PE/Asthma

[LisaD1]

Hi, I'm really angry at my DD's school and wondered if I could get some opinions on what to do next.

2 weeks ago she started having problems breathing during PE, teacher took her to one side got her to breath deeply and calm down and eventually was ok (after 10mins or so). 2 days later she had PE again, told teacher what had happened in previous lesson and was told "I'm sure you'll be fine) different teacher this time. Anyway, DD had same trouble, took herself to one side and deep breathed etc and carried on, not seen by this teacher.

NONE of this was told to me by the school!! Anyway, fast forward several GP visits later and DD has been diagnosed with "excercise induced Asthma" told she may participate in PE but take inhaler if needed.

Today, she has PE with the same teacher that told her she would be fine and during lesson had an attack, tried to calm her breathing but didn't work so took her inhaler.

Teacher then (according to DD aged almost 10 and very sweet natured/never in trouble sort of girl) barks are her that she "doesn't need to take her inhaler, just try to breath normally, everyone gets out of puff in PE" and marches off, no, Are you ok, nothing!

I have called the school and teacher gone for the day but they will discuss tomorrow.

What would you do/expect?

I am considering saying I want this taken to the head and want a written explanation as to why the teacher took this course of action along with a guarantee that this will not happen again and that if they do not provide these 2 things along with an apology to my DD (who hates being in trouble and is finding this new diagnosis difficult to take on board anyway) that I will withdraw her from PE when taught by this teacher and if they ignore that request I will withdraw her from school.

I am just shocked that a teacher felt it appropriate to tell a child not to take something which a GP has told them they need!

Sorry it's long!

Did the teachers know your daughter had been prescribed an inhaler from her GP and that she had it with her in school?

Hi,

Yes, they all know, I wrote a letter to the school and the teachers have all been told.

In that case, I would be having words with this teacher. Whether he thinks it's warranted or not isn?t the issue really. He shouldn?t disregard the fact it has been prescribed by her GP and that she has been instructed to take it as and when needed.

That said, I must admit to wondering whether he does have a point about her simply being "out of puff", especially as her breathing returned to normal after 10 minutes or so. Maybe that's what his beef is with but even still, he shouldn't take it upon himself to decide this.

That's appalling. I was similarly furious with my DD1's school last term. What really sets her off is sustained running etc. So they organise the usual cross-country trials in November and I agree with the teacher in charge that she is allowed to just walk. Half way through another teacher yells at her that she has to run. Cue asthma attack. The lack of communication and trivialisation of asthma can be appalling. I would indeed go in and see the Head as you have proposed. Clearly an 'ordinary' letter didn't work and they need to take this more seriously.

Defo take it to the head. When something similar happened to my dd, I spoke to the head and she took it really seriously.

You might want to go armed with the Asthma UK School Asthma Pack.

hi LisaD1. have you had any news back?

I am asthmatic and also had trouble with pe teachers both during diagnosis and after. Its hard coming to terms with having to take all the medication without silly/ignorant teachers making you feel stupid.
Just out of interest, at what times does your dd take her inhaler? Is it to before exercise, or just when she feels breathless? AS whilst i dont think she should hide her illness, it might make her feel a bit easier if she was able to take it before pe lessons.

Hi everyone.

Well, we spoke with the head today and the teacher in question. We were assure that the teacher was trying to encourage DD to try to calm down prior to using inhaler and that at no point was he saying she couldn't, he said she misunderstood him! Well, I'm quite sure a lot of people would misunderstand whilst in the midst of an asthma attack!

Anyway, the result is that he has apologised to our DD and tried to reassure her that he was trying to help and not telling off. I have tried to explain to the school that DD is a timid child (you would expect them to know that really after 4 years!) and that she is finding the recent diagnosis scary/embarrassing/difficult to get used to etc and that she does not need any further pressures added, be that well intended or not.

She has been advised by GP to take once in the morning, once before bed and as needed during the day. PE is a morning lesson usually so I have said that she is to try taking her morning dose before the PE lesson to see if that helps.

Hopefully the school will now offer the support she needs, although I'm not 100% confident but all I can do is keep an eye on the situation and see how it goes.

Thanks for all your replies, it's especially helpful to hear from other people with asthma as I have no personal experience.

Thanks.

Hi everyone.

Well, we spoke with the head today and the teacher in question. We were assure that the teacher was trying to encourage DD to try to calm down prior to using inhaler and that at no point was he saying she couldn't, he said she misunderstood him! Well, I'm quite sure a lot of people would misunderstand whilst in the midst of an asthma attack!

Anyway, the result is that he has apologised to our DD and tried to reassure her that he was trying to help and not telling off. I have tried to explain to the school that DD is a timid child (you would expect them to know that really after 4 years!) and that she is finding the recent diagnosis scary/embarrassing/difficult to get used to etc and that she does not need any further pressures added, be that well intended or not.

She has been advised by GP to take once in the morning, once before bed and as needed during the day. PE is a morning lesson usually so I have said that she is to try taking her morning dose before the PE lesson to see if that helps.

Hopefully the school will now offer the support she needs, although I'm not 100% confident but all I can do is keep an eye on the situation and see how it goes.

Thanks for all your replies, it's especially helpful to hear from other people with asthma as I have no personal experience.

Thanks.

I personally think that the doctors have a lot to answer for. I have a really big suspicion that they earn money through prescribing inhalers.

A child in my class was told to use brown and blue inhalers at lunchtime and in the evening. I had no experience of her becoming 'wheezy' at school. I was puzzled by the prescription. I have always understood that a blue inhaler is for use in a 'wheezy' (i.e. 'asthmatic') episode and a brown inhaler is preventative.

My son was also given an inhaler for being wheezy, where an allergy test would probably find him allergic to dog hair/saliva. He has just been referred to the nurse for testing at 18y, having had 'asthma' inhalers for the past 12 years.

No wonder 'asthma' is on the increase, with crazy prescribing of inhalers by doctors, resulting in a serious under-estimate of just how serious, and potentially fatal, REAL asthma is.

By the way, I did question the doctor's instruction of using a brown and blue inhaler at the same time with the child's mum. What made me more suspicious was that after the mum had questioned it, the child only has to use a brown inhaler each day, and the blue if she becomes wheezy.

Any doctors out there to explain this? Why prescribe both?

Im not a doctor, but i am on two inhalers bith to be used differently. I have one that i have to use in the morning and evening (preventer) and one if i need it (reliever). tbh i dont really need the reliever all that often, though if i am doing a lot of exercise or if i ahve a really bad cold i do. id guess i only really use it once or twice a week actually! Just shows how much exercise i do...

I don't know what the OPs exercise induced asthma is actually like; in my ds it shows up as a barking cough and a tightening of the chest. He doesn't sound traditionally wheezy. Not the same scariness levels as what EasterBunny terms Real Asthma, but extremely exhausting for him.

cory - is he like that after any exercise or at particular times? My son used to get wheezy after games in summer. We only noticed this after a few years ( observant mum) when we saw a pattern of cut grass/ wheeziness. Even scarier (and only once) his whole face swole up after visiting a cat refuge (almost like an anaphylactic reaction)- odd because we have a cat.

As I said, it would have made our lives much easier if an allergy test had been done in early childhood when the wheeziness started, even if that meant that he needed an inhaler to alleviate the symptoms. Perhaps then his medical records would show 'allergies' rather than 'asthma' (which they do at the moment).

I think the wholesale distribution of inhalers makes us understate 'asthma' as a very serious medical condition.

Sorry - last sentence didn't make sense, but you know what I mean!!

Why does the explanation have to be written? What is wrong with a simple adult discussion? Are you and the teachers not on the same side? Are you planning litigation?