any asthma peeps around?

[lubblyjubblies]

Help!
DS 24months has viral wheeze officially, complicated by persistant bronchitis.
Been relatively well last few weeks( ie no admissions), but has had 2 courses of prednisolone in last 3 weeks. 3 days ago started wheezing again, started using blue inhalers accordingly. Seemed bad thurs night/fri morning so went off to a/e. Yep, confirmed was wheezy, started on 3rd course of prednisolone in 3 weeks. They were happy for him to come home as usually I am really confident dealing with him. Last night we were up to the stage of already given 2 lots of 10 puffs, still wheezy so off we go again. Bearing in mind by this point he has already had 2 days of pred. A/e was just bedlam, but got taken straight through as he had very audible wheeze/grunt. Was given 2 x 10 salbutamol and 4atrovent. Wheeze settled doc says chest infection based on really juicy wet cough which ended up with phlegmy vomit in front of doc, prescribed antibiotics, take him home.
So, we come home and although not convinced I start with antibiotics. Night not to bad considering but now very audible wheeze again. Have given 10 salbutamol (plus pred and becotide)but just know he cannot possibly go 4 hours.
So what do I do, and what will happen if I dont? To be blunt I am fed up of dragging him to a/e to let them do exactly as I would do at home. I think the real kicker is that he is fine in himself. He is working harder to breathe yet still running around as normal, but sounds horrendous. He is already on the max medications with steroids and inhalers. Do I just persevere at home and act if he seems to start to act really unwell. DH going mad, refusing to take him again. He thinks because we have been sent home twice he must be fine.
Oh and yesterday at the hospital when we were triaged and sent straight through his 02 levels were 92%, not unusual for him, but then after that sats were not measured as they couldnt find a probe, so I know his care was crap.
Fed up and despondant!

how much becotide are you giving? we double dose dd1 during illnesses on docs orders (4 x becoride instead of2) and she uses her ventolin as needed, which can be once an hour. obviously, i cant tell you to do this, as am not your gp, but have you seen asthma nurse at surgery? they are usually very good.

we also smother dd1 in vicks ( she is not allergic to this, but some asthmatic kids are so be careful), and try and get her to keep calm and not run about as it incxreases her symptoms, much to her disgust. (she is 8 and very strong willed)

He has 200 mc inhaler becotide, one puff in am and one in pm. Realistically what happens if asthma is left unmanaged for a period of time? Now I have hideous visions of respiratory failure and such, but am I being melodramatic?
Tomorrow I should be able to get access to specialist asthma nurse at hospital.
I suppose today I could give salbutamol as needed but just feel concerned that have always been told if 4 hourly not working needs to be seen.
Aghhh....visions of last year recurring. We didnt get out of hospital until 7pm xmas eve.

A&E should of at least discharged you with a care plan ie 5 puffs every 2 hours or something along those lines.
I can't belive they didn't re-check his sats when ds is admitted if sats are below 94 then they can't be discharged.
Just keep a close eye on him today and if you think he is getting worse and finding it hard to cope then go back.
Did they not give him a nebuliser this usually gets ds back on his feet.
I hate this time of year for asthmatics.

Sounds a lot like Tink was. Monthly visits often ending up with a stay plus she'd have a smaller visit or see the GP inbetween, every minor snuffle resulted in a week of wheeze - she had conjunctivitis for 12 hours and was ill for a week with it. Eventually I got to the point where I insisted they diagnosed her asthmatic. Fortunately I was seeing the senior partner at the surgery at the time and he sent us to paeds A&E so the diagnosis carried over. She was put on regular meds from then, two months later she had a major attack that took three days to bring her out of and a week to wean her off the meds. I insisted that she be refered to a paediatrician and not just left under the care of the surgery asthma nurse - 2 year olds shouldn't have asthma, it needs to be taken seriously!

She's now on 200 twice a day of the brown puffer, they've changed her 4x blue twice a day to one green and she just has blue for attacks, and she's on Montelukast once a day. If she is getting ill she has 10 puffs of blue and is taken to A&E, we've been told not to go to GP for colds etc as it will end in a hospital visit so we need to get in quickly. We're also told if she doesn't respond to 10 blue to call an ambulance as they can start her on stronger medication quicker.

Give as much blue as needed it takes a lot to overdose on it and overdosing isn't as bad as an attack - my aunt used to go through a blue a day.

playing it minute by minute. He seems well enough, but getting quieter. He has had 2 lots of 10 blue already this morning but still wheezy when active.

lubbly, have no useful experience, but to see ds unwell and hope you, and he, get to avoid another hospitalization.

dd1 has mild asthma (when she gets a cold) and I've also been told its virtually impossible to overdose on blue. Both my dds take brown steroid inhalers 2x daily when they have colds, and its made a big difference to dd1 - without it, they go straight to her chest.

I'd have thought oral pred would replace the need for it, but am wondering why they haven't given your ds a brown inhaler to use regularly through the winter? Or have they? Sorry if dim question!

If I'd had to give that much to Tink and she was still breathless I'd be taking her in, but then I know that's (for her) the start of a big attack. I think we're going to be going in later. She's had her morning inhalers and is still breathless, her eye is sticky and she's full of cold. I'm waiting a few hours before giving her 10 blue as the green is quite strong so I need to let that act.