Breathless 2 year old?

[Sophiej99]

My 2 year since beginning of November started with a cough and began being rather breathless he is absolutely fine in him self and no high temp.

I contacted my gp around 3 weeks ago who suggested to use a blue inhaler before bed which does nothing and gave me a follow up appointment for the week after where I explained that I'm getting more concerned about the breathlessness then I am his cough as his cough has seemed to be a lot better then it was back in November so she sent him for a chest x Ray

Still waiting on the results from the x Ray which I am sort off certain will come back normal, but does anyone else have a very breathless child? He could be sat watching tv and breathing so hard that his full body moves when he breaths
What can cause it ?

Yes I have this with my grandson. Been blue lighted to hospital after not responding to the local GP nebuliser.
He is fine but I do anticipate him being diagnosed asthmatic, although they won’t officially diagnose until they reach 5 years ( baby asthma is a thing and my middle child grew out of it when he was 4) .
I know my grandson doesn’t have baby asthma, it’s very different. They give him like a funnel thing to get the inhaler through .. the surgery and hospital are brilliant when it comes to children with breathing difficulties... his belly literally dips so you can see ribs and he struggles to breathe normally.. He’s 3 now , this has been going on for about 2 years ..it’s the season for colds and coughs and again today I got the call today his breathing is shallow ...try not to worry , I’ll handhold if u need .. my grandson is a cheeky man , bright and thriving ,
Just be wary and don’t be afraid to call 999 if you need to

@HaveANiceFuckingDay

Yes I have this with my grandson. Been blue lighted to hospital after not responding to the local GP nebuliser. He is fine but I do anticipate him being diagnosed asthmatic, although they won’t officially diagnose until they reach 5 years ( baby asthma is a thing and my middle child grew out of it when he was 4) . I know my grandson doesn’t have baby asthma, it’s very different. They give him like a funnel thing to get the inhaler through .. the surgery and hospital are brilliant when it comes to children with breathing difficulties... his belly literally dips so you can see ribs and he struggles to breathe normally.. He’s 3 now , this has been going on for about 2 years ..it’s the season for colds and coughs and again today I got the call today his breathing is shallow ...try not to worry , I’ll handhold if u need .. my grandson is a cheeky man , bright and thriving , Just be wary and don’t be afraid to call 999 if you need to

Thank you for the reply, my son is able to do everything he normally would but is just very breathless doing it sometimes when he speaks his words split into two so he can get a breath in. He currently has a blue inhaler and a spacer and he is pretty good taking it but the breathlessness is constant and a blue inhaler if I remember rightly only works for instant relief so I don't see any improvement. It's scary when it concerns a child's breathing but with everything going on with the virus my gp still won't see him we've only had 2 telephone consultations but because he's able to do his normal activities they are not concerned

Can you ask for a referral to a paediatrician?

I was about to suggest viral wheeze or RSV then saw it’s been happening for two months! Poor you, must be very stressful.

FYI my son gets regular viral wheeze (basically asthma when he has a cold) and we’ve got montelukast and inhalers for him.

(If you’re in a place with private doctors and can afford it, it would be a lot quicker to see somebody privately - usually about £250)

I’d recommend getting an oximeter - I was very unsure with my DC about when they needed to be seen by the doctor - they could seem happy and otherwise fine but not able to finish a sentence for example. But the oximeter is really clear - below 95 I’m concerned and 91/90 we’re off to A&E.

Also count his breaths. One of mine used to have RSV and I was very used to counting his breaths. I can’t remember what they should be now for that age but have a Google and then count. I remember phoning OOH when DS was a similar age and well over the expected average bpm and they sent paramedics round for immediate oxygen. He used to get prednisone which would sort him out quite quickly.

Your DS seems unusual as it’s been going on so long without declining (my DS got blue lighted to hospital the first time as he was younger and his decline was quite quick). He ended up in hospital a few times. Good luck.

Push for a referral to paeds. Round here, that would get you a rapid access appointment (ie within about 10 days)

So sorry to hear you and your little one are going through this. This describes my son when he was little, he was diagnosed eventually with brittle asthma, which is uncontrolled and spontaneous. He would literally just be sitting there watching TV or doing a puzzle and suddenly not be able to breathe. He was given steroids and a preventer inhaler which helped him improve. He still struggles now but is much more controlled. Push for a referral, they are normally brilliant and good luck x