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Original poster

Bit of a long shot - Anyone know an elderly person who had asthma as a child???

47 replies

Spagblog · 07/04/2006 20:58

I am struggling to finish off an essay for my college course. I need to discuss how public perception of asthma has changed. I can't find much on the internet and was wondering if I could ask someone who suffered from asthma as a child and how it effected them?

Long shot I know

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Original poster
Spagblog · 08/04/2006 07:48

morning bump

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jambuttie · 08/04/2006 08:02

i only developed asthma 12 years ago when i was 18 so not much help.

It has got much worse however since my hysterectomy last year

Original poster
Spagblog · 08/04/2006 08:04

Well, do you see any changes in how your asthma is treated or have you experienced any social stigma?
TIA!

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ItalianJob · 08/04/2006 08:37

unfortunately my gran who had asthma since childhood died in 2001. One thing that may be of interest to you is that both my gran and my mum's MIL despite using inhalers for decades were told in hospital they actually weren't using them correctly by the physiotherapist!

ruty · 08/04/2006 09:41

my uncle had asthma from a child until he died in 2001 at 80. The family lived in london and i think he was sent away to a boarding school by the sea, specializing in asthmatics. Funnily enough when i developed asthma aged 10 my parents considered doing the same thing, although you didn't hear of people doing it so much then, and certainly not now.

Chapsmum · 08/04/2006 10:08

spagblog, just a thought. You prbably wont find an awful lot because athsma was very rarly diagnosed in the 1950's.
As I'm sure your aware, THe NHS was only set up after the war, and most of our elderly were young when the NHS was in its infancy.

Asthma was misdiagnosed or misinterpreted.
Many of the founding treatments of the NHS lay in the ability to treat a condition.

Treatment for any kind of lung problems was very different and (correct me if I'm wrong please) initially invoved things like tar inhilationsShock.
Additionally when you look at the actual causes and exacerbations of asthma,(car fumes etc) a lot of them did not exist. or certainly were not at such a toxic level. you could search for "bronchitus" and the age group or years and you will probably get a lot more hits.

Jennypog · 08/04/2006 10:45

I am not exactly elderly (yet) but I have had asthma since I was 2 but wasn't diagnosed or given an inhaler until I was 18. I spent my entire childhood wheezing and couldn't do sport. My doctor told my mum not to say that I had got asthma as it would make me disabled!! I was already bl**dy disabled by their lack of interest. However, schools made no allowances and the PE teachers really enjoyed making me run round and round the track at school until I was collapsing, then they told me off for not saying I was wheezing.

Original poster
Spagblog · 08/04/2006 15:38

LOL Chapsmum, can I quote you?
I don't know anything about the history of asthma at all.
Jennypog, that is outrageous!

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SueW · 08/04/2006 15:59

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

Chapsmum · 08/04/2006 15:59

better make sure youput that reference right

www.mumsnet.co.uk.history of asthma. chapsmum 2006!!!!

morningpaper · 08/04/2006 16:01

I wouls have thought that anyone with asthma at the beginning of the century would just have died?

SueW · 08/04/2006 16:03

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SueW · 08/04/2006 16:03

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BadHair · 08/04/2006 16:46

My mum has had asthma since she was a child (born in 1939), and it most certainly was diagnosed when she was a child. She remembers not being able to breathe and having to breathe into a bag.
She's had severe eczema most of her life too, although it's now mostly under control for the first time.
I'm sure she'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Original poster
Spagblog · 08/04/2006 17:12

BadHair, that would be fabulous. Can you email me at bogwoppit2k (at) aol (dot) com

Thanks for the links. I am desperate to find more places of reference.
Do you think that the lecturer will be scratching her head at that reference Chapsmum

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SueW · 08/04/2006 18:20

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

SueW · 08/04/2006 18:21

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Original poster
Spagblog · 08/04/2006 19:32

Thank you soooo much!

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jmum6 · 08/04/2006 19:50

Hi my mother had asthma as a child and she is now 72. She briefly grew out of it in her twenties but it came back in her 30/40's. She suffers quite badly now. My grandfather, her father, also suffered from it and died from it too. I'm also asthmatic.

Is this any help? Do you want any more information?

Original poster
Spagblog · 08/04/2006 22:39

jmum6 - thanks. I am interested in what medications they were prescribed if any and whether they experienced any social stigma?

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BadHair · 08/04/2006 23:15

Spagblog - I've e-mailed you. Will speak to my mum tomorrow and let you know if she's happy to talk. She usually is, in fact you can't normally stop her, so I'm sure it'll be OK.

Jennypog · 09/04/2006 13:36

People probably had asthma, but weren't diagnosed with it, or couldn't afford to go to the doctors. I don't think that our air today is worse than years ago, I think it used to be awful with coal smoke and pollution. I am sure that people just died with breathing difficulties. Today asthmatics are probably diagnosed and treated better. The doctor quickly assumes asthma - my daughter was diagnosed as having asthma, but she just had the remains of a cold. The doctor wouldn't have it and prescribed ventolin, which I never used/

Chapsmum · 09/04/2006 16:22

Jennypog youmake a very interesting point about perceptions of what asthma is.

Your GP can not diagonose asthma in a child because a child can not do a peak flow. however a GP can listen to a chest for a wheeze. this wheze may indicate asthma or may indicate a bronchial type reaction to a viral infection.
Both of which would respond to ventolin. A wheeze is simply the nosie made by an airway which is narrowed for some reason. (asthma alergic reaction bronchoilitus etc..)
Ventolin is a brochodilator, It is not addictive and to use it will not make you dependant on it. what it will do is give assistance to the airways of a person who has a wheeze. In fact to not use it can sometimes be more dangerous. In children, to use a ventolin inh does not make you a life long asthmatic. But allot of old wifes tales would have us belive that A they are addictive and B they will cause asthma! they will do niether

jmum6 · 09/04/2006 16:47

SpagBlog - my mother used to be on the little pink ventolin tablets. When she was 12 she had a very bad attack which made her hair fall out, she still has a bald spot now.

Not sure what she was on, if anything, when she was a child. I'll ask her and get back to you.

Original poster
Spagblog · 09/04/2006 17:21

I tell you what, it's quite an interesting thing to research. I was reading earlier on that there is a link between the age of the mother and the likeliness of the child developing asthma! Older mothers are less likely to have asthmatic children - they say that this is due to the way the placenta works, but then how much of the result is due to social differences in age???

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