For the last 2 wks since I got out of hospital my son who is just 6 as had an attack most nights between 11pm and 2am ..now I have doubled his brown inhaler and taken him to the GP who as told me his chest is clear ..his oxygen drops to as low as 88 for a minute or two while i am giving him his sabutmol .... Last night it took 8 puffs before he was ok and then he fell straight back to sleep
My friend thinks I should take him to a&e or ring an ambulance so he can be seen at his worst and maybe they will be able to help him , I know that a&e tend to nebulise and send home ..I wouldnt wanna call and ambulance unless i really had to i always worry that i am taking it from somebody that needs its
He as been refered to a paediatrician that is a specialist in respiratory care and the GP thinks he will do a sleep study so they can hopfully see when this is happening ..
OK..Sorry for my off on a tangent thread with no really meaning ...But I am at a loss I hate seeing my little boy suffer and dont know what to do for the best ..should i be ringing an ambulance if its taking me 8 puffs to sort him out ? or should i be waiting till i see the pead ? ..I think he could do with a short course of predisolne again but as his chest is clear during the day the dr cant give him anything ..I dont sleep for fear of not hearing him which isnt doing my chest any good but thats nothing compared to seeing my little boy suffer all the time x
It was interesting reading your post as this seems to be very similar to what I currently have with Thomas. The doctor yesterday said his chest is clear as it would be he was still covered by the 6 puffs of ventolin I'd given him 2 goes prior to the visit. With Thomas I know he's not bad enough for hospital, we only go once he's had 10 puffs and still no improvement. At the moment he is improving with 6-8 puffs. We have Thomas sleeping in our bed at the moment, not great but at least I feel reassured.
Thomas already sees a respiratory consultant so not sure what else can really be done apart from his referral which I hope will be done at his appointment in 2 weeks.
Sorry I can't offer any useful advice its frustrating isn't it.
Jenny x
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your little boy.
Personally, if he is having nightly attacks I would be inclined to take him to A&E during one so Dr can see him at his worst-call an ambulance if needed-a paramedic/dr will never be cross with you for doing that-its better to be safe than sorry.
I had a rough patch with my daughter when she was about 3 years old with constant attacks etc.
One evening, she seemed to be struggling a little-using her accessory muscles a little so my husband took her to GP at the end of the surgery session as an emergency appointment. AS she was not particularly wheezy or coughing I thought the Dr may just say increase her meds/possible pred course but husband rang to say Dr was very concerned and ambulance had been called. When she got to A&E she was really struggling and her sats were sitting around 80%. It took a few back to back nebs and lots of O2 before she was slightly better and ended up in hospital for a week.
I don't even like to think what may had happened if we hadn't taken that course of action.
Really sorry that you are going through this. I can empathise hugely as we have been through the same exhausting and scary situation in the past.
If you are concerned I would definitely recommend seeing the GP/ going to A &E. I was once told that if you don't let the medical world know each time there is a problem then they will presume all is ok.
Also, in the meantime I would try videoing it on your phone. We did this. Despite it being horrid to record an attack, it was the most useful tool when it came to explaining to the consultants etc. All the explaining and describing in the world as to how bad it gets will have nowhere near as much inpact as it does if you can actually show them.
Big hugs for such an exhausting and scary time xx
Thanks everyone for your replys touch wood the last 2 nights have been ok .. I have decided the next time I will take him to a n e to be seen luckily with me being bad I have a nebuliser and a Saturation monitor so can help until help arrives should he need more then the 10 puffs of ventolin , maybe his doubled clenil as taken effect xx
My daughter is 4yrs old and initially and up til last week, we had been told that they wont diagnose asthma in pre-schoolers/under 7yrs if they can't do peakflow. I was told that they will use the history of symptoms to help make an eventual diagnosis, but I was also told we didn't need to contact our doctor if the blue inhaler was relieving the symptoms - doesn't make sense! they want history but they don't want to know.
I guess what I am saying is what was said before my post - if they aren't told or seeing your little one at worst, they will think he is coping fine. It's such a horrible illness to deal with, until I found this forum, I felt so utterly alone and not knowing if I was treating my child correctly as I'm not a medical qualified person. We were given an inhaler and basically told ""go home and get on with it"". We struggled with it for almost a year, numerous visits to OOH docs only to be told ""she's fine take her home to bed"" - this made me think I was pestering docs! Don't ever let anyone make you feel like you are being a pest, this is your baby, and ultimately.... Mummies know best! If you feel he needs checked, then take him in.
I haven't taken my daughter to A&E or phoned an ambulance, I always use the NHS24 line, because I feel like you, I fear I might get told off or something. But we're the ones who have to watch our babies struggle to breathe, it's very scary and can escalate very quickly. If you think (more like, know!) he's starting an attack, maybe phone NHS24 instantly and say he's starting an attack, what do I do? They might send ambulance, or tell you to take him to A&E - at least then you're being told to do it - i always feel a bit more reassured if a nurse/doc is telling me she needs to go get checked.
Sorry this was long!
p.s. due to the number of calls to NHS24 and my calls to our GP practice for advice/support, my daughter finally got diagnosed last week. It sounds like your son has been diagnosed, but the more the docs know, the better they can help him
I'm not a parent but ambulances for genuine breathing difficulties (no blocked noses or anything like that) is acceptable, if you're questioning whether to get an ambulance for your little one, its better to be safe than sorry. there'll be someone there with medical training IF things get worse. x
I would agree, if your child is having breathing difficulties significant enough for you to be worrying call an ambulance. I haven't much in the past because of a silly irrational fear of someone else needing it more, yes stupid I kneow! But now if I am extremely concerned or if I am on my own with Thomas its too scary to drive with him struggling in the back so now I will call an ambulance. After seeing how quickly he can deteriorate to a really serious stage its not worth the risk.
Hope your son is continuing to do ok x
Sorry I havent been on my asthma is bad also at the moment , we had a night where his 10 puffs didnt work so i rang 999 and put him on my nebuliser as his lips was blue , by the time we got to hospital he was fine , we was made to wait 5 hrs to be told i obviously knew what i was doing as he is fine and next time see if the nebuliser works before phoning ...what stupid advice ...if the neb doesnt work and then u ring it could be fatle i cant believe the advice i was given ...on a better note the school nurse as arranged training for the school staff and made him a care plan for while he is in school and also wrote to his consultant asking for the appointment to hurry up
I cant believe they told you that, what if you didnt have a nebuliser at home? Sometimes it feels like you just are not right no matter what you do but its better to be safe than sorry!
Hopefully you will get to see the consultant as soon as possible, get some answers. x
just to update we see the specialist on 30th april
Sorry to hear you have both been bad with your asthma.
I am really shocked by the response of DR in A&E (although why I'm not sure after reading all the bad treatment people have received)
I know I would have used my neb on my daughter in that situation too but ATEOTD its not been prescribed for your son and if his 10 puffs is not working you should call an ambulance and in the mean time you are going to do anything that will help your son breath!!
I know 2 children who have died of asthma attacks because parents have not realised how bad an asthma attack can be and have taken their children to A&E in the car and on both occasions were dead on arrival.
Surely paeds dr would rather you get your son in and better safe than sorry?
Anyway, glad to hear you have got an appt through and the consultant can help your son to be better controlled.
Take care x
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So I think we should also learn about this asthma night attack care.
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Hands up who is fed up with doctors saying 'his/her chest is clear/has no wheeze!'???Aaaarrrrgggghh!
Husband newly diagnosed with. Eosinophilic asthma 
