Child exhaling like a puppy dog?

[tbestrada]

My 7yo son got sick and had lingering cough for about 3 weeks. I took him to see a doctor after one night he was coughing too hard and long that he almost ran out of breath. The doctor gave him Albuterol to open up his air passage. He took the medication every night before bed for about a week, until he came to me one night very worried about his heart beating fast (Albuterol side effects). I stopped the medication since then.
Now, I'm noticing my son exhaling like a puppy-dog. It first started with just one quick exhale of air. The next couple of days he would make 2 quick exhales. Then now he exhales like that about 4-7 times, like how a puppy-dog breathes! I don't know if this is something that is an effect of the medication or the sickness. He has also been playing a lot of Minecraft game over this summer and I'm thinking maybe he developed some sort of nervousness? I'm really worried it is a medical condition, or if it's not, that he would not grow out of it. Anybody have the same experience?

[specialmom]

I agree that it sounds asthma like and unrelated to minecraft.  I would take him to your pediatrician and talk about meds.  If the inhaler was working but had an unwanted side effect, you try a different inhaler.

Lots of luck

[AnnieBrooke]

Check his heart rate in the night.  If it is beating very fast, and he is breathing shallow breaths, I would indeed suspect asthma or an asthma-like condition, and would administer Albuterol and get him to the doctor in the morning.

[AnnieBrooke]

He is panting?  Any chance he is trying to clear phlegm from his lungs?

I think perhaps he should not be sitting too much, so he can be active and loosen up any liquid settling in his lungs.  After a coughing spell that needs Albuterol, the bronchial passages can stay sensitive or even inflamed for a while.  A particular kind of sticky phlegm can form in the tubes, and the kid tries to get it out by a gasping kind of outward coughing breaths.

You might take him to his regular pediatrician and describe what has been going on -- Albuterol is useful but if your son has had an asthma attack, he might need some kind of longer-term mild decongestant.

[Sandman2]

    I think it is a medical condition.   Sounds asthma like.  You need to take him back to the doc.  The dosages/meds can be changed to prevent the racing heart.  It sounds like you did not consult the doc about stopping the med, which in hindsight probably was a mistake.  It is not related to minecraft.
   Actually, if his breathing gets any worse, I would get in to see your doc as soon as possible.  Tell them when you make the appointment what is going on.  And if, he starts to spike a temp, get him immediately to the doctor or emergency room.