Straight-talking advice from School Nurse

[bathsh3ba]

Feeling much more relieved after speaking to School Nurse at DD's school. For context, DD12 has had a cold since last Wednesday and Friday evening she developed a cough. Initially it was infrequent, it got slightly more frequent over the weekend and she began to get a little wheezy with it. This is not unusual for her, she has an inhaler precisely because coughs/colds always go to her chest. She has had her reliever inhaler once today and it has helped. She is well in herself but she is still blocked up and periodically coughs to clear her throat of mucus. These are mostly voluntary rather than involuntary coughs - i.e. she coughs to clear her throat, not because she can't help it. If she laughs or talks a lot, sometimes this triggers a one-off cough that is involuntary. (She's been laughing a lot, hence she clearly feels fine!)

I kept her off today as I was unsure what to do and asked if the School Nurse could phone me. Her advice was that their protocol is to ask the parent to call 119 for advice. If they advise that the child does not have to isolate, send them to school; if they advise isolating and testing then the parent should do that. However, this doesn't preclude the child being sent home if teachers are concerned.

Thought this advice might help some people.

Yes asthma can make you laugh and the more you laugh the wheezier you get.
Has she had a review maybe they could up the preventers.
Imfeeling wheezy today a few days after a cold. Think its the dust from the heating and maybe weather changing

She was never diagnosed with asthma per se - it's 'childhood respiratory difficulties', I think they called it. She's never had a full-on 'attack' where she can't breathe but she gets wheezy after sport and coughs/colds linger on her chest. The inhaler definitely helps though.

Intrigued as to how asthma can make you laugh, never heard that before!

Anyway she is resting today, I will see how she is with her inhaler and cough medicine this evening and call 119 to get an opinion on if she can go in tomorrow.

Apparently called laughter induced asthma. I find the wheeziness from the laughing can make me laugh more.
It said it may be more if you have badly controlled asthma

I had issues like that for many years before finally being diagnosed with asthma in my 20s. Laughter induced asthma wheezing can be very annoying as finding anything too funny suddenly turns into a lot of coughing and desperately trying to get my breath back. It also tends to make people around me laugh because of the sounds I make - I'm often compared to muttley the dog, which then makes me laugh more and I get stuck in a loop until someone finally throws me my inhaler.

I never have "asthma attacks", just wheezing when laughing or exposed to one of my (very long list of) allergies.

Does olbas help clear her nose? Some asthmatics are allergic but if her nose clears it could help any cough. It seems to for my dc.
Yes i find that exercise and allergies. But since having covid?? In apr ive been having pain in my ribs and upper back and now moved inti more wheeziness that i havent had before without a phlegmy cough

Thank you everyone, I've learned a lot about asthma! Her dad (my ex) has much more severe asthma that has hospitalised him before so I think I assumed she just has a 'weak chest' or something.Maybe when the pandemic is over (as it isn't urgent) I'll get her checked over again.

For now, the cough is much better as long as she takes her inhaler first thing and before PE and she is back in school as 119 said the cough wasn't continuous and she didn't need to isolate.

Yes Olbas does help but when I tried to get some, everywhere round me had sold out!