Anybody have children with asthma?

DillsMommy wrote: Ever since Peyton had RSV in December he has been a little weezy at times. I was told that's normal for up to a couple months after. Well, last weekend he started to get sick (Dylan had strep, so he must have caught something from him) so I brought him to the doctors Monday-- poor thing sounded like a squeak toy he was SO weezy. They gave him a breathing treatment, which we have also been doing at home, they help at first but it comes right back. His doctor has mentioned several times (since Dec.) that he may have/develop asthma but then she said to wait through the summer before we decide to do anything. Tom has asthma pretty bad. Not to the point where he has attacks, but he has to use an inhaler several times a day. So that also puts Peyton at a higher risk of developing it, right? When I brought him the the doctors Monday she gave him Orapred (a steroid ) he's taken 4 doses so far and it does seem to be helping. He's not as weezy, but it sounds more like static, crackling. I wish you guys could hear it, cause it's hard to explain. So I guess I was just wondering if anybody has a child with asthma. And if you could give me some insight/advice. Did your child have it at such a young age? Just the thought of him not being able to breath well scares me to death.

mummy2girls replied: Jenna has asthma. It runs highly on her dads side and a bit on my side. BUT hers is just asthma set off by a cold or flu. She is on 2 puffers. One she takes 2 times daily and one for emergencies in case she has an asthma attack. She also is given 2 puffs out of the emergency one before she does something vigorous like swimming or playing at the park. One good thing though is they can outgrow asthma if they get it at a young age. Yes its scarey when jenna gets a cold because she sounds croupy and weezy but i know what to do if she should have an attack! My niece has bad asthma when she was 4 and she is just starting to outgrow it and she is 11. she doesnt get it as bad.

Also avoid having him near cigaraette smoke because that can set off asthma fast...so now anyone that smokes has to smoke outside away from jenna if she is inside...

DillsMommy replied: Thanks! That helps. I think his may also be set off by colds (if it is in fact asthma) so far thats how it's been. I really hope it's something he outgrows. Tom didn't develop his until he was about 11. They also told me about the cigarette smoke, strong candles, perfume, all that good stuff.

jcc64 replied: My ds has asthma, as does my dh, and yes, it does run in families. It can take all different forms, and you don't necessarily have to have the classic asthma attacks to have asthma. My ds used to just have a dry, unproductive cough only at night. He never felt short of breath, and I never made the connection to asthma. I thought it was just an allergy, which I later found out, is exactly what asthma is- an allergic reaction.
The good news is- it's very easily controlled, and it's possible your son may outgrow it, as mine did. His asthma first surfaced after a bad case of bronchitis at age 6, and I was devastated, envisioning a life of not being able to breathe well or keep up with his peers on the playground. That was so not the case- today he's a high school varsity athlete in 3 sports, and his asthma NEVER got in the way.
There are many different kinds of meds, and not all drs are as skilled at knowing the subtle differences between them. It took 3 or 4 tries before we found the one that worked best for Alec. I would highly recommend that you see an allergy specialist if at all possible- their knowledge is a little more sophisticated than the average ped.
BEst of luck- don't worry, you'll get it under control and he'll be fine.

PrairieMom replied: I cam tell you about anything you need to know about it. I happen to be an expert.
It tends to run in families, so if your Dh has it, your son is more likely to have it too, although it doesn't HAVE to run in families, I am the only one in my family that does, so you never know.
Children of all ages can have it, some are born with it, others it shows up later, I personally didn't develop mine until I was in the 2nd grade.
Attacks can be triggered by different things for everyone. Some its allergies, some its exercise, some its illness, some its cold weather. Some things to be careful of are cigg. smoke for sure, also animal dander and animal hair. Dust mites are bad for it too. We instruct our patients to get rid of all feather pillows and carpet in bedrooms, and not to sleep with stuffed animals, and don't keep pet nets above the bed because the animals collect dust, then it rains down on your sleeping child.
As far as medications go, if your child has breathing issues you definitely need a rescue medication like Albuterol or xopenex which can be delivered both by nebulizer or inhailer, and if there are recurrent problems a steroid like flovent or advair are important to be on too.

Personally I would NOT push for a definitive diagnosis, simply because once you have a diagnosis you can't get rid of it, and asthma is a chronic condition that can make you uninsurable by private insurances, they can attach riders against it, and really at the end of the day we treat shortness of breath and wheezing the same way no matter what its called. If you HAVE to have a diagnosis, RAD (reactive airway disease) would be the one to get, since it is considered a temporary one that a child can out grow.

Seriously, PM me with any questions.

danahas4monkeys replied: Both my boys have asthma and so do I. We all have puffers lol!

jcc64 replied: Oh, good advice about the RAD diagnosis, Tara. I had no idea asthma would be considered a serious insurance liability- it's so treatable, for God's sake.

luvmykids replied: My kids all had respiratory problems when they were small. The twins because of a forest fire where we lived, and Macie because of RSV. Colt was the only one who was ever truly diagnosed with asthma though. He didn't have a lot of trouble, mainly when he was sick. I just kept the nebs on hand, the dr was great about prescribing me plenty so I could use it as needed. He only had two true asthma attacks and yes they did scare the poop out of me....both brought on by playing in the grass more than running and playing like kids generally do.

He seems to have outgrown it now though, I still carry an inhaler just in case and once in a while he has the cough Jeanie mentioned but mostly now, at six, he doesn't show any signs of it.

Hang in there, I know it's so scary to think of but odds are good he can outgrow it

PrairieMom replied:
YUP. THAT is why I am a RT, and not a SAHM.

I don't want to talk about it.

DillsMommy replied: Thanks guys, that is a ton of information and it really does help. I'm pretty clueless about asthma so any information is helpful.

Tara, I'm glad you brought that up about a diagnosis, especially since our insurance is private insurance. I never would have thought about that. And I'm sure I will have more questions from time to time.

PrairieMom replied:
not a problem. I dont' know much, but this, I know.
As for you current insurance, I don't think they can kick out off if you are already with them, but when you switch they will get you for sure.

boyohboyohboy replied: we have not had issues with insurance companies so far, but we are always covered thru dh work.

that noise you described sounds like how caleb used to sound when he was younger, the dr called it stridor, it was when his esophagus was swelling. he also had allergic croup with his asthma.

we also used orapred for a while, we still have some in the refrig for emergencies, but we were cautioned about the use of it often...that it would stunt his growth and also cause him to be over weight. but we also were using it monthly...he was really having bad episodes of croup and asthma.
but he out grew it at the age of 3.

also i just wanted to add, that when we had just a regular ped. it seemed that they never got calebs asthma under control and every time we went to the er they always treated him for pneumonia or croup and gave him antibiotics when he really needed treated for asthma, it wasnt until we got a ped who specialized in the treatment of asthma allergies that we got him under control. so thats something to think about.

we used the nebulizer until he was 3...

good luck, you can also pm me anytime we have lots of experience in this too.