11 months old asthma dx

Hi, my son has just turned 11 months and has been showing symptoms of bad asthma since he was 7 months when he has brohnilitus, since then he has wheezed almost constantly getting really bed when ever he has a slight cold (even the colds that just give my 3 year old daughter a slightly runny nose for 2 days cause my son to wheeze and cough day and night for weeks). We had yet anouther viset to the doctor today after a trip to A&E last week with the latest cold and our GP has now said that he feels that a dx of asthma is now warrented as up to now it's been 'viral wheeze' from all the medical proffesionals due to his age although I have always known as there is such a strong family history on both sides, our GP has started him on another two week course of oral steroids, this is his 3rd steroid course since Novermber last year and has also given us a brown inhailer to start him on twice a day once the oral steroids have settled his breathing down.

Its a funny one as I am glad that it is now down in his notes as asthma but still sad for him as he is so young, I said to the doctor that I hoped that with the correct treatment and control through his early years he may grow out of the worst of it but the doctor wasn't hopefull of this and this sadens me further, think I will hand onto my hope for a while longer though I guess no one can say what will happen at this point. My main question is where do I go from here, I feel that my son has had allot of oral steroids over a short space of time (once he finishes his current course he will have been on them a total of 4 weeks in 4 months) and that maybe a hospital referal might be of benifit and I also wondered if my surgery had an asthma clinic or nurse and if they do (not that anyone here could answear that question for me lol!) how do i gain accsess to it, can I just make an appointment or does our GP need to send us? I feel like I am entering a real minefield and lacking in any kind of map! I refuse to think of my son as sick, he is such a happy little chap, I think he has wheezed for so long he doesn't know what having enough breath feels like so it doesn't bother his so much although there are times when he really seems to freek out and he has even started going and getting his spacer out of my bag when he is really wheezy, he hates having his inhaler but does seem to know when he needs it bless him! Sorry for the long one, guess having the dx has started my head spinning again! Jen

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your son

Hiya

I am sorry that you are going through this, I can totally sympathise with you as my son was a baby when his started following bronchillitis.

I was told that following bronchilitis (sorry I cant spell) that he had a higher risk of developing asthma afterwards. 3 months old he had asthma symptoms, they wouldnt diagnose it as he was too young until one night on emergency they decided to give a salbutomol which got him back to normal in minutes then they said he had to be on inhalers, he had a baby haler ,one with a mask. It took a good 9 months to get the inhalers right, blue then because he still coughed at night, Brown preventitive.

Getting back to yours, If its definately Astham it Sounds like his treatment needs to be sorted out, it could take a while to stabilise him with the correct doses and types of inhalers.

Steroids are a worry, my son is 11 and this winter he has had a course of steroids every month, so 6 lots in total, I worry about this but I was told the risks of untreated asthma outway the risks of steroids. They have checked for possible stunt of growth and he is what he should be height and weight e t c, genetic make up being considered.

It was a 999 ambulance trip to hosp on thursday night for me and my son and they think that now he older he prob need to change doses of inhalers e t c.

I am lucky my Doc surgery has a great asthma clinic and my son was also referred to the hospital quite early on. The hospital have now registered him to their respitory/asthma team.

If your doctors surgery has an asthma clinic then I would ask your Gp to refer you and if need be if things do not settle, maybe see a consultant?

You need to be upfront and assertive and say that your unhappy with your sons condition. they seem to say that babies dont get asthma.

Either way if its not asthma, you still need to find out what it is.

Kids seem to cope even very young, from babies they dont like inhalers but they do get use to it.

Good luck and I know how worrying it is, even after 11 yrs it worries me.

Go and be assertive and let us know how you get on

Evereone I know with asthma has had a bad winter, its been unusually cold and maybe thats why?

Im new to this forum

Best of everything and hope you get your son sorted soon.

You are not alone with this

Keep in touch

Poppy x

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Hi Jen,

I'm sorry that your son has been diagnosed with asthma at such a young age. The unfortunate status is that as you said you have family history of asthma, it is probably right.

Oral steroids need to be closely monitored. After every course of steriods your son needs reviewing and in my opinion if he has had this many already then it should be through the hospital rather than the GP. If you have not had a hospital referral as yet then all you need to do is ask your GP. Explain your concerns and ask them for your son to see a Paediatric Specialist.

With every diagnosis it is always good practice to go 'back to basics' and I'm sure you have covered this but is there anyting in the house that may affect your son, plug in air freshners etc? If you can rule out things like this and with a strong family history, priority is now treatment tailored to your son to manage his condition. I hope you get sorted soon.

Gavin

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Hi there,

Just wanted to tell you that I had a similar problem with my son, when he was a baby he had a continuous cold and cough which would improve when we would go and visit other people who had no carpets or who lived by a river instead of in the countryside like we did.

By the time he was 7 months old he had been on so many courses of oral steroids and antibiotics that I last count (almost continuously). We were back and forth to the hospital and we were told it was viral and to give him 10 puffs of salbutamol every hour. 24 hours later I took to the emergency clinic at our docs who rang the hospital up and told them off for lack of follow-up on such a small baby and sent us back. After a few weeks of being persistent I finally got to see the Consultant who said although they don't normally diagnose asthma in kids so young but that given the strong family history and the symptoms that improve according to environment that he was sure it was asthma. As we move around a lot he wrote a letter for us to that effect so we wouldn't have to repeat the battle for treatment. He was put on inhaled steroids a 7 months.

We moved again and he got worse, the previous occupant of the house had had 3 cats in it. We were again back and forth to docs and he was emergency neb once in hospital but collapsed again the day after release and the doc surgery neb him again. We now have no carpets, blinds instead of curtains, boil wash bedding and teddies and have allergy bedding. He has to take 4 puffs of pulmicort daily and montelukast at night but otherwise is a typical boistrous boy who often has night coughs, or extra inhaled steroids when a particularly bad cold. Thankfully since we sorted his meds he has not had any more oral steroids (I think he had over 10 courses in the first few years of his life).

Most doc surgeries do not allow asthma clinic to see young asthmatic children as they should be monitored by GP (incl 3monthly/6monthly checks on growing) or if asthma not under control by Respiratory Consultant Paed. My son comes with me to asthma clinic just for weighing and growth checks.

It is upsetting seeing them struggling but he was always a happy lad and didn't know any better. We got my son involved in setting up the spacer and inhaler and used stickers to decorate it. He takes it on is own now and often knows when to ask for it too.

It is worth doing all you can to cut down on allergens in the home but most importantly is to be persistent if you feel your son isn't getting the right treatment. It does eventually pay off. My little brother was on oral steroid all the time as a child, always in and out of hospital, he grew up, grew out of it and became a 6foot something strapping tennis coach!! I try not to worry about the drugs because the alternative is far, far worse!!

Good luck and take care of you and your son

xx