Helpless

My step son had another asthma attack and his mum took phoned the doctors to get his prescription for steroids ready and took him up to hospital where they put him on a nebuliser and checked all his vitals his oxygen was 80 when he arrived and after the nebuliser it had gone up to 95 so rapid improvement. They Discharged him from A&E that same night and he came home at about 10.30pm. 5.30am comes around and he is bad again so he goes straight back up to the hospital straight back onto a nebuliser and it worked but this time they kept him in a bit longer and he needed another 2 times whilst he was there so they decided to admit him straight away. He has been in hospital since yesterday afternoon and has been on a nebuliser every 2 hours and this last time he was on it for nearly an hour. The doctors don't understand it because they can hear him wheezing and struggling for breath but his oxygen levels are normal and they shouldn't be. I just feel helpless as he is only 10 years old and the doctors don't seem to have the foggiest as to what is wrong. If they can't help him what chance do we have of helping him? I just don't know what to do thoughts keep going through my head making me panic about him like what if they can't find a solution what if he is going to be like this forever I feel so sorry for him and just want to take all of his asthma out of him and give it to me just so he doesn't have to suffer. Sorry for the big rant just wanted to get everything off my chest and this seemed to be the perfect place to do it.

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Hi,

Sorry to hear your stepson is having a rough time of it. I don't have children myself but I know that my parents worry a lot (although not in front of me) when I'm unwell or in hospital, so I can only imagine how hard it must be for you and your partner.

I can only speak for myself here but, when I'm really struggling to breathe, it can be quite obvious on the outside (using accessory muscles etc) but my oxygen level can be near normal, I then find that it suddenly drops if I get worse.

You don't mention if he has always had asthma or is this a new diagnosis? If he has had it for years, there might be something sparking it off like an infection. If it is a new diagnosis, it might just be that his medication needs altered a little to give him more control.

I can imagine it must be incredibly difficult to remain calm in this situation, especially with so many unknowns, but you can still help him even if it seems like the doctors don't know what's going on. The chances are that he will have picked up on the doctors confusion about his condition, so he will look to you (and his mum) to be the stable forces in this situation. I find that if I'm unwell or having an attack and people around me are panicking or worrying, it makes me worse.

My advice (and it is ONLY advice since I am in no way a medical professional) is to do your best to remain calm when you are with him - there are LOTS of options regarding medications/treatments for asthma and yes, it could take a little time to get some control over his condition.

Please feel free to vent on the forum, there is a lot of support here with many people in similar situations (either now or in the past). I hope that this has helped even a little...