What to do next?

[Pansy0926]

My 2.11 year old has, for the second time in 6 months, been admitted to hospital after catching a cold/chest infection which triggered breathing problems which I can only describe as very much like asthma. He was in hospital one night last time, and two nights this time and it was much more serious. Both times he has been sent home with an inhaler and a strict routine to take it every few hours for 2-3 days. When his breathing problems started to happen this latest time, I tried his inhaler from last time and it did absolutely nothing.

As an asthma sufferer myself I know exactly what it’s like when a cough or cold aggravates your asthma, and watching my son, I saw this and recognised it. However, he has never shown other signs of asthma other than these two episodes where he was already ill. The doctors at the hospital just said his airways were closing due to his cold.

I feel really unsure what to do here, do I assume it was a once off kind of thing seeing as the doctors didn’t say he had asthma when I asked? Or do I make a GP appointment and ask whether he has asthma?

I’m 27 but I feel like I’m still learning to adult!

www.ruh.nhs.uk/patients/services/clinical_depts/paediatrics/documents/patient_info/PAE007_Viral_induced_wheeze_information_and_management.pdf

If its just when he gets a cold that he gets wheezy with no symptoms inbetween it's unlikely to be diagnosed as asthma, but as a viral induced wheeze. Its basically the same as an asthma attack and managed the same way, but is common in young children and most grow out of it. Theres no single test for asthma, diagnosis is normally made based on a pattern of symptoms so if it keeps happening and/or he was to get symptoms in between attacks.

I'd say make sure you Always have a prescription avaliable for salbutamol (blue inhaler) with a spacer to use if he gets wheezy. But if you're needing to use it a lot or are ever concerned about his breathing get him checked out. And keep a note if you ever see any symptoms like wheezyNess with excersise or night time cough and speak to the gp if you notice any. Hopefully he'll grow out of it but no way to say for sure just now.

Thank you so much! Would have been brilliant if we had been given that, it describes it exactly!

It’s just a relief to have a label put to what happened.

Thanks Iwillrun, great advice

My son suffered from viral wheezes from about 1 to 3ish. Each time was a hospital visit, most were stay overs.
We (eventually) were given both the blue inhaler and the brown preventer inhaler. We still give him these when he starts with a cold but it seems he has grown out of it (fingers crossed)
Talk to your doc about the preventer, although they only gave us this after many hospital visits!
It will get better as he gets older and bigger as his airways will get bigger and stronger. It's hard going I know. My little one is 4 now and although has an inhaler in school, they have never had to use it unless I instruct them to when he has a cold/cough.