Any of you have kids with asthma?

[LucyLooLoo]

How was it diagnosed?

I have a family history of asthma (I was diagnosed at 1 year old, though it's improved a lot over the years), so I'm paranoid that DS will have it too. Yesterday I took him to the pediatrician because he has a very dry cough that reminded me of my own reaction during struggles with my asthma. The pediatrician wasn't very helpful--he said that he heard something in DS's left lung that was in line with either pneumonia or wheezing. He gave him a shot of antibiotics and a prescription for an inhaler. So, I still don't know what it is. The cough is better today, though DS's breathing is still a bit shallow. I like to know what I'm dealing with, so any personal stories would be a huge help.

[AlwaysWillBeRose]

My son was diagnosed with bronchial asthma about 3 years ago...
He kept getting bronchitis and weezing. They gave him liquid albuterol and an inhaler.

I can say however, that I have heard from many people that the cold weather is getting to everyone...a virus has been going around up here so it may be only that.

You would know the signs better than I would, I have never dealt with asthma prior to my son being diagnosed. Just keep up with the docs visits.

I hope he is feeling better soon.

[AlwaysWillBeRose]

I need to add...

When my ds would have an attack of weezing he would kind of panic and this would make it even harder to breath. Crying etc...I would have to sit him down and keep telling him to calm down and take short breaths or else it would get worse. It seemed to me that the cold air outside usually triggers it. He doesn't have too many problems in the summer months.

[SWMBO]

DS was diagnosed with asthma at age 2. He had had several breathing episodes before that, but they were reluctant to label them as asthma before he turned 2 because they say it's just to early to tell for sure and the history was needed to make the proper diagnosis. The treatment they prescribed was the same whether the label was right or not -- the main thing was to get the airway open each time.

His first episode was due to RSV, and we were given a nebulizer with Xopenix and Pulmicort. (I wish we had just bought the nebulizer straight away -- would have saved some money in the long run, but oh well.) This was during the winter when the virus was going around and he was under one year old. The next spring, during pollen season, he had another so we were back on the neb, same treatment. This happened a coupld of times. Later that year, when he had a cold during cold, dry weather, we wound up in the emergency room at 3 a.m. with another one. The next appointment was when we discussed the big "A" word and our ped. said that was what he had. We then decided to keep him on preventive meds (the Pulmicort) daily through the cold and flu season and during the spring pollen season. After that passes, we may discontinue till the next cold and flu season rolls around -- we'll see. (Oddly enough, hay season does not seem to bother him at all.)

What is helping my peace of mind is keeping track of his episodes on the kitchen calendar. I feel like, once I know his triggers, we can catch the breathing problem and treat with the albuterol (Xopenix is the form we still use) before it gets out of hand. The episodes are much shorter duration this way, and this winter has been much less nerve-wracking than the last two!

I'd recommend keeping track of every little questionable breathing/cough you have and see if you can see a pattern. Be very detailed in your descriptions, because you won't remember later. :) Not all kids are affected by the same triggers, and sometimes something odd can set them off, but the more info you have for background, the better-informed you are.

My DS generally will be set off by any other respiratory problem (like a cold) and a clear runny nose is usually the first sign we get. Perfumes will give him a short episode. Pollen, like I mentioned before ... but not all pollen, so this is why we keep him on preventives during the spring. Also, very cold and dry weather seems to be tough on him. I read something about this on a weather site -- I'll see if I can find the direct quote and post it back.

HTH.

[SWMBO]

Found the quote. It was on weather.com when I clicked on a "pollen report" link.
Research has shown that a combination of high winds, unusually cold weather and low wind chills may impact people who suffer from respiratory ailments such as asthma or emphysema. Hot, humid, stagnant air can also cause discomfort for people with respiratory conditions."

[Likin]

MY DD (almost 4) was diagnosed with asthma about 6 months ago. She was a preemie and has been sickly her entire life. Colds turned to croup, bronchitis and even pneumonia (sp?). What finally brought on the asthma diagnosis was when she wasn't "sick" yet coughed for weeks and especially bad at night.

She now takes Singulair and Benadryl at bed and Zyrtec every morning and since then hasn't had her normal "colds" or any other illnesses.

[WhiteTrashBarbie]

My dd had her first bout with bronchiolitis (RSV, and an indicator for asthma in many kids) at 6 months old. She got liquid albuterol for it, and it was labelled "reactive airway disease". At around 15 months she had her first full-blown asthma attack that landed her in the hospital with a blood oxygen level of 71 (very low)--she was turning grey. This was followed by two bouts of pneumonia (also common in asthmatics).

Dd (now 4-1/2) has viral-induced asthma, and usually only gets it with a cold or virus. She was given the blood test for allergies, doesn't have any at present, and pollen season doesn't cause breathing difficulty. However, more and more I've noticed the change in seasons or a drastic change in temperature/humidity causes the cough. She is on control medicine Intal (switching to Tilade as that is what my health co. will pay for now) and albuterol inhaler, or during attacks, intal and albuterol in the nebulizer.

Cold weather is bad for asthmatics and an attack can be triggered by being out in the cold.

Also, as far as the cough goes, I too have noticed the dry "tight" cough of asthma in my dd. Sometimes she has it, we take her to the ped, and he doesn't hear any wheezing at all. This is known as "cough variant" asthma. So you don't need to hear the wheezing to diagnose an asthma attack. The shallow breathing is another indicator. Night coughing is very common.

My ped told me that bronchiolitis or bronchitis in infants under 1 year of age is often an indicator that they will develop asthma.

[Sister Christian]

My ds, 7, gets asthmatic bronchitis frequently. He has a nebulizer that has to be used every couple of mths. The doc was trying to explain to me how asthma gets diagnosed, somewhere along the lines of the child needs so many episodes in a certain period of time. I don't know, didn't make sense. He does fine though.

[beachbum]

My children don't have asthma but the little girl I keep does have it. She was diagnosed in the hospital after birth. The dr suspected she was having problems and he was right. And my best friend's son was diagnosed with asthma last year. He had numerous colds and one day when daycare called her she had taken him to the dr. She almost didn't b/c they were always calling her about a running nose. Well thank goodness she did b/c the little man was sick. He wander out of the room and down the hallway they found him having an attack. She never knew that he had asthma till then. He is doing fairly well but still has to have the meds and breathing treatments when it acts up. Same for the little girl I keep.

[TroJen]

My daughter was (officially) diagnosed as asthmatic in November (2 days after her 4th birthday). She's been "sick" for the better part of 4 years. She'd catch a virus and end up sick for 3 weeks w/bronchitis or pneumonia, get better for 2 days, then catch a virus and end up sick for 3 weeks w/bronchitis or pneumoia....etc, etc, etc. See a pattern here? LOL Finally, on November 6th 2002 I had her in the pedi's office. She was due to have surgery the following day and I wanted her to have one last check...she had a horrible attack right in front of the doctor....eye popping and tearing, purple face, gasping for air, etc. To be honest, I don't think he knew how serious her attacks had been. Maybe I just wasn't making myself clear. Anyway, he gave me a nebulizer to use at home...and some meds. She takes Pulmicort Respules 2x per day (via nebulizer) and Singulair once a day (pill). If she's having any troubles breathing, wheezing, coughing, etc I also have a "rescue" med (Xopenex...but I'm sure I spelled that wrong.). We did give Albuteral as a rescue med, but had a rather scary reaction to it. So far so good. In December she had a cold. A COLD!! It only lasted for a few days. This is quite an accomplishment for us! :)

[Likin]

Wow there are a few of us with little ones that have viral or bronchial induced asthma.

It's comforting to me to know it's not a freak thing. We live in a small town and no one else around here has it.

[TroJen]

Originally posted by likinlife

It's comforting to me to know it's not a freak thing. We live in a small town and no one else around here has it.

Same here! I especially like when well meaning neighbors, friends, and family members comment (REPEATEDLY) on how many meds my dd is taking. Of course, since they're all so much more knowledgable than the pediatric pulminologists, I take their "advise" very seriously :rolleyes: