Sons asthma

[Shoegal0305]

I suffer from quite bad anxiety, usually related to my sons health. He's normally fit and well but has asthma and I've been a single parent for 11 years with no family support which obviously doesn't help.

He's 14, and had a cough for 3 days, using his blue inhalers every few hours, chest is wheezy. Had him to the GP earlier, saw a nurse practitioner, who was lovely. She did his peak flow which was low (270), his oxygen sats were 98%, pulse normal and temp 36.6.

He was prescribed prednisalone and amoxicillin and told to take a brown inhaler. My issue is I feel like I'm on the ceiling right now with my anxiety. I know it's normal to be worried of course it is, but I need to get it into perspective. He is sensible, would tell me if he was really bad, but I feel so alone right now. I've had a 3 week chest infection, been off work and my mum is currently in the middle of a mental health crisis, I've been driving 40 miles each way regularly to see her and she has me very worried.

Need a virtual hug

He should improve once the pred starts to work, which should happen quite quickly. If he's no better by tomorrow lunchtime, maybe get him seen again, or if he gets worse obviously. The brown inhaler will take a week or so to kick in but should keep things more stable after that (it's used daily even when well).

Thanks Dotty I just feel so anxious I can't settle. His asthma is my trigger. Xx

I think it's very normal to worried and anxious about something like that, though I'm sure that won't reduce what you're feeling because anxiety doesn't work like that. How is he this evening?

He's eating and drinking loads!! But his chest is really crackly and wheezy, I guess I have to give the steroids chance to kick in? He's currently on his PC (since he became a teenager this is the norm!!) x

Yes they should kick in quickly and help. They also increase appetite though not sure if that happens immediately. Can affect sleep. Drinking lots is good though. Helps keep everything lubricated, and him hydrated obviously. Sounds promising if he's kind of carrying on as he normally would.

The pred will kick in soon and help! But he shohld be taking his blue inhaler regularly. He should be taking 10 puffs every 4 hours using a spacer (hopefully the gp gave you one!) for the first day then reduce to 5 puffs every 4 hours for a day then 2 puffs every 4 hours. If he's needing it more often than that he needs to be seen again.

Also noticed the nurse said to take the brown inhaler, is this a new medicine for him? Just its one he needs to be taking regularly twice a dayb not just when he's wheezy. It wont help relieve a tight chest, but used regularly it should prevent him getting wheezy in the future.

Hope he's better soon!

Thanks all!

He used to take the brown inhaler when he was small but his asthma symptoms decreased so we stopped it. Xx

Shoegal, I was feeling exactly like you a few months ago. I am a lone parent too. It is awful being anxious about your sons health and feeling all alone.

My son was prescribed the brown inhaler in February, along with prednisalone and antibiotics. It has taken months to get my son back to normal. I would say it is only recently his cough has completely gone. He is still taking his brown inhaler at the moment because I am too scared to let him stop. He has a hospital appointment next week, I am hoping that a discussion with a doctor at the hospital will help reduce my anxiety around my sons asthma.

I hope your son is feeling better soon and that you can relax a bit more x

Tacmas thanks for your reply. It's the loneliest place in the world being a single parent with a poorly child!

He seems a bit better today but still coughing/wheezing/crackly but I feel my anxiety has dropped a bit xxx

I'm glad he seems a bit better and that you are feeling less anxious. It is completely normal to be anxious about such things (as your child being poorly but moreso when it's something unfamiliar) and with general anxiety on top of that it must be really hard.

Please please don't stop a preventer (brown) inhaler because the user is well. The whole point of them is to prevent the need for the blue one but they need to be taken as prescribed even when well. There may be times a doctor or asthma nurse will step down treatment and try without it but I suspect that wouldn't happen quite yet when he's only just back on an even keel.

Thanks Dotty xx