asthma in babies and using a steroid nebuhaler

[vannah]

My baby is now 7 months old and she is very wheezy and sometimes coughs so much as a result and cries with each cough. I am asthmatic so the gp prescribed a blue ventolin inhaler about 1 month ago, it had no effect really. So she was sent to the hospital baby clinic where they prescribed her a steroid inhaler nebuhaler...

She is suppose to use this for 1 month, and then review at the hospital. My fear is that once she start - wont she become totally dependent on it and need to use it permanently? My son has eczema and we started to use a steroid, 2 years later are still using - cant come off it or the eczema goes wild.

So is it the same with inhalers? The side effects look grim, though rare
thanks

She won't become dependant on the inhaler - you'll just alter the dose as she is better and worse. DS's consultant said that many small children just stop wheezing altogether suddenly in the summer - so next year she might be fine.

DS started wheezing/coughing aged 6 months, but it took us ages to get him properly treated. ATM he's doing well and off the steroid inhalers, so crossing our fingers for what happens in the autumn.

Has your DD had allergy tests done ? Consultant said that a comprehensive set plus cf testing should be done for wheezy under 1's just to make sure as asthma is pretty rare in under 2's.

personally i would use it.

I'd go with what they've suggested. The inflammation in your child's lungs needs to be reduced to stop the coughing, if this is what will do it, you have to give it a go.

thankyou all. Its made me more confident about giving her this inhaler.
No allergy tests done as yet, what is cf testing?

CF testing is for cystic fibrosis.

If you have been recommended a steroid inhaler then you must use it for your baby. There are no dependency issues.

These are PREVENTERS so they damp down the inflammation in the airways and prevent acute symptoms and must be taken every day even when well (but like a previous poster said, not necessarily for the rest of her life). Many childen grow out of asthma.

thnkyou mrsfederer (like your username btw)

Worry not.
I have twins one with eczema and one with asthma.
The former grew out of hers around six the latter still uses an inhaler but it prevents him doing nothing and has not had any impact on his immune system.
HB x

DS had to use inhalers over his first winter, had his last one when 13 months old- hasn't had to use one since (touch wood)- now 3yo!

DD has cystic fibrosis, was very wheezy over winter, but just this last week it has stopped (hurrah for summer), though I expect we'll be back on the ventolin nebulisers in the winter sadly- but at least I know why.

Like others have said long-term wheezing in under-2s is rare, and is usually caused by allergies, so I would push for more testing (you may have to really push though)

Good luck

will push for allergy testing thankyou
and am also going to look up cystic fibrosis - know nothing about this

If you have any questions re CF please feel free to ask me. DD was diagnosed as a result of the newborn Guthrie test, followed by a sweat test (the latter is the diagnostic CF test, though is not infallible). I really recommend reading info from the CF Trust website and not wildy googling as otherwise it will scare you (that was the advice from our CF consultant!). Try not to worry about CF much as the chances are very slim that she'd have this.

I sincerely hope your DD's asthma improves soon xx

madmarriednika. Just been to the cf trust website (before coming back and finding your link to the same website!) and have been reading for past 10 mins and have just made a donation. Feel really sad. Im sorry your dd has it.Does your DD only have her lungs affected or is her digestive sys affected too?

Bless you Vannah for making a donation, that is so very kind of you.

DD is affected by both her lungs and digestion, which is very common I think. But since they started her medication and physio she has kept very well indeed, and no one who doesn't know would guess there is anything different about her. She takes digestive enzymes with food so that she absorbs fats & protein ok and they work perfectly- and despite being fairly small to start with she's now on the 50th centile. She was very wheezy over winter but I realise the endless colds she caught added to the mucous production which made breathing harder- now there are fewer colds about she is a lot better. It terrifies me thinking what might happen to her in the future but we live one day at a time. There are worse things out there, but the shock of her being diagnosed was very hard (no history either side of the family, she seemed fine- although fed constantly and very loose stools...but was BFed so thought that could have been normal).

Thank you for asking about her
Good luck with your little lady xx

MMN, after reading that I can only say that I wish your daughter well, and may she continue to do well. It must be really hard for you. How about packing up and moving to sunny california? Best of luck x