Asthma ???

[nutcracker]

I feel like I should know or already do know the answer to this but here goes anyway.

Ds has since before xmas had a number of coughs and colds, only having about 4/5 days between each cold. He has another right now and today is quite wheezy and coughing to the point of being sick.

These are exactly the symptoms Dd2 had from about age 4mths and I spent the next 10mths battling to get her diagnosed as asthmatic. She went on the get pnuemonia and now uses both preventer and reliever inhalers and her asthma is greatly improved and under control.

As a baby Ds was twice admitted to hospital with breathing probs and eventually he was diagnosed as a 'happy wheezer' as basically he wheezed but did not seem unwell at the time.
I now think he has asthma as not only does he have his sisters symptoms I have also noticed that when walking he gets out of breath and coughs alot after only a few minutes.

Does anyone else think this is likely, or think that I am barking up the wrong tree ??

The whole thing makes me a bit emotional as the fight we had to get dd diagnosed was exahusting and awful for me and her as she wasn't getting treated and I felt like people thought I was nuts.

Th thought of having to fight to get Ds diagnosed fills me with dread, so I just wanted some opinions on it.

TIA

have you not seent eh progon tv
its on tonight at 8pm

Missed last weeks Cod, but am watching tonight.

Feel so crap that Ds might have it too though. I know it's nothing i've done but still feel shite.

This time of year there are other reasons for wheezes, my asthma is bad at mo because of grass pollens (or some other evil polleny thing), could it be that making him worse at the moment?

Not sure tbh. At the mo he has a bad cold so i think that is causing the wheezing but as I say I have noticed him getting increasingly short of breath and coughijng even when walking when he doesn't have a cold.

how old is he? best to get an appt or at least start the ball rolling anyway.

Some children outgrow asthma anyway

He is 3.4.

I am taking him to the g.p tommorow which will be interesting.

I am hoping Dd2 is starting to outgrow hers as the improvment in the last couple of years has been fantastic.

Childhood asthma is notoriously difficult to diagnoise. the only true way to diagnoise it is by bronchoscopy during and attack and a blood test to look tor certain imunological factors. In adults it is easier to diagnose as a peak flow which imporves a certain percentage after a ventolin nebuliser is a good indicator of asthma.
Additionally, it is found that some children produce an asthma type reaction to viral infections. They normally outgrow this and does not mean they have life long asthma. If you start treatment for symptoms such as this it does not mean that he will be on inhalers for the rest of his life.
What you are not looking for is a definative diagnosis. But definative treatment for definate symptoms which can be easily found. IE if your ds has a wheeze it should be treated with ventolin. if he has a prolonged chest infection he will need andtibiotics and perhaps steroids. Asthma is a genetic condition so now that your dd has been diagnosed, you should find it relatively easy to get referred to a paediatric respiritory clinic.

nutcracker at your ds age he should be able to use a peakflow to establish if it could possibly be asthma. They are usually very reluctant to diagnose children under the age of 2.DD has just been in hospital and is 3.5mths and has just been diagnosed with a weak chest as the paediatrician said they never call it asthma under the age of 2 but still treat it the same[slightly confused emoticon]. I am asthmatic and my Ds [2.5yrs] has had asthma queried but been told he isnt bad enough[typically never having an attack when seen gp and is too young to do peak flow].
Anyways I digress he is likely to be able to diagnose it.

The problem we had getting Dd diagnosed was that she didn't very often wheeze, she just coughed and coughed and coughed until she was sick or as a baby she'd cough and cough and dribble continually.

Because there was no wheeze no one wanted to know.

As chapsmum said dd's was mainly linked to when she had a virus at first but then after the pneumonia it got alot worse with extremes of temperature being her main trigger.

Oh on the subject of the peak flow though, we were told that Dd had to be 8 before she could use it.

It's good that your Dd is getting treatment Nemo, even if they call it by another name

We had no problem getting them to name things wrong with Dd, but getting them to treat it was another matter. She was given liqued salbutamol which a doctor later told us would have been like giving her water.

I'll give the g.p all the symptoms Ds has tommorow and see what her reaction is. She was not Dd's g.p when we were trying to get her diagnosed so hopfully it will be a different story this time.

liquid salbutamol..how stupid. The only thing that worries me about DD inhaler is that each actuation gives the same dosage as mine do but they recommended that I gave her 5 puffs when needed which seems a hell of a lot. I am just sticking with 2 and seeing what happens from there.

Thats odd about peakflow as my Gp said that when Ds was over 3 they should be able to test that way.

the reccommended age for a child to be able to understand and reproduce an accurate peak flow has repeatedly thought to have been eight. now obviously this depends on the child.
Nemo, would I be right in saying that it is 5 puff through a spacer or is it 5 straight puffs?

yes its via a spacer chapsmum. Is that a normal amount? I dont know as obviously only ever remember using inhaler.

yes 5 puffs is a normal amount. When giving it through a spacer the ventolin is mixing with air so your wee one is breathin in a mixture of air and ventolin. 5 puffswould probably be about the equivelant of what you take in one puff.

Children are lees able to co-ordinate breathing ina and administering the inhaler so this is a very good way of allowing them to breathe it.

During a bad attack youcan give up to 20 doses via a spacer and sometimes it can be as effective as a nebuliser.
If you are worried ask to be referred to an asthma nurse specialist who will chat to you about technique and dosing.

thanks chapsmum. she has an appointment next tues at the hospital about her breathing and reflux.