Asthma symptoms

[Kate1111]

Hello, My son who is nearly 3 has suppected asthma. For the last 10 days he has been stirring in the early hours and struggling with his breathing and is very congested. I am heavily pregnant and find I’m not sleeping well because I’m aware of his noisy breathing. I sit up with him sometimes until it settles. He also gets short of breath during the day especially in the evening. Is anyone suffering with asthma at the moment, particularly with hay fever? What suggestions do you have to help releave the symptoms especially at night?

[Yatzy]

I’m sorry to hear your little boy is having breathing problems. His symptoms sound like my 5 yr old grandsons. He’s got a Ventolin inhaler, to be used four times a day, and his breathing is gradually improving. Does your son have any medication to help him. Be careful about noisy breathing, sounds like asthma and does need medical attention. It can get worse very suddenly.

[Kate1111 in reply to Yatzy]

Thanks for your reply. I’m sorry to hear your grandson has simplistically symptoms. Yes my son is taking lots of medication. He having two puffs of the brown inhaler morning and evening, montelukast granules and anti histimine and also a nasal spray. I think he’s worse at the moment because of hay fever and maybe he’s getting a cold too.

[Yatzy]

That sounds as though he has plenty of medication to try and help him. When you said suspected asthma, I wondered whether he was yet on regular medication. I agree that maybe hay fever or a cold is exacerbating things at the moment, but as always, your doctor or asthma consultant is the one to confirm that. I do hope your little boy improves soon. You’ve so much excitement and maybe concern to cope with just now. Wishing you the very very best with your son and your new baby 💕🌸

[Kate1111 in reply to Yatzy]

Thanks very much Yatzy,

Yes lots to think about at the moment 😊 We are putting vinyl flooring in the bedrooms to hopefully help my sons breathing at night. I think they don’t properly diagnose asthma to when children are older. He is seeing a consultant and is on all the asthma medication!

I hope your grandson improves soon too.

[Minushabens]

Hi there

One of the really important (but very difficult) things about managing asthma is to understand the triggers. You are quite right to identify pollen as a potential issue, but it could be all manner of things. Classic triggers are dust mites, animals, flowers, perfumes, smoke (cigarettes I'm sure are well clear of you, but things like candles can be a problem)...there's plenty to go at!

Take some time to look around your house & see what could be a problem. I know some people who will regularly turn their mattresses & beat them, then hoover them because the dead skin that ends up there makes a great food source for a variety of microscopic bugs.

It's a big learning curve managing a child with asthma but you will start to notice if certain things, activities or places set him off.

[Kate1111]

Thank you. That’s a good point to think of other triggers. I do hover his mattress once a week. Also I hope getting rid of the old carpet and putting vinyl down will help in his room. I’ve also written a diary for the last year to try and identify triggers. He certainly seems worse in the living room and in the winter there is slight damp smell. That will be our next project! I think it have to be done after baby arrives though.

It certainly is a big learning curve managing a child with especially as he is so young. I have plenty of sleepless nights. Thanks for your suggestions.

[Minushabens in reply to Kate1111]

Without wishing to be over-dramatic, you do need to be very careful with damp. I'm sure you know, but it's full of Aspergillus spores which are not just a common trigger but can cause long-term damage to compromised lungs. If that's even a bit of an issue in your house, I'd be looking to get rid as soon as practical.

[christina1947]

Hi Kate 1111 I wouldn’t hesitate with a 3 year old get professional advise take care xxx

[Kate1111]

We have had a damp specialist to have look at the room and he found no damp. So it’s a bit of mystery. We hope to get the carpet changed to floor boards.

I’ve certainly taken him to the doctors a lot to get advice. Although he seems fine in the day

[HowNowWhatNow]

My daughter’s pre-asthma (as I call it, for want of a clearer term) also got worse about a month ago. It was particularly bad mid-May too. I live in London and her breathing getting worse ties into poorer air quality (I receive warning text messages when it is about to happen), too.

As others have said, what are your child’s triggers? My daughter’s are viral illnesses, mainly tonsilitis. But she also had bad asthma this time last year without viruses being in evidence. I wonder if seasonal weather changes / hay fever play a part.

My daughter has just had her blood tested to see whether she has any minor immune dysfunction / allergies. Has your son had that? She was about to go onto montelukast and the consultant ordered these tests first.

And are you under an asthma clinic, with asthma nurses you can call as and when?

Are you giving your son any puffs of the blue inhaler during the night?

[HowNowWhatNow]

Lots of questions! Sounds as if you are really on top of your son’s condition, and yet it is really playing up.

Did your GP listen to his chest, to check for infection?

You must be exhausted, if you are heavily pregnant.

Hope your son’s health is improving.