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Stopping breathing

4 replies

Mamtotwo411 · 09/01/2025 22:13

Hi 🙂

Im looking for some advice and guidance of what to do, my son can’t suffer like this!
Basically, my 11year old son stops breathing. For some time now, if you would tickle him he would suddenly stop breathing then his lips would turn blue very quickly and I would calm him now and tell him focus on me and tell him to slowly try to breathe and a few minutes of this his breathing would come back now but it’s very distressing for him and this would happen now and then.
i had taken him to the doctors as he had 2 chest infections and I explained what sometimes happens from this they said suspected asthma and gave him an inhaler. My son could not inhale the inhaler as it was a powder form that took a lot to breath in (I couldn’t even do it!). I contacted the dr’s back and they said no this is suitable for him.
moving in to now he doesn’t bother with the inhaler as it’s impossible for him but now he is having theses breathing incidents every week with out fail for no reason and it’s very worrying.
i have been in touch with the dr’s who still haven’t diagnosed him with asthma but are brushing this breathing issue off.
what can i do? What could this maybe be? I don’t think it’s an asthma attack as he could be sat watching tv and it happens.
has anyone heard/know of anyone that suffers with anything similar to this?
it even happened recently in a swimming pool luckily I was close by or he could have drowned.
Any advice at all is very appreciated. Thank you

OP posts:
BellissimoGecko · 09/01/2025 22:26

Wtf? And you didn't call an ambulance the first time this happened, or get an urgent GP appt to discuss this?? Why on earth not?? You're being amazingly casual about this.

And if he has been prescribed an inhaler, he should be taking it. If he can't, go back and make an appointment with the asthma nurse and they will show him how. He should be doing peak flow measurements too.

If you are not around when he stops breathing, eg in the night, what happens?

BellissimoGecko · 09/01/2025 22:31

You said it first happened when you tickled him - this is a thing.

But the other times - what was he doing beforehand?

BellissimoGecko · 09/01/2025 22:32

Why did the GP brush off this problem? What did they say it was?

Mamtotwo411 · 10/01/2025 07:36

Hey
I have been to the GP many times about this and the look at me like I’m making it up & my son has even described what happens, usually results in the DR asking me what i think it could be or why it happens but I have got no idea then nothing happens or they say it’s the suspected asthma. We have seen the asthma nurse who has refused to changed the type of inhaler and said she feels this is the best one for him. Basically going round in circles with them for going on 2 years. He has completed a flow chart, he had to do a spirometry but failed it on 3 separate occasions due to not breathing through it correctly and been told he needs to learn how to breathe correctly 😡 (clearly there is an issue why he can’t do this test).
I have tried to call an ambulance but be time I have gave his details and explained the emergency he’s back breathing 2-3 minutes and then told to take him the GP as then he is fine.
My worst fear is it happening through the night! Upto now it’s never happened but this does worry me a lot more so lately.

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