chest infections, whats 'normal'?

My 7yod was diagnosed with asthma autumn last year. I'd taken her to the docs with yet another chest infection and explained that I wasn't happy for her to keep taking antibitics without knowing why she was getting so many URT infections. A peak flow diary was kept and seasonal asthma was the diagnosis. She is only poorly during the months after September because we think she may be irritated by a soil spore and we live in a very rural area. She takes Becatide 50 (two puffs twice a day) and her asthma is very well controlled.

However, even with the inhaler, she has had four or five chest infections this winter which is an improvement on the six or seven (maybe even eight!) she had her first winter here. But is this normal??

My ex-health visitor (and now very good friend) suggested we write down all the problems she has had in the last two years (since our move to the country) and we were quite staggered. 10+ chest infections, 2 throat infections, 1 ear infection, 2 sinus infections, two doses of Flixonase for inflammation in her nose which was causing horrendous nose bleeds. Her ears pop, she gets dizziness with headaches and is constantly sniffy. She takes Amoxycillin like it is a mothers milk! We can add the odd water infection, cold, viral illness to this list too and we are beginning to feel that she is never well for more than a fortnight at a time.

The gp seems to think I'm an overly concerned mum who has to expect these things with an asthmatic child but I'm really not so sure.

I only have the one child and we are quite new to being a family dealing with asthma but I am seriously thinking about pressing my gp for a referral to either an ENT specialist or for a paediatric referral. So I'm throwing this out there and asking other parents.........is this normal??

Sincere thanks in advance for your input.

Jacqui

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constant chest infections

really feel for you, have no idea if it's normal, but I'm about as bad

I think GP's don't realise how long you've been ill when you finally pop in to ask for help

they just seem to assume you started feeling a little off colour that day

you mention soil spores, and I can relate to that too, I have had some success from using

Ainsworths homeopathic remedies for specific allergies, in particular mold spores.

also cold air is toxic for me, getting cold will leave me ill for the next three weeks

haven't got round to getting the woolly hat, but my sister thinks I ought to

all the best, am sure your daughter will gain in strength - try a few bottles of floradix multivitamin.

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hi my son has the same problem with chest infections, after fighting with my gp i moved gps.the new one gave us a paediatric referral after just two visits.get a referral if your not happy.i wish i got one sooner

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hi there,

I am also new to all this... my 3 yr old was diagnosed with asthma last summer... my older 2 children don't have it. My son is also on Becotide, two puffs morning & evening. Despite this he has suffered on & off this winter too. He's had chest infections and throat infections and so on. He seems to go from one thing to another but I think this is the season for it. I guess that the asthma makes my son more prone to getting chest infections & every other virus going. Last month he had a chest infection and it took me 10 days to finally get him on the right anti-biotics (after going back and forth to the doctors about 5 times). He was finally referred for an xray and was diagnosed as having pneumonia. I had some doctors saying his chest was clear and others saying it wasn't but I stuck with my guns and said he wasn't getting better (despite prednisolone and anti-biotics) and they gave him the x-ray. Thankfully it proved his lungs were not clear.

I have been learning to really stick with MY instincts and I have been educating myself on asthma. My doctors & asthma nurse have been great but I still feel that at times I have to push and keep on at them. It took me many phone calls to finally get him the pneumococcal vaccine too... after being told by a consultant that he didn't need one. Thanks to this site I pushed for it and read out what it says about the vaccine and they then changed their minds and said after-all he would benefit from the vaccine.

So, hang in there. You know your child... don't worry about being seen as overly protective... where asthma is concerned you can't be too careful.

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chest infections

my son has alot of them finally got to see a consultant but not a chest one as i was told hes bad again and all the docs can say is if he gets worse come back im going to have to approch them again i think

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This is the same as my son, he keeps getting pnuemonia even though he is on inhalers, we are on bout 4 of the winter, he has had it all his short life!

We are under consultant care, he has been tested for immunological disorders, and we are waiting for the result of a cystic fibrosis test which the doctor thinks will be normal. His immune system is normal by the way.

I am so worried about it, he is only 4 years old and does not get much time healthy bless him.

Like you, I don't think its normal but my doctor said some kids are just like that!

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hi

my daughter is exactly the same - we are at the end of our tether - she has had chest infections and ear infections since October now - she never seems to get better. I read about the white phlegm in another post - she's coughing it up all the time and we are getting nowhere fast with our local hospital. Anyone got any advice?

Thanks

Janine