sleepless nights

I totally sympathise with you. My daughter only has problems when she gets a cold, but when she does (and at 3 it's about every 3 weeks in the winter) then I lose several nights sleep. Most people see her during teh day when she appears pretty good so I get very little sympathy. Luckily for me we have a dedicated asthma nurse at our GP. My problem is gettting any inhaler into her during teh night - the poor thing is soo tired with all the coughing and lack of oxygen that she gets very upset to be woken up to take an inhaler. Meanwhile I lie awake for hours listening to the shallowness of her breathing and not daring to go to sleep for fear of things worsening. I just hold the inhaler near her and hope that some of it goes in. Does anyone have any ideas how to get reliever into a sleeping child?!

[KateMoss]

Hello!

you can get a spacer device with a mask which some people find usefull for getting the meds into sleeping children. I assume the inhaler is an aerosol one?

You squirt the inhaler into the spacer then pop the mask gently over the childs face and they breath in the medication. Using a spacer is one of the best way to get meds in for all ages as less co-ordination is needed.

Ask your asthma nurse for one - there are a few different makes.

Take care

Kate

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you can also get a mask for your spacer from your pharmacist. they are usually pretty good. I sent my auntie in for one for my grandad last winter when he had been prescribed an inhaler but was struggling to use it. The mask solved the problem. Forgot to add that I weas presuming you have a spacer if not ask your pharmacist again as kate says their are several types.

Good luck

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I use a spacer with a mask at night for my 9 year old. I used to use a nebulizer but this is much quicker. It works wonders for night-time coughing. We’re from the prairies in Canada and right now we are full swing into harvest and the grain dust is in the air so bad that the sky is hazy. Rain right about now would be a blessing!

Stevie