Asthma Question

[cantwait4baby]

My dd is 14 months old and diagnosed with Asthma.  She is on Flovent 2 times a day and Albuteral as needed.  Lately she has needed the Albuteral more and more due to wheezing in her chest and coughing.  I am waiting now on a doctor call back but just looking for any mom's out there who have babies with Asthma and what their babies take for it?  I stopped her bethanical (spell) on my own a month ago due to side effects.  I think that may have somethign to do with the wheezing and also - we go to the beach every weekend and it seems worse down there?  Would there be a reason why?  I would think the shore air would be better for her then the city air?

Thanks.

[deanne11]

Hey girl - Abby does use the albuterol too but we alternate with pulmicourt.

Seems to help her a lot better than just the Albuterol.

Ask a Dr if she could be allergy tested.  It's horrible, I won't lie to you - worst experience of my life with Abby....she cried and asked me why I let the Dr hurt her back like that.....

uggghh...awful.

Anyway - they also prescribed her clarinex as she did test positive for cat allergy and we have 2 of them.
She was only 2 when they did the allergy test and typically they say they don't like to do it until they are 3....so we may have to get her done again when she's 5.

[cantwait4baby]

that is what they told me -= she is too young for the allergy tests.  I did have her to an allergist - they said she has a 50% chance of having bad allergies because her dad is allergic to EVERYTHING!  I found my beloved Fred & Ethel a new home (my cats).  The new owner loves them so much and sends me daily pictures so I have finally calmed down from that.  The allergin will be in my house for another year or so.  It takes a long time for it to leave.  

Does Abby have wheezing in her chest?  Does she cough during the night.  Sometimes Eva will throw up because she coughs so much.  It is definatly getting worse.  I am thinking they may put her on breathing treatments.  Her doctor STILL has not called me back.

[2ndBaby]

Mu DD is 6 and just got the formal dx of asthma after following her since about age 3.  They can't *really* say it is asthma until a child is old enough to perform the PFT.  But the markers can definitely be there.  

My DD used the nebulizer when she was smaller (like ages 3-5).  She used Pulmicort daily.  Pulmicort is the preventative medication not to be confused with Albuterol, which is the 'rescue' med.  They aren't really interchangable.  She used nebulized pulmacort daily whether she had symptoms or not as its job is to keep the symptoms at bay.  Her asthma really flares when she has any kind of cold bug.  Then she gets to the point where she coughs and coughs until she throws up.  At this point, oral steroids are the only thing that will 'fix it.'  She just began seeing a pulmanologist to better get this cycle under control.

Your 14 month really needs a nebulizer, IMHO.  Is the flovent being used in an inhaler form with a spacer?  I just can't see that working well for a child so young.  If she is in a spell where she is getting worse and worse, the oral steroid may be given to her.  It is definitely something you want to avoid in the future if you can, so ask about daily treatments with nebulized pulmacort and albuterol.

The humidity in the air may make your DD's symptoms worse at the beach.  I've heard conflicting statements, but my dr. said NOT to use a humidifier in her room because the humidity is hard on her.  Also, we raised up the head of her mattress (towels underneath) to try and make it easier for her.

Good luck!  This asthma stuff is yucky!

[cantwait4baby]

Wow, thank you that was very helpful to read - so sorry your dd has to go through this but very helpful to me. Thanks.

I did raise her crib - her crib actually has a position for that so it has been that way since she was an infant.  She does go to a pulminary doctor but her doctor just left and her appt with her new doctor is not until the end of the month so I am WAITING patiently for SOMEONE to call me back.  ARGH!

She does use the inhaler with the spacer - I give her one shot and wait then a 2nd.  Sometimes I shoot in a third because she pushes the mask off.  Same thing for Albuteral but only when she has a flare up which is always down the shore.  Her symptoms are worse so I think they will put her on a nebulizer now.  At first they were minor they were hoping to have her off everything before she turned one - they increased her meds at one and then hoped to have her off by 2.  I guess that is not going to happen.

I do not know anything about Asthma - I never had it but my fiance does and it is getting worse as he gets older.

[2ndBaby]

You're welcome.  I'm not an expert but can speak from experience, unfortunately.  Let's just hope our children outgrow this as they age :)

[Crritter]

Aw, I feel for ya.  My boys have had breathing issues since they were really little.  Both have a really reactive airway.  I was told also they can't diagnose asthma fully till they are at least 3, but I know it depends on the Dr.  At her age, you daughter may still outgrow it, unless this is a new thing, then not too sure.  Carson was on a nebulizer from 11 weeks on, and Cam at 10 weeks.  We have bad genes on my Dh's side.  Carson was so bad they didn't think he would outgrow it, but he did around 2 & 1/2.  Haven't had to neb him until this past winter and he was 4 & 1/2.  Cam is a little worse and has had the wheeze and rattle pretty constant since he had the RSV at 10 weeks.  Everything he gets goes straight to his lungs, an ear infection is horrible, so is the tummy bug.  He has been in the hospital, had to go in every day at times to have his pulse ox checked, it's been a long orad.  He has also had pneumonia a few times.  Right now he grunts and gasps to catch his breath, I have to neb every 4 hours.  When it gets better I can back off, but when I stop it comes back full force.  He will even break out in a sweat when it gets hard to breathe.  He seems a pulmonologist for his breathing too, and is on Flovent 220, 2 puffs twice daily which is the max dose and an adult dose.  He still has been struggling.  He also takes Singulair, my older son did too.  Carson did well in Singulair and unless he got sick or ran too much, he stopped wheezing.  Have they tried any other meds?  I know the Singulair can be also for allergies, they added it to Cam's list to be be safe.  He will be 15 months old next week and no sign of outgrowing it.  I totally understand how scary this is, I know the coughs and rattles and wheezes so well.  Has your little one been through this for awhile?  Anyway, on the inhaler we use a spacer too.  The specialist told us to just go back to back with the puffs and hold for about 5 to 6 breaths if you can.  I would not do another puff, you may get too much in there and it's a steroid.  WIth Cam I blow on his face and he inhales every time.  He doesn't always make it the full 5 or 6 breaths, but he does most often.  Good luck.

[cantwait4baby]

wow, I am so sorry you have to go through that.  You must be scared to death.  That is a good idea about the blowing on his face.  I will have to try that.  she pushes it off her face.  I have to hold her down and then hold that on her face.  It is so hard - somedays she just goes with the flow other days she wants to rip my head off.  Last week I tried to do it while she was sleeping and she woke up crying and looked at me with those little brown eyes like mommy why are you suffocating me.  I swear that is what I think she was thinking.  I cried.  It was hard.  It is hard.  She was diagnosed in January.  She really had no symptoms just a horrible cold that took FOREVER to go away and a cronic cough.  Now she has wheezing.  She goes to CHOP so they are the best.  Her doctor recently moved to a dfferent location and her new doctor she does not see till the end of the month so I am having a hard time getting someone to get back to me.

[peekawho]

Cat allergens are a common asthma trigger, and you are right that they can be in your house for a long time after the cats are gone.  Dust mites are another trigger, and in humid environments there can be more of them.

She might need an oral steroid for a short time.

[deanne11]

I second peek....my Allergist told me the cat allergen is sticky...sticks to the walls, everything...not like dog hair...Can take anywhere between 6-12 mos to disappear.

Fortunately, Abby only needs the pulmicort during cold/flu times and when the windows are closed all winter....and of course the albuterol of wheezing and coughing starts to happen.

She does really well with the nebulizer and has always kept her mask on.  She's been doing it since 18mos.

Abby was alway worse at night...she'd wake up coughing....cough during her sleep, and yes many many nights of changing sheets (multiple times at night) due to throwing up from coughing so much...

I have to say, this past winter was our best yet...she only had to use one-two weeks over a 4 month period.

[cantwait4baby]

Thank you all so much - I need this doctor to call me back.  I am pretty sure she will be on a nebulizer once he hears her wheezing.  Yesterday (and today) she is swimming in her little pool outside. I feel like a bad mom like I am letting her swim while sick but she is fine she just cant stop coughing.

PS. I have a vision of tooth #3.  It is crowing up at the top - just not through yet.  My little slow tooth girl.

[deanne11]

LOL- slow tooth girl....

Jake just had # 8 & 9 arrive.....and they took the longest...6 weeks...Ugggh..

[GNicole]

Hey girl! I just sent you a note and I responded to this post on the note. I hope Eva is feeling better soon! Hugs!! Yay-tooth #3!! Go Eva!

[Crritter]

Aw, we have had the prednisolone many times, have it on hand just in case per Dr. orders.  My boys neb well, but have since they were a few months old.   I vaccuum like crazy daily.  We were also told no humidifiers, so we avoid the moisture.  Kinda impossible now with a flooded basement, but we do what we can and Cam has been sick as a dog since the flooding began.