Asthma help please - dd aged 6 already on steroids from on call drs but still having problems

[JodieG1]

She's been on steroids once before and they really helped but these ones that's she been on since yesterday don't seem to be helping much.

She's had her brown inhaler last night and this morning and is having 2-4 puffs of the blue one every 30-60 mins so far today. I'm a bit worried as she's coughing a lot still and still wheezing noticeably.

She isn't blue at all and isn't having trouble breathing other than the coughing and catching her breath with the coughing. Should I just carry on and see if the inhalers and steroids help or call the drs back again?

She's also saying that it hurts when she coughs. She's never really been this bad before with it either.

She saw the out of hours dr yesterday and they didn't say she had an infection. Her chest was, and still is, going in slightly with every breath as well. It's definitely her asthma, I also have asthma and recognise the symptoms in her too.

Thanks, do you think it's worth calling nhs direct first? She's still coughing a lot, I just don't want to waste their time.

2-4 puffs of ventolin every 30-60mins sounds like a lot to me.

I would ring Nhs direct at the very least, but if it was me I would pop to walk in centre/consider A&E.

Steroids do take a while to work but I would be concerned about the amount of ventolin she is using.

It does sound to me that there is something that has triggered it. There is quite a nasty viral infection going round here ATM (I don't have asthma and I am chesty & uncomfortable).

They can't necessarily treat a viral infection, but it does sound as if she needs more help.

It's worth seeing a doctor IME.

Do you mean that the doctor gave her the brown inhaler yesterday or that she was given prednisalone yesterday? The brown inhalers take a few days to start working but prednisalone should work very quickly after taking them. If she hasn't been given prednisalone then it sounds as though she might need some while the brown inhaler takes effect.

when my ds is like this I give a big dose of ventolin similar to a nebuliser

docs advised 10 puffs of blue inhaler= nebuliser(not really as effective though

I would take her to see someone,but in the meantime would give the 10 puffs.

If oral steroids not working my ds always needs nebuliser

I would take to a&e or call ambulance.
I have been in the same situation before with ds and been told off for not calling ambulance.

I agree with ggirl, that a big dose of 10 puffs, with spaced at minute intervals is a good idea.
If she is still uncomfortable then I would get her checked out at that point. Asthma can be very volatile and I think the medics will always see a child and take it seriously when this is the case.

The dr gave her the oral steroids yesterday. She seems less wheezy now but is still coughing a lot. I gave the oral steroids about 25 mins ago so could they be helping now then? We've all had a d&v thing but nothing else.

I'll give nhs direct a ring now.

Yes, I agree w. ggirl: take her to a&e/walk in centre.

I've been in a similar state myself and NHS direct sent me straight there.

yes, don't ring nhs direct, because there will be a wait while they get some one to talk to you, and then they will either send you to A&E or out of hours anyway.

Dd2 used to be exactly like this, would cough so much she couldn't get her breath.

I was always advised to give 10 puffs on blue inhaler, but then also to seek further treatment.

If she is pulling her stomach in under rib cage or pulling in the skin over her windpipe then imo she needs to be seen.

Not wanting to scare you at all, but I once took dd2 to hospital, and nearly left again before we were seen, as she didn't seem all that poorly. Actually she had pnuemonia, and soent a week in hospital on oxygen.

yup nhs direct will direct you to walk in or a&e
steroid take 6 hrs to work from 1st dose so if she started yesterday she should be having some relief from them.She clearly isn't so needs to be seen.

Ok just spoken to a nurse, they put me straight through to her. She is getting a dr to call me back urgently but that if one hasn't in an hour to take her to a&e. She said to give 2 puffs every 15 mins to a max of 10.

Thanks all, just waiting now.

hope that helps her.
let us know how she is

Ok they called back and want to see her, dh is taking her back to the out of hours dr now.

good-have you heard how she is?

They're still waiting. They get seen in the order they go in at the out of hours place. Dh has said she's coughing a bit less now which is good but other symptoms are the same. 2 or 3 before them now.

aww poor wee thing
hope she's feeling better soon

Thank you, me too. Hope she isn't coughing tonight like last night, she needs some rest.

Thanks everyone.

She's been seen and the steroids must have started working as she'd stopped coughing so much and the dr couldn't hear wheezing. I'm so glad but it's typical that they sit there for 2 hours and she gets better. I'm really pleased that they've worked though.

oh that's good news

bloody typical though

Well overnight the coughing has started up again and she's wheezing again this morning so I'm waiting for our normal gp to give us a call back to see what they say. She's still also complaining of her chest hurting when she breathes.

Is that supposed to happen when they're on steroids? I was under the impression that it should stop all the sypmtoms. We're also still using the brown and blue inhalers.