Airway Plugging

[Jen22]

My 7 year old daughter has severe asthma, severe allergies, and GERD. She is maxed out on drugs. She also has RSV,walking pneumonia, and strip pneumonia in her nose. Which the are treating with a combination of two antibiotics. She was just released from the hospital tonight. Her PFT's show severely obstucted. How do you know when it is the right time to washout the lungs? She had a broncoscopy done two years ago and they washed them out then. Why do the lungs have to be washed out and does the GERD have anything to do with it? I have one more question, what do you do with a child that has had a non-laperscopic nissan fundoplication surgery and it failed? Thank you for your help.

[National Jewish]

This is a very complicated and difficult problem. "Washing out the lungs" is not a common procedure for management of severe asthma. This is reserved for children who have significant problems with the removal of material from the lungs. Without actually evaluating your child, it is very difficult to give an opinion regarding these procedures. You might consider coming to National Jewish for an evaluation by one of our physicians. This might be another option for you to consider.

[starion]

Dear Jenn,
As a parent, what I would do is get my child to National Jewish Medical & Research Center for a thorough evaluation & treatment plan.  No, I receive no compensation from them, but I was an outpatient there in 11/2000 & 12/2000 for 6 days and will go back there as an outpatient again in 5/2002--the service I received there far surpasses anything I received from the 4 lung docs I saw in my hometown & was well worth the journey, trouble & expense.
I know it's probably not really what you wanted to hear & I don't know what technically can be done for your child.  It must be very difficult for you to see her so ill for so long.  I'm sure the LungLine nurse will have some practical suggestions, but it really is difficult for anyone to provide medical care via Forum.
Another option is to try to get your child evaluated & treated at the nearest LARGE medical teaching hospital which has a good lung & gastroenterology department.
Best of luck!  There is more info (if you're interested) in becoming a patient (or having your daughter as a patient) at www.NationalJewish.org; they participate with many insurance plans.
Aloha,
Starion--thriving in HI