Asthma .. another question from a newbie at this?

[twiglett]

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Hi again twiglett. Are you sure you're using the inhaler properly? If it gets caught in your throat rather than being fully inhaled into your lungs, it can make you cough. I've found ventolin works quite fast, definitely before 20 mins.

I guess, though, maybe the ventolin is relaxing your lungs and making you cough up any gunk you have down there and then getting relief after that? Is this all going to settle down for you when your baby is born or will it now be a long term problem?

If you aren't sure that you are using the inhaler properly, ask for a spacer.
My dd has ventolin and it never seems to work with her. Have given her some tonight as she was cough cough cough, but 5 mins later she coughed so much she was sick.

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Just remembered, DD does cough when i give her salbutamol
Hope you feel better soon.

nutty, how many breaths to you make your daughter take for each puff from the spacer? Dd has just got an inhaler again and I got conflicting advice - GP said a couple of breaths will do, hospital nurse said that GPs are clueless and she needs to take 10 breaths for each puff (seems a lot to me and dd hates it).

My dd had to use an inhaler for a short period of time and my GP said to keep the spacer and mask over her face for at least a minute. She's 18 months and hates it too, screams, but the GP said if they scream they take good deep breaths so just to persevere with it. I find it much easier to give it when dp is around to help, when it's just me I feel a bit like I'm torturing her!

Incidentally, she's never really coughed much after it.