When to worry about asthma

[JerricaBenton]

My dd2 has asthma, though very rarely does she actually suffer with it. She has been on ventilators twice, as a toddler (she is now 6) because when it comes on, it comes on bad. She only gets wheezy when she has a cold (no allergies).

Now, she hasnt really had an attack in about 2 years, so my memory is hazy. At what point do you worry and take them to a Dr or even to an A&E department?

When ever you start to say when should I take them to a Dr sounds a good point to me...

I start to fret a bit when ds starts to use his accsessory muscles to breathe,you can watch to see if they are lifting their shoulders when breathing.
ds also starts to get hoarse and he becomes quiet.

When he is really bad he becomes a bit panicky but strangely quiet too as if he's concentrating.

btw I am stupid and usually leave it too long

if you're worried get her seen

you can give about 10 puffs of ventolin if you're worried, apparently the same as nebuliser dose

Thank you. Last time she was nebulised, she was about 2, and she too went very quiet and withdrawn. I got into trouble though, as they said i should have brought her in sooner. So that knocked my confidence a bit, and nowi think i panic too quickly IYSWIM, and i dotn want to seem like im making a fuss about nothing.

She has had 4 puffs of a blue inhaler, and is still able to talk and isnt raising her shoulders to breathe, so im guessing she is fine just now?

LOL this is the same DD who had CP a week or so ago, in case anyone is wondering why i have 2 threads going! (the other one was bumped)

oh dear poor thing

keep an eye out for excessive coughing as well

In that case please take her to Drs.

There is a little known complication f chicken pox called pulmonary pneumonitis. I am not sure whether it is concurrent with or ocurs after the chicken pox - but with her history of asthma and you are obviously questioning the point at which to be concerned. I am not saying do it tonight necessarily. but I would do it tomorrow.

She does have quite a bad cough, it punctuates almost every sentence she speaks.

I think Ill take her tomorrow, thank you

Do you have an asthma nurse at your gp practice? Well worth making an appt to make a treatment plan with her for future reference. They can give you pointers when its time to start increasing the dose and when its necessary to be seen. It can be really reassuring. I'd agree with see the gp too.

With my dd it I know she needs seeing once she can't talk without coughing.

Also, I was told that I could give her up to puffs of ventolin but that if she is needing 10 puffs then she should be seen.

Jerrica, I too left it too long earlier this year. DD is 7 and, as others have said, she became very quiet and tired.
I had to collect something from the GP's and I thought I'd just get the asthma nurse to take a look at her whilst we were there. She ended up on the nebuliser and I felt awful. If I hadn't had to go to GP for something else I wouldn't have bothered. I still feel tearful writing this now.

So, not much help except to say I panic nowadays as well, but better that way than my over-relaxed approach of before.

Im relieved that I am not the only one who hasnt realised who bad the asthma has got, i can admit it has happened to me twice Once just like you jelly, I went to teh GP about her excema & cough, and she needed the nebuslier, and they kinda told me off for not phoning an ambulance during the night!

Badkitten, I have seen the asthma nurse before, but it was a couple of years ago now, so have forgotten all i was told, as she hasnt really suffered form it since

Illegally - how many puffs can I give her?

I would say if she cant say a complete sentence without coughing or seems breathless she needs seeing sooner rather than later.
Our respiratory nurse advised us to try 10 puffs of salbutamol. If that doesnt stop wheeze or cough, or loses it effect before 2 hours, off to a+e if out of hours.
It may well be she needs prednisolone too.

She has had 4 puffs since 5pm, am about to give her another couple because i cant see much difference.

Have just had a thought though, what if its just a cold? How do you tell the difference?

Forgot to say, my son gets really bad sometimes but its really hard to see if he's using his accessory muscles due to his build. He is very chunky and barrel chested with a big neck. I know when he gets a/e worthy mainly on his behaviour. He sits quite still and quiet but in an odd position, a little tipped forward but his tummy gets very big and hard, full of air.

Jerrica you say she had hicken pox a few weeks ago well a complication of chicken pox is a chest infection that follows it. I agree take her to the dr.

What does she say she feels like?
My bigger girl tells me she feels out of puff if she gets a bit wheezy.
Often with a cought there will be some wheeze. You may be able to hear a wheeze by putting your head on her chest or back and hearing her breathe. A whistly sound on the exhale is asthma.
Also, If she is kind of puffing to breathe out, putting effort into it, again likely asthma

Jerrica, if you're not sure I'd just see the out-of -hours GP. DD has had it for 5 years and I'm never sure. I find it really difficult and the nagging worry is horrid.

Awful to be told off, poor you, but I'd rather be told off for "fussing" (unlikely)than for neglecting it, iyswim.

I she pulling her stomach in under her ribsx when she breaths, or can you see the skin over her windpipe being sucked in when she breathes ??

If she is doing either of those then she needs seeing.

Dd2 very rarely wheezes, with her it is just a non stop cough meaning she can't catch her breath inbetween.

It is so hard to tell though I agree. I once took dd2 to a&e because her asthma seemed bad. Whilst there she seemed to recover and I was contemplating taking her home. Luckily I didn't, as half hour later she was almost unconcious, on oxygen and a drip and was in hospital for a week, as she had pneumonia.

The chest infection follows chicken pox you say? oh, didnt know that. She had the 1st CP spot 2 weeks ago today, was that too long ago for this to be a complication?

She is still chatty just now, despite teh cough, and seems ok within herself, so im going to see how it goes for the next wee while

Though jelly, you are right, I would rather be fussy than get ti wrong!

lubbly - she says her chest hurts a wee bit, and that her cough hurts and she told me she is wheezy.

Thank you all for your advice & stuff girls

Just took her pulse, its 120 per minute, is that normal? where would i find out?

A pulse of 120 is within the normal range for a child under 10. Range is actually 70-120 - so on the upper limit).

More importantly what is her breathing rate? I think 20-20 is about normal for breathing.

how do i check her breathing rate?

The pulse is fine then, thats good. Think Ill let her sleep on it tonight and go to GP tomorrrow. Jsut wanted to check her over before bedtime.

Just sit and watche her chest rise and fall (or abdomen go in and out) for 1 minute. It can be easier to do this with your hand on her tummy so you can feel it. She should be resting when you do it.

An important thing to note though is that a high temperature (which I don't think you have mentioned) will cause an increased breathing rate - which is normal.