Asthma and colds

[Lacoull]

Hey .. my son is 6years old was diagnosed with asthma 2 years ago ..on preventer inhaler twice a day and reliever as and when needed which is hardly ever .. I'm

Just looking for advise about what to do when he has a cold .. last December he took a mild cold gave him reliever inhaler but he ended up waking up that night struggling to breathe and had to take him to hospital he was kept in for about 10 hours and put on 3 doses of nebuliser and got steroids for 3 days as well as inhaler .. he bounced back quickly .. but now I'm worried as he seems to be starting a cold tonight has a cough starting I'm just unsure if this will again turn into an asthma attack .. is it usual to have attack at first signs of colds ? Thanks from a very stressed mum 🙃

[Operanut72]

Hi Lacoull,

It's not uncommon for our asthma symptoms to get worse during heavy colds, and in fact some people only have asthma symptoms during cold and virus illnesses. But it doesn't necessarily mean your son is going to have an asthma attack with every cold.

The only advice I can give is that you know your child best and your maternal instincts will let you know when you have to worry. We've had to learn when my youngest needs to go in with his asthma, but my wife always got there sooner than I did. Maybe it's because I'm blaisé about my own asthma or maybe she knows him better than he does? Whatever, it's always better to err on the side of caution.

I know it's scary but things may well settle down soon enough and you'll be such an old hat that nothing will phase you.

Hope all that helps, sending positive thoughts your way.

[Lacoull in reply to Operanut72]

Thanks , he only ever get asthma symptoms during cold ,, he's a bit hingy. Just now still ,, just been giving him reliever Inhaler every 4-6 hours to help him, only has a cough but more a tickly cough .. so hopefully he will be fine 😌

[Operanut72 in reply to Lacoull]

Sometimes asthma reveals itself as a constant uncontrollable cough. If he starts to cough to the point he's gasping for breath and his inhaler isn't helping then I'd probably nip him down to A&E. but in the meantime keep on doing what you're doing as always seek medical advice if you're uncertain.

Hope things settle down soon x

[Lacoull in reply to Operanut72]

He's not coughing too much just now .. just more a cough u get with cold . But just giving him reliever every six hours just now as that seems to be keeping things at bay .. He burning up and tired more just now .. cuddled up on couch watching ant and Dec just now .. hopefully cold will pass soon xx

[Itsnotmeitsthem]

Agree with Operanut72, my well contained asthma notches up a certain level when I have a cold. I'm very active and find my condition almost un-noticeable most of the time, but during a cold, I'm more careful about endurance / high intensity work out. But that would be similar to anyone else - it's just slightly worse.

The other thing I have to say relates to the psychosomatic effect of asthma. If your child is stressed due to the attack (and not being able to breathe as freely) it will no doubt cause him to panic - an understandable response!. This increases stress and tension in every muscle and will make it even more difficult to breathe. So learning to keep him (and yourself) as calm as possible could also have a dramatically positive effect on how bad the attack gets.

Best wishes to you and your son

[Lacoull in reply to Itsnotmeitsthem]

Thanks , he is the exact same very active and never would know he has asthma .. just when he has cold.. and yeah I'm just worried cause the last cold he had he took an attack which was very sudden .. hopefully he will be fine this time round .. such a worry at this age . Thanks for advice 😌

[Hidden]

My asthma is always bad when I have a cold, get really wheezy. I up my dose of the brown inhaler to three puffs twice a day then at around lunch time another two puffs then blue inhaler when needed. Hope this helps.

[angievere]

My young son always had bad asthma with a cold. I used to give him daily vitamins, Sellenium and fish oil capsules. Also put a couple of drops of tea tree oil in his bath. All to try to build up his immune system. The vitamins are definitely worth a try. Good luck and I hope things improve for him.

[nomoreasthma]

Hi check out my reply to Jess33.

Have you got an asthma nurse?

In addition rubbing oil (olive or coconut) on his chest, back & front helps. Tap his chest by forming a cup with the hand and tapping all around. Lie him on his front and tap his back, then tap the front and the sides. This will help to loosen the phlegm. Liquorice - the black ones, from liquorice allsorts help shift phlegm.

Warm fresh lemon juice & honey helps. Muiltivitamins with multiminerals & Vitamin C help. Avoid fridge cold drinks.

With young children it is very hard to detect they are having a breathing problem. If he says his tummy hurts, looking at the movement of the diaphragm and throat helps! Be vigilant and get him seen to if you feel that he is not okay. You know your child best. Even when they appear to have lots of energy, they could actually be very seriously ill.