Psychologist for asthma??

Hi everybody hope you are all well.

We've just come back froman appointment with Holly's new consultant and I am really unhappy.

Holly gets flixotide 125 2 puffs twice daily with serevent two puffs mornng and one at night. She gets singulair morning and night and citirizine in the morning. After all this she's still really struggling. and having to take pred a lot too just now.

Explained the last few weeks to the consultant and also explained how much ventolin shes getting just now, shes been taking it regularly but got it down to about 6 puffs every 4 hours. He looked over her notes and said that theres no way she can still be struggling after all that medication and he has decided that shes exageratting her symptoms and has reccomended a refferal to a child psychologist.

I've got to admit I lost it a bit and asked how she could exagerate her symptoms when she ends up in hospital so often. I mean really she's only 4. I really did take offence because I know theres not a miracle cure but I just wanted her symptoms more under control before she starts school in August. I explained this to him and said that I want her to be able to take part in all the things other children do at school and his answer was that the psychologist will help her come to terms with the things she cant do.

Was stressed out before but now I'm stressed out and confused.

Does anyone else's child see a psychologist

Thanks and sorry for the rant

Anne

xx

[Hidden]

Am so sorry you and Holly ar being put thriugh so a tough time, seems to be an ongoing thing that when docs come to end of there knowledge rather than refer on they send to mental health services first? i dont understand them?

Is Holly doc an general peadiatrician or an asthm aspecialist? is it at local hospital or specialist childrens hosp? Maybe worth getting GP refferral for sencond opinion by an actual asthma specialist? How can he say Holly exagerates stmptoms shes too young to understand? and its his team of docs that are treating her and giving her pred?

As for psychologists they can have a place but only when right kind, when in local hosp i was really down, had been in for 12 weeks and 2 weeks in itu so inevertabley was low but anyway got psychologist to come and he couldnt offer anything was really a waste of his and my time? but at specialist lung centre they have a psychologist attached to the difficult asthma clinic, he see just peeps with severe asthma aswell as his wife having it so he can really understand, its just more of an outlet valve someone to talk to who understands and as he cant make things better with asthma he can help you learn to cope with it?

Good luck

Love and prayers

Andrea xxxx

[Hidden]

I saw a psychologist (i was 14 at the time), it was a really pointles experience, i had three sessions the 3rd one being just to keep my cons happy, we didnt even talk about a lot a little bit about asthma then in the 2nd and 3rd session we talked about music

I can't see how a psychologist would b able to help a 4 year old thou?

Hope that helps :-s

Emma x

[Hidden]

Hi there thanks for your replies

Wheezy its just an ordinary paediatric consultant. He took over from her old cons a little while ago. I did ask for a refferal to a chest cons for her and he said that she wasn't bad enough and that there were limited resources in our area.

I will send her to the psychologist but I'm really wary cos she's gotten so good at recognising her symptoms and its took us a while. I don't want her to start questioning herself and stop asking for help after all she feels the signs before I can hear or see them. What really upsets me though is that she has never played up on her asthma and if anything she has tended to struggle on so she can be the same as the other kids.

Anne

xx

[Hidden]

Hi,

You should go back to your gp and ask him for a referal to a respiratory consultant, preferably an allergy specialist as well. I would look at whats available in your area through the internet, infact a good starting point is the asthma uk site, you can see which hospitals have an interest, so that you can point your gp in the direction you want to go in. I would definitely look at trying to go to a different hospital if that is possible for you. Everyone is entitled to a second opinion in the new nhs world. Also nowadays consultants arn't allowed to refer you to other consultants, you have to go to the GP anyway.

I would also see the psychologist as well, If the psychologist thinks the symptoms are real, you can persuade him/her to write a letter to the pediatric consultant saying you should be refered.

good luck, and hang in there, my daughter has asthma but we have it under control at the moment.

cheers RI

[Hidden]

Hi,

You should go back to your gp and ask him for a referal to a respiratory consultant, preferably an allergy specialist as well. I would look at whats available in your area through the internet, infact a good starting point is the asthma uk site, you can see which hospitals have an interest, so that you can point your gp in the direction you want to go in. I would definitely look at trying to go to a different hospital if that is possible for you. Everyone is entitled to a second opinion in the new nhs world. Also nowadays consultants arn't allowed to refer you to other consultants, you have to go to the GP anyway.

I would also see the psychologist as well, If the psychologist thinks the symptoms are real, you can persuade him/her to write a letter to the pediatric consultant saying you should be refered.

good luck, and hang in there, my daughter has asthma but we have it under control at the moment.

cheers RI

[Hidden]

Thanks RI

I've got an appointment with her doc on Thursday and I'm going to ask for a refferal to a chest cons then. I did ask her cons about allergy tests as she took a really bad reaction to grass getting cut. Its quite comical as his reaction was well there you are, she's allergic to cut grass so why do you need allergy tests!!

I'm also going to take her to the psychologist even if its just to prove the point that her symptoms and reactions are real. If nothing else as somebody pointed out it could be helpful in geting her to accept that she can't do all the things that other children can do. That doesn't mean though that I'm going to stop trying to get her well enough to do all the things other kids can. It may be useful it may not be but we can only try.

Thankyou everybody again for all your messages. I don't know how I'd manage without your support sometimes and its a great help and relief to know that your here.

Anne

xx

[Hidden]

Real Shortage in this area

I am an adult with asthma, and I have felt for a long time that chest clinics / wards should have some Psychological support as asthma really does impact on not only the sufferer but the whole family.

My parents have 3 times this year had to see me in the HDU of our local hosp and I have just come home after a 24 day hosp stay.

My specialist nurse, who also has a CF caseload, would love to have access to Respiratory Psychology but there is none avaliable in our area (dorset).

Jen