Wheezing - cause to be alarmed or quite common in babies? HELP

[emkana]

Since having been in hospital with bronchiolitis ds has been constantly wheezy. He has a blue inhaler four times a day, two puffs each time. He's happy and alert and feeding well. In the hospital here the consultant said not to be alarmed as long as those things were still the case, but to act if ds turned blue or went off his feeds. Is that right do you think or should I push for more, how alarming is wheezing? I've read in some places that it's quite common in babies, but other sites seem to suggest that it's really bad. What to think? And does anybody know anything about the term happy wheezer?

Em - whatever the outcome on Friday, if he's going to be a wheezy baby who gets chest infections easily, might it be worthwhile asking about chest physio? We were taught how to do it on dd when she was little. Similar to what they do for CF patients, it helps you to help them keep the chest clear.

How's the wheezing today emkana?

PP - sorry I missed this yesterday.
His wheezing is still coming and going all the time, unfortunately.

How did you get on today Em?

Do you give him his blue inhaler? and do you see a difference when you do?

Have you tried karvel capsules? (probably no help at all!)

PanicPants, it's just lovely when kind people here take an interest in our troubles!

The consultant has changed ds's inhaler now from the blue one to a white one, Salbutamol to Atrovent - see if that makes a difference.

What are Karvel capsules?

They are just decongestent drops you cut off the top and put a few drops on a hanky or something and drape it over side of cot or radiator.

chlochlo is right, you can just buy them from a chemist or supermarket, worth a try if nothing else.
Hopefully the new inhaler will make a difference. I'm having to use the salbutamol with ds this week as he has yet another bad cold

Emkana, really hoping your ds will respond better to this inhaler xx

Emkana, a bit late to this thread, but the term 'happy wheezer' was used a lot about DS2 after his bronchiolitis. He was in hospital for 5 days at 9 weeks.

He wheezed constantly from then until he was about a year, but was always well. Then he started developing severe asthma with every cold.

Interesting about the inhaler, though. We weren't given one at that stage because we were told that the lungs of very young infants didn't respond to salbutamol (the blue one). You are seeing a consultant, though, so he must know his stuff. Hope you have more luck with the Atrovent.

We did get the whole gamut of inhalers when DS2 was 13 months and later a home nebuliser. After this age, he only wheezed with a cold/after a cold, and was clear between times.

He is just 5 now and, though he still needs a puffer with a cold, he has not had a severe asthma attack (needing a nebuliser) for 21 months!

Hope things are going well with DS.

My ds has been wheezy on and off, and coughed since little. He started getting out of breath when running about at nursery, and having attacks every 2 weeks, and docs said it may be chest infections, as still young to say if asthma, but now have blue inhaler (which hardly worked when he was very bad), and just gone on to brown, which fingers crossed has stopped the coughs and wheezing. he is due an 'attack' now, so I am keeping fingers crossed working!
I find vick works well too, and bigger pillow, although he is probably older than your son..

He is 4, by the way, and docs now say, yes it is asthma

thanks for that

Singersgirl, it's particularly good to read your experiences, as they seem similar to ours!

The consultant did say that the blue inhaler might not do anything, but just to give it a try in case it did.

Have used the Atrovent since last night now, and one moment ds seems a lot better, the next he seems more wheezy than every! V. confusing!

I found it quite frightening listening to DS2's post-bronchiolitis wheeze, and I remember taking him back to the doctors at least twice in a panic. They told me to look for recession, count his breaths etc, but his wheeze really sounded alarming at times.

Hope DS seems a bit better today, Emkana.