Asthma in Toddler

[KLAnakin]

Hello, my 18 month old has just been given the 'Suspected Asthma' diagnosis and the requisite inhalers. She's really bad with her breathing almost all the time and it has taken a year to get the doctors to look at it seriously. But she is just a mess... Apart from the meds what else can we do to help with the symptoms

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I,d get the Vick vapour rub out & don,t they do an olbus oil for little one,s . I for one don,t know what else to suggest till you get a proper diagnosis , good luck.

[Chip_y2kuk]

They don't like diagnosing asthma in under 4's (the numbers sometimes go up down depending on the doctor you speak too) but if they see a "positive response" to inhaler use they will generally change the suspected asthma to a diagnosis my little one has just turned 20 months the old and was confirmed aschmatic after two ambulance trips to hospital

[KLAnakin in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

Yeah, been told they can only do the full breathing tests at 4-6 so we can onky have the suspected asthma thing until then. She has had 3 severe chest infections resulting in hospital trips and always had a cough from about 6 months old.

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to KLAnakin]

That's bs... my baby Had a blue inhaler and suspected asthma and then two hospital visits when she couldn't breathe we where then given a brown inhaler by the gp and told to try it for a month making note of any times she had to use her blue inhaler and if she was any better with the brown one (using the blue one less) after monthly visits to the asthma clinic the asthma nurse said I will get it diagnosed as asthma for you I'm happy that it is asthma and if we don't change this to an asthma diagnosis we will be having this conversation again in a few months time... that was a few months ago she's not two until October... but before getting the right people at the GPS surgery we where told the same as you... which we now know to be a bit of a way of putting off diagnosing asthma

[KLAnakin in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

The docs has given us the brown and blue inhaler but didn't say anything else, no review booked or anything. He didn't even really explain it to me. I called the helpline to get some clarity on it. Going to keep a diary of everything so I can show the doctor when I go for a repeat prescription on the brown in about 6 weeks.

We have just moved her into her sisters room as her room can be a bit drafty and damp.... hoping it helps.

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to KLAnakin]

Damp usually means mold which inturn encourages dust, dust is quite a nasty allergen and is easily inhaled it also loves sweat and dead skin in bedding,so it's a good idea to change that regularly and washed the as hot as you can (dust mites can live up to 60 degrees c)

[KLAnakin in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

Yeah we have just washed her sheets on 90 this time... this house is a dust haven as we are still doing it up...

Do you find things like the humidifiers work?

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to KLAnakin]

No I react badly to humid environments or dry environments so haven't used one for my little one incase she reacts the same way I do

[KLAnakin in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

Ahhh ok... just feel like I wish I could do more because she seems so miserable and sick. I guess I'll just have to keep trying things...

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to KLAnakin]

It is hard and it takes time my little one has inherited my pollen allergy (hayfever) and she is struggling at the minute we've got her on Piriton, blue 4x a day and her brown 2x a day to give her a fighting chance of staying out of hospital

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

If you are doing the house up there will be:

dust

Paint fumes

Also:

House hold cleaners

Cooking fumes

Air freshner things (the automatic ones)

Does your little one have hayfever? This can make asthma worse

[KLAnakin in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

I think she may have hay fever. We went for a walk Sunday evening in the park and when we got back she was really wheezy. So I think we can put that as a trigger.

The new room arrangement seems to be working well as well.

[Chip_y2kuk]

Also if she's bad most of the time find out what in her environment she is reacting/allergic too it will make a massive difference to her health and keeping her well

[Chip_y2kuk]

The brown inhaler is a Steroid (beclomethasone) which works over time to remove and prevent inflamation in the lungs (so it can take some time to gain the upper hand) but what you should notice is that as time goes on with the brown inhaler she should be using the blue less (actually needing it less) because the inflamation in the airways will be kept down by the brown (having said that it can take a month or more to make a noticable difference)

[Spiritednurse]

My daughter was 2 months old when her breathing started playing up, I use my blue inhaler with a spacer half (spacers use to be very big and you had to push 2 halves together) just above her face and she would settle down for the rest of the night. I informed my gp who diagnosed suspected asthma and tried her on blue and brown inhalers. They didn't want to diagnose asthma said she was too young. My daughter is now 21 and still asthmatic using a purple inhaler and has exma and hayfever. What I do find in times of flare ups is to use the blue inhaler a few minutes before the brown, it helps to open the airways so the brown inhaler can get to all areas of the lungs. Keep with it as perseverance always pays off.

[KLAnakin in reply to Spiritednurse]

Yeah I called an ambulance for my daughter at about 6 weeks for her breathing and was told it was probably just normal for her.

My daughters spacer is a big one (volumatic) was wondering if I should get a yellow child one, she isn't fond of the big one we are using...

I will definitely try using the blue one before the brown at night as she is so tight sometimes it feels like the brown one won't get right to the places.

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to KLAnakin]

The smaller ones are easier to handle (aerochamber) I don't know why some GP's still insist on handing out ventolin spacers that )re massive and difficult to handle

[KLAnakin in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

I read on the lloyds website that you can go in and discuss which spacer is best for you/your child, so might just do that.

[Chip_y2kuk in reply to KLAnakin]

I quite like lloyds pharmacies however my gp has a boots inside it and the staff are really good in there