Our son has had mild asthma and allergies for years - he is allergic to dogs, cats, dust, legumes and has hay fever and is frequent full of mucus although he doesn’t have asthma attacks - he is sick almost weekly tho it tends to be pure mucus. He coughs a lot from the mucus.
I don’t feel like we ever get anywhere with trying to relieve his symptoms - I worry that we could be doing more to help him.
Does anyone have any similar experiences &/or recommendations?
Many thanks. Kat
Hi Kat
Sorry your son is suffering so much, it’s not nice. My 9 year old has aptopic asthma and has been on inhalers since he was 6 - he’s also on anti-histamines too, these have helped a lot. He had to change his brand of anti histamine this year as he’d become tolerant to his previous brand.
Is your son on a brown inhaler and or anti histamines? They do help, also my son has a nasal spray during the summer.
Good luck with whatever you try x
Thanks for your help. My son is on the purple preventer (seretide), blue when needed and antihistamines every day. I didn’t realise they can become immune to the antihistamines... our doctor prescribed desloratadine a few months back as an alternative to piriton tho I’m not sure why. Is your son sick often with his asthma?
My son is now on Citrizine which is a new anti histamine and so far been very effective. He was on loratadine for two years but I noticed at the end of last summer it wasn’t working as well. My son hasn’t been hospitalised with his asthma (touch wood) But has had a few rounds of rescue steroids over the years when his blue one hasn’t worked and he’s had an attack. He tends to be unwell during the change in seasons - he was using his blue a lot during November which is when is dr increased his Brown inhaler. He’s still feeling the benefits of the increased dose so, so far (touch wood) he’s been fine since last Nov. The pollen in the summer and humidity makes him quite short of breath so we will see how this year goes. He’s been offered montekulast - however I’ve held off that for the moment. Have you tried that, it’s meant to be brilliant for allergies and asthma.
Yes he’s on the montekulast too. I think you’re right - it’s a change in the seasons that often triggers his health; the mucus builds up and he tends to be sick a lot - it’s as though his body’s way of getting rid of the mucus is by vomiting - he soldiers on but I just worry that more could be done. 😔 x
It’s sounds like you’re doing a lot for him. Bless him though sounds like he’s having a rough time. The change in the seasons is a bad time of year for allergies. Xx
My son had really improved since switching to Symbicort 100. He has daily cetirizine antihistamine. I run an air purifier too. He has gone from being sent home from school with asthma symptoms every other day over the summer 2 years ago to being outside running every minute he can and playing sports.
I hope you find something that works for your son and he feels much better soon xxx
If you don’t have a consultant, you should insist on seeing one. You may also find something on the British Lung Foundation site as your son doesn’t have classic asthma - there are lots of variants. You may want to see if he is stressed about anything as that makes everything worse. My parents spent years trying to sort me out but it’s worth it.
Have you had a referral to a hospital consultant? If not then that’s your first step.
Have a think about what you want from the appointment and take questions and concerns etc along with you.
There is loads you can try but you definitely need a Referal.
Good luck
Katy
I can comment on the dust allergy, he will be allergic to dust mites, not dust. If you havent already you should remove all/most of the carpets and have wood flooring.
Leather sofas are best and no soft furnishings, cushions etc.
Anti dust mite bedding and wash, freeze his pillows regularly.
Dyson hovers are superb at removing dust mites.
This has made such a difference to my asthma I wish I did this when younger. Winter and Christmas weren't good times for me.
Ok thanks Simon - he is allyergic to d mites but I think pollen is what really triggers it to get bad as he’s just flared up again over the last few weeks. Do you find an air purifier also works? We’ve not tried this as yet....
Also, are you actually sick with the asthma? This is something that happens a lot with my son (usually pure mucus) but I rarely come across it with other sufferers...
Many thanks
Ive never used a purifier, I think (this is just my opinion) that you need to reduce the allergens to such a low level to make a difference that it is unlikely to work, although always worth a try.
Tree pollen doesnt normally trigger my asthma but this year has been different, I have had mild asthma since the beginning of April.
Dust mites always trigger a big response, asthma first, trouble breathing and phlegm with streaming nose loads of coughing to shift the phlegm but then this leaves you wide open to any viruses about.
As Im sure you know everyone is different.
Good luck
Hi I have allergies for many years and one thing I have noticed is that allergy 'load' makes a difference. If you have multiple allergies it can become a bit like the 'straw which breaks the camel's back' syndrome. The straw doesn't break the camel's back it is the total load and the straw is just the last thing added...
It is good that you have a referral for him to a hospital which deals with allergies and asthma. But I agree with SimpleSimon that minimising the amount of dust mite he is exposed too is helpful. If his immune system is constanyly struggling and then he has a blast of pollen (which has been high) he has a double whammy which is harder for his body to cope with.
I have found various, reliable websites useful for information on allergies. Allergy UK and Action Against Allergy are charities which have on-line websites and information. Allergy UK has a helpline. The Healthy House has good information and is a family run business which sells products. They are slightly expensive to buy from but helpful (you can get most products elsewhere). My son is in his 30s and was recently diagnosed with dust mite allergy. I told him to take it step by step. First dust mite free protective bedding. You spend a lot of hours in bed breathing in dust mites. First a cover for the pillow which is antiallergen. You can buy reasonable cost ones from many outlest these days e.g. Dunelm at a reasonable price. Then protective mattress cover and duvet cover.
My son has taken up their carpets and replaced them with tiles but I know that can be a lot of money if budgets are tight and can cause a lot of dust in the air while it is done. So a good (not expensive) hepa filter hoover lowerss the load. Hepa air filters at night help too, I've found. You'll find the 3 websites I mention helpful.
Minimising the allergens he is exposed to and the right treatment should help. You may find he eventually grows out of some of his allergies too.
So hard to get good advice, but he has a caring mum and there is a lot more information about allergies and asthma out there. It isn't easy though. All the best to you both.
Thank you - I’ll do some googling tonight on anti allergy bedding.
Have they checked how allergic he his IGE blood test gives them an accurate idea of how bad he is antihistamines are ok to a point but he needs a full co-ordinated response Preston has a special team that covers all the relevant specialisms in one go so you’re not bouncing around different hospitals doctors etc ask about it as they are all connected in some way
Ok great thank you - Preston isn’t too far so I’ll investigate.
Please also ring the Asthma UK nurses they are great - treatment and the the understanding of asthma has moved on a lot in the past few years and unfortunately some doctors have a auto response to just give drugs when it could be simple change in diet furniture bedding antihistamine or some of the very new treatments that have been released recently but it needs to be coordinated because something may work such as the anti allergy bedding but if you’re on the wrong antihistamine you may never know
Just so you know i suffer from excess mucus too and I was put on a saline nebuliser for a month it worked wonders for me a new specialist sorted it for me but my gp had never heard of it before it may not any good for your child but it’s more about showing you there are alternatives so just keep pushing pester power does work
Thank you so much - this is really interesting to hear and it’s often the feeling I get that more could be done. I will press on!! What’s the name of the consultant who put you on the nebuliser out of interest?
Dr Southerland in Leeds
Hi Katslacey
Just to add to the previous post, you can reach the Asthma UK helpline on 0300 222 5800 (M-F, 9-5).
Hope that helps,
Dita
Hey there! As adults we can take such decisions for ourselves, it is a little bit more tricky when you have to take them for your child, but knowing that I was in the exact same position as your kid for at least 15 or 20 years (I'm 26 now), I can't keep quiet. After changing antihistamines about twenty times, I finally came across a combination spray - antihistamines and corticosteroids. I am saying again, at the age of 24 I could take that decision for myself - add one more CS to the inhaler I was already on, but for what it's worth, maybe you could discuss that option with your doctor. Hope it helps the poor kid, sneezing while wheezing and suffocating is one of the worst things about it.
P.s. I don't have hey fever, I have chronic rhinitis, am allergic to animals, pollen, dust and a lot of other things. Majority of my life I couldn't use my nose at all because it was always stuffed but all of this has left me with the firm belief that when you find the right antihistamines (in my case a combination), things really change. Good luck 
Help please.
