daughter's asthma

Hi, was hoping for some advice. My daughter has had asthma since she was two and she is now 15. We've always been quite good at maintaining it and keeping it in control until recently. Since January she has been into hospital 4 times, two were over night stays, she has had two chest infections and it still doesn't seem any better despite steroids and antibiotics. She is pretty much going through a blue inhaler a week and complains constantly of a tight chest. I've taken her back to the Dr and they've just said it's the season. Normally we only have a problem in autumn when it's damp in the season change.

We live in a rented house and it's lovely apart from the damp which we have told the landlord about, but nothing has happened. There is black mould in all of the rooms and we try keep it at bay with mould spray and bleach. We can't move just yet as my husband recently lost his job and has only just found a new one. Is there any other solutions I've not thought of? Or should I be insisting they look at her asthma more closely?

I appreciate any help in advance,

Thanks.

[Thomass_mum]

Hi

We had some black mould which is caused by condensation, we borrowed our neighbours dehumidifier for a couple of weeks and the mould didn't come back. They are quite pricey but it definitely helped stopping the mould. I can't say it particularly changed the asthma though as he was still being admitted for attacks. My son doesn't show any allergy to mould spores which may be why it didn't lessen symptoms. Alternatively you can get those pots which crystals in to draw the moisture in the air into them although not sure how effective these are.

I have to admit Thomas has been admitted quite a few times since Christmas as well.

Hope you find a solution soon.

Jenny

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I think u should insist they look at it more closely and even try ask to see the specalist x

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I would insist they looked into it more , have they done any allergy testing i.e if she is allergic to damp spores , we use to live in a house that was full of damp and it used to play havoc with my sons chest but since we moved we have moved to another hospital and they tested him for lots of diff things and he is allergic to damp spores but we would of never known unless they had tested further ,so always worth if unsure asking for another opinion. x

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How often is your daughter taking the blue inhaler. Overuse of this inhaler means her Asthma is out of control. When using the blue inhaler or preventers always take a drink of water to keep the throat moisturised as some as a percentage of the inhaler's vapour/drugs can lodge in the back of the throat and can lead to coughing which is not helpful to someone with Asthma.

In addition, because your daughter's bedroom is damp and cold, this can hit the airways more directly as the lungs are delicate and sensitive organs. This is because everyone who has asthma, their lungs/airways are always red under the microscope which makes them more sensitive to colds and triggers unlike someone who dose'nt have asthma.

Another piece of advice which should help in your daughter's case. A woollen cap worn on her head at night will help keep jack frost out and make her lungs become less sensitive to the colds in the atmosphere of her bedroom which can be a real trigger factor in the case of her Asthma.

Our heads lose 40% to 50% of our body heat when uncovered.

Hope this little piece of advice helps.

Let me know how she is in a weeks time.

Liam