My daughter is turning 3 soon she was diagnosed with asthma well over a year ago and was just looking some advice and to hear what other people thought..
When this time off year comes around (cold weather) my daughter's asthma completely flares up.. she's definitely worse at night I've been to the doctor and they have up'd her blue inhaler to 10 puffs a day and her brown inhaler to 10 puffs a day and has also put her on the granules to take at night time.. im basically getting no sleep at night due to worrying incase I don't hear her (even tho I always do) some nights she is great and only coughs sometimes and other nights she is up coughing to the point she is being sick and not breathing right.. I have gas heating and it seems to be when I've the heating on just before or when she's in bed she seems to be really bad and goes into an attack.. is this possible ? Could the gas heating be causing it to flare up? Im so lost like I've said some nights are okay and some nights are terrible. I have anxiety my body goes into overdrive and I can't sleep at all with worry.. I've tried steaming the room, keeping her up right on her pillows when she's sleeping, extra layers/no layers. I have. A review app Tomarrow with the doc should I mention the gas?
Any tips or advice is really appreciated thank you! P.s. sorry for baffling on so much lol 😂
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Sorry to hear that your daughters struggling so much atm.
Night symptoms are a pain and very frustrating/tiring, however it’s normally when asthma symptoms will be worst, so it’s probably just a sign of poorly controlled asthma, rather than an issue with the heating! What is she like with the heating during the day? And is her bedroom next to the boiler (as that’s where the gas will be 😅)? Also have to tried turning off the heating at night? I know my asthma reacts to cold and temp changes in general, but I find sleeping in a hot room in winter can be difficult (to the point where sometimes I have to layer up but open the window!). When’s she’s coughing badly how do you treat it, and does it completely resolve the issue? Is there ever an audible wheeze?
I’m assuming you use a ‘baby’ monitor so you can hear any issues easily, if not it’s definitely worth digging one out! You need to be able to sleep otherwise you’re health will suffer and you may get so tired that you don’t hear an issue... trust yourself and your instincts, and sleep when you can. It must be very worrying, but hopefully some other parents to young children with asthma will have some mechanisms to help deal with the stress.
If she’s still struggling at night despite increased dosage of her blue and brown inhaler, and montelukast (the granuals I’m assuming) then I guess the GP will either give you more medications to try (they may decide to see it a short course of steroids will help etc) or will suggest referral to a resp specialist for an accurate diagnosis and medication review (due to her age asthma can be difficult to diagnose and manage).
I hope that helps and that the appt goes well tomorrow
That’s rotten news about your girl, and I do hope that you’re able to get things under control. Asthma is always worse at night, and no one really knows why this is so. And asthma is very often seasonal or exacerbated by changes in temperature, so what you’re describing is pretty normal. Try to keep your home, and especially your girl’s bedroom at an even temperature, but try not to let it get stuffy. Open the window a bit if it’s practical. Encourage your daughter to sleep propped up in bed, rather than lie completely flat. Ask for an appointment with the Asthma Nurse, get her to check your daughter’s inhaler technique, and to confirm that you have the best type of inhaler and spacer suitable for a young child. Give Asthma UK a call. The nurses there are experts, and will give you much more time than the GP. Wash and change the bedding frequently, and swap feather pillows or duvets for ones with a man-made filling. Don’t be afraid to call 999 if things get bad and the blue inhaler doesn’t improve the situation. As for the gas heating, it’s not very likely, but if your at all concerned then why not get it checked and serviced? If nothing else it’ll give you peace of mind. I’ve had asthma from childhood, and can remember many long sleepless nights in the time before inhalers were invented. I know exactly how it feels. Things are so much better now, and with a bit of expert help your daughter will get on top of this, and get on with being a happy and lively young lady. But definitely ring Asthma UK for starters. Good luck!
Just a few tips:
1) If you have radiators on in her room, turn them off before she goes to bed.
2) Make sure all radiators in the house have been thoroughly dusted down between the fans (radiators can be very effective dust traps) and between the radiator and the wall they’re against. If you don’t have one already, radiator brushes can be obtained from DIY stores and I always dampen mine before I dust with it to prevent the dust flying everywhere and relocating. If your radiators are dusty then when they are on the dust in them will circulate around the room along with the warmth.
3) when your daughter gets up in the morning, throw back the bedclothes, hump the pillows up to form an arch, towel down the windows if there if is any condensation on them (mould resulting from condensation is a very common trigger for asthmatics) and then open them for an hour at least if at all possible (obviously shut them if you are going out) and air out her room thoroughly. I do this every day, even if it’s subzero outside and did it with my son too. The room will have warmed up again by the time she goes to bed, particularly if you do have the radiators on in there, or you open the door to allow warmth from the rest of the house to get in. I actually don’t ever have the radiators on in my bedroom at all, and leave the door open in the afternoon to allow warmth from the rest of the house to take the chill off. This last bit works for me, but it’s not always the case. It may well depend on the house, location, etc, not forgetting of course that asthma varies from one sufferer to another so what works for one will not necessarily work for another.
4) Do not store things under her bed. Again, these can become very efficient dust traps and they will also prevent air from circulating around her bed. When you hoover beneath her bed, make sure you hoover the top of any skirting board (again, good for collecting dust).
5). Ideally you do not want carpet in her bedroom. Hard flooring is much easier to keep dust free.
6). This last one I’ve never done (I don’t think it was current when my kids were small), but I have seen it recommended in the past few years. If she has a favourite soft toy that she takes to bed put it in a clean container and stick it in the freezer for a while (I’m never sure how long for, could someone please advise). Soft toys can attract dust mites; putting the toy in the freezer for a while kills helps to reduce numbers. Asthma U.K. website may have more information on this.
It’s difficult, I know. My younger son was diagnosed with asthma when he was three and a half, and was eventually given a steroid inhaler shortly before his fourth birthday after four emergency appointments/call outs in four months. This was twenty years ago when there were fewer options for small ones (and he was small for his age). He ended up on steroid tablets too - several times - before he went on the steroid inhaler; the little pink pills my elder son called them:-). They certainly worked. Twenty four hours later and one very sick child had turned into one that was running everywhere; basically they made him hyperactive. The only advantage we had was that being asthmatic myself (and also having developed it aged three) I already had a lot of experience of the condition.
As Emma says above, if you have a baby monitor, use it and trust it - if only for your peace of mind. It’s important that you get enough sleep too. Believe me, you’ll hear her if she starts to struggle during the night. My mother did with me (when there were no baby monitors) and I did with my children - even with the one who was not asthmatic and was not in the room next to ours.
Hope things improve.
I would advise you to get your daughter tested for allergies, blood test for igE response is best test, skin prick test is not accurate.
If she is allergic to house dust mites to is possible to de mite her bedroom but its hard work. No carpets, no cuddly toys, no soft furnishings and all bedding must be anti mite bedding.
it is important to understand that she will not be allergic to dust, it is the mites that cause the problems.
I think you need to get your own anxiety under control. Children pick up these things no matter how you try to hide it, so your worrying will make her worry too and that will make her symptoms worse. I do know this is easier said than done. Have a good talk to your GP or the nurse at asthmauk and get some reassurance.
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