of this cold. He won't stop coughing, every 20 seconds, its two sets of two coughs. Been like it since he got up this morning. Had his brown inhaler and 4 blue ones. Seems ok in himself but will be tired later from all the coughing.

romanrainsalot · 03/12/2015 16:26

Any advice MNtters?

DS has this cough, been going on yesterday, all night and most of today (had a spell where it calmed a bit for about an hour) - it is non-stop. he has had brown inhaler, countless blue ones and been Drs (did the usual battling to get appointment etc) and she has given him the Prednisolone (sp?) dissolvable tablets. Just seems to be making no difference.

He's had something like this before, sucking in the chest/see his ribs thing.

Dr wants to see him again tomorrow.

I've never had to take him to A&E with Asthma, but bit worried that might have to if it doesn't start calming down. What would be the tipping point to say he needs nebuliser or something?
Thanks

PeppaIsACowbag · 03/12/2015 16:34

Hi roman, he sounds like he's struggling and if you can see his chest/ribs sucking in I would take him to a+e to be checked over, he may need a neb or some oxygen. Hopefully the steroids will kick in soon, hope he's ok.

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