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General health

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Original poster

asthma in 4yo?

11 replies

tigi · 30/05/2006 20:23

Ds is 4, and has a lot of coughs - approx 3 since his birthday in March. His coughs always make him wheezy. He coughs a lot at night as well, whether he has a day cough or not. He also makes horrible 'old man clearing throat sounds' in his sleep too! He played football in garden today at 4pm, and was still wheezing at 7pm. Nursery have mentioned he wheezes and coughs if he runs around a lot. He moans he is too tired to walk home from nursery!
I guess I am thinking of asthma (he also suffers mild eczema), or am I reading too much into this? I have been waiting for him to have a bad cough, with a wheeze and then take him to docs, but of course it isn't there at the moment! I don't particularly want him on medication, but am worried that if I don't do anything about it, be may get worse and also have an attack out of the blue! Am I being neurotic about a cough do you think? Should I go to docs (when he gets a cough with a wheeze!)
His two brothers don't suffer like this. My brother and dh brother have asthma.
Any advice welcome!

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 30/05/2006 20:25

take him to the doc

doesn't matter if he's not coughing when you go - if you tell them he coughs on exercise and at night regularly, they will probably prescribe the inhalers anyway.

sounds like he needs them!

scienceteacher · 30/05/2006 20:27

I think it is good to have him checked out. Obviously whatever he has isn't very severe, so it probably doesn't need steroids, but it would be good for him to have a reliever inhaler. Ask your brothers what it is like to be wheezy - I don't think they will give you very positive reports.

Don't be in denial - a few puffs on an inhaler is a small price to pay.

scienceteacher · 30/05/2006 20:27

Don't be in denial - a few puffs on an inhaler is a small price to pay.

NatalieJane · 30/05/2006 20:31

My DS gets night coughs and wheezing when playing as well, he now has the blue inhaler. We only use it when he has a cough, and it seems to be doing the trick.

The doctor did say that the medication wouldn't have any adverse effects if it turned out not to work so it can't really hurt to try it.

NatalieJane · 30/05/2006 20:31

Sorry meant to say, my DS is 4 as well.

foundintranslation · 30/05/2006 20:32

Do have him checked out. Untreated/unmanaged asthma often only gets worse. I think it sounds like asthma, tbh.
I've been on asthma medication almost literally all my life. It doesn't do any harm, don't worry.

joanna4 · 30/05/2006 22:28

It does sound like asthma my ds has it he is 11 whilst my dd who is 9 does not.I kept going back to the docs cos I was sure it was asthma and they kept saying it wasnt it took for him to have a severe attack for them to backtrack.Eczema and asthma quite often go hand in hand so again another possible pointer.At the moment i have a chest infection and for the first time ever I have an inhaler although it is symptomatic of the infection and not asthma.I can tell you it is frightening being wheezy not to be able to breathe properly take him back like others say it is a small price to pay.

brimfull · 30/05/2006 22:33

Sounds like asthma ,my ds 3yrs has it.He's on steroid inhaler twice a day and it has improved his wheezing a lot.The steroid will hopefully stop your son getting wheezy ,it is the preventer.The ventolin is the reliever ,when he is wheezy.My ds has had a few serious asthma attacks needing a rush to hospital so please get it seen to.When it is managed well it is much safer.

gigwig · 31/05/2006 09:07

It does sound like asthma, our DS (3.5) has it. Please do go to the doctors. We use the steriod inhaler twice a day, it is much better for him to be on medication and not wheezing/coughing/disturbed sleep than coughing/feeling tired and so on. I didn't want DS on medication, but it helps with his breathing,allowing him to do all normal things without getting ill, so it is worth it.

sugarfree · 31/05/2006 09:12

Ds1 was given inhalers for the exact same symptoms as your ds when he was 4,but we ended up having a night in hospital first.(nebulisers,steroids etc)
He needed the (blue)inhaler for a few years every time he got a cold but seems to have grown out of it now,haven't used it in years.
Worth getting him looked at I think.

Original poster

tigi · 31/05/2006 21:44

Thank you all so much. I will take him next week. I have been worrying about it, but our doctor has a great knack of making you feel like a worrying neurotic mother! I had been waiting for him to get a bad cough with a wheeze at a convenient (surgery open ) time, and not a weekend, evening, or night! I thought if I take him with no symptoms at that time, he would laugh me out the door!

OP posts:

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