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Original poster

2.8 ds wont use inhaler - please help

19 replies

mad4mybaby · 19/02/2009 16:54

he has an inhaler with the mask bit and tube attachment. have tried putting stickers on it, me using it just about everything. it is mainly for the night. saw gp yest and she said do it when hes asleep so tried tgat but the noise and the puff wakes him up. he really needs it and cant pin him down plus hold mask plus press button (nor do i want to) have also tried playing with it and doing it on teddy

please help

OP posts:
islandofsodor · 19/02/2009 17:02

You have to do it by force if he won't allow you otherwise, its not nice but necessary.

Do you have a spacer? If so you put the inhalor in the end of the spacer with the mouthpice mask thing on the other end. Press the inhalor however many puffs he needs then put hte mask over his face. If he struggles/cries thats all the better, it means he is breathing in and out so getting the benefit.

Original poster
mad4mybaby · 19/02/2009 17:04

yes have spacer but he is too strong, i dont have enoigh hands to hold him, keep the mask on and press it

OP posts:
FlorenceAndtheWashingMachine · 19/02/2009 17:09

We found that a song worked with DD. Does your DS have a song that he loves? If not feel free to try this. DD liked it because you can really exaggerate all the words and so it distracts nicely:

I am a donkey YES!
There's no denying that
My name is Eeyore HUMPH!
Not very fond of that

It really is a shame
I don't know how it came
I run around the field
And then he calls me
EEYORE! EEYORE!
He always calls me THAT!

My other thought is using something wind up which has music around the right length and which might distract your DS. Good luck - I know how difficult it can be.

DorisIsAPinkDragon · 19/02/2009 17:25

Does your area have a paediatric asthmas speacilaist nurse?? she may have some ideas.

Only experience so far was giving dd2 nebuliser (15-30min job) which did for the most part mean just hoilding her down, again the crying means that she takes big breaths and it is over and done with quicker but she's still younger than your ds.

We did a hold from behind rather than coming from the front if that helps?

DorisIsAPinkDragon · 19/02/2009 17:26

apologies for the poor speling/ dreadful typing

Scarletibis · 19/02/2009 18:10

My dd had one when she was around that age - v reluctant at first and too young to be bribed with choc buttons.

I seem to remember singing, giving a puff to teddy first, counting to 5 while doing it and always clapping each time at the end. Perhaps you could do it with whole family watching at 1st and a load of praise/clapping at the end - once they get the routine of it it becomes easier.

2pt4kids · 19/02/2009 18:18

I had to hold DS down a bit at first, but now he is well used to it (doesnt take long, honest!) and is fine with it.
DS2 has one too (11 months) and he holds it himself bless him.
We have a doo da song, where I sing 'Doo da, doo da, doo da' etc very loudly to distract and this really helped.
The spacer is very good. Put the 2 puffs in the spacer and then you can hold it over his face when asleep without the nois eof the puffs waking him up.

Way I see it, is that its like brushing teeth etc, they have to do it for their own good, so you've got to insist and make them if they wont co operate.

To make it a little easier though...
How about a sticker after each go?
A box of little plastic cars that he can pick one out of every day if he does the puffer nicely (just until he gets the hang of it?)

bumbling · 19/02/2009 18:26

No specific knowledge of yourpartic area, but ... Just at this age we started to be abe to bribe DS. Chocolate buttons, small dinky cars, yo-yo basically anything you could put into a stocking that's cheap. Make it immediate so do this for me and you can have the car. Even if you have to force it and have tears it might make him see that he gets a treat for doing it and he might get used to it. DS had an eye infection last year, he was about 3 at the time. We had to put drops and a cream in four five times a day for a week or so. He hated it and we had to jump him for hte first few days but the treats made it better and helped reinforce our message that we weren't hurting him and he was being very brave about the whole thing.

Good luck, it's horrid for us parents to have to do nasty things for their own good.

islandofsodor · 19/02/2009 19:14

Press the inhalor first then put the mask and spacer over his face. It won;t escape the valve inthe spacer prevents that

Original poster
mad4mybaby · 19/02/2009 19:53

island, what do you mean? How does it not escape?

OP posts:
scienceteacher · 19/02/2009 19:56

Do you have an Aerochamber? It is much easier to use than the hospital issue spacers. You can use one had for the inhaler and the other for restraining.

Original poster
mad4mybaby · 19/02/2009 20:06

sorry, not heard of that, what is it? I just bathed him and i pretended the 'puffer' was talking to him like i do with his fimble in the bath, and he did use it but i cant work out if hes getting enough from it??

he needs 2 puffs at night so can i press the button twice then over his mouth? How long do i have to keep it over him for? I seem to be rubbish with it, i have ventolin and thought i knew what i was doing but clearly not. i fell awful

OP posts:
scienceteacher · 19/02/2009 20:16

www.aerochambervhc.com/

Original poster
mad4mybaby · 19/02/2009 20:20

thats what he has! i thought it was a spacer! so what do i do

OP posts:
Dragonfly74 · 19/02/2009 20:24

When my DS 3yrs was prescribed inhalers we got an aerochamber, It was a yellow one with a teddy bear on it and a mask that fits over DS's face. DS was terrible in the beginning, DH would have to hold him while I gave him his inhaler.

It took a couple of weeks and a lot of tears before he got used to it but he's great with it now, He even tells us if he's feeling wheezy. He likes to press the inhaler down by himself and when the mask is over his face he counts to 5 and after each number takes a big breath.

It will get better, Good luck. x

Original poster
mad4mybaby · 19/02/2009 20:26

dragon that is exactly what ds has. so if i cant get him to count to 5 has he not got enough?

OP posts:
scienceteacher · 19/02/2009 20:27

IIRC, on the Aerochamber website, you can download colouring sheets. Your child can colour these in and learn that using the Aerochamber is a good thing.

TBH, a bad asthma attack and they soon learn the benefits of their inhaler.

Sidge · 19/02/2009 20:28

Sit him between your legs facing away from you, in front of a mirror if possible.

Put your legs over his legs and hold him tightly with your arms against his body trapping his arms. Keep his head against your chest.

With your free arm hold the spacer firmly against his face, using your thumb to push down the inhaler. Only do one puff at a time. Make sure he has 5 or 6 breaths per puff and don't worry if he is crying as he will still get the medication.

Don't put two puffs into the spacer at once, and don't put the puffs in before it's on his face as some of it escapes from the spacer.

Big hugs and kisses afterwards.

Dragonfly74 · 19/02/2009 20:42

Hi Mad4mybaby the doctor told us to make sure he had 4 or 5 big breaths if possible but if he was crying to let him have about 7 or 8.

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