When to use an inhaler in cough variant asthma?

[Pumpkin222]

Hi - I'm new on here! I took my 8 year old daughter to the doctor recently about 'hayfever', mild excema and also mentioned a dry morning cough fairly regularly, coughing for weeks after a cold and one episode of increased breathing rate and a 'tight chest' whilst at a play centre. As well as getting a nasal spray for allergic rhinitis it was suggested that this could well be cough variant asthma and we were referred to the asthma nurse. We left with a flow meter, blue inhaler and a spacer. On many days she coughs but only for a few minutes in the morning and so I haven't used the inhaler. On two occasions I could see the breathing was very subtly affected and she said her chest was sore (tight) so I did use the inhaler. I have used it once at bedtime when she said her chest was tight. Today we did a 4 mile walk and about half way in she started coughing a bit and said her chest felt sore. So we gave her some puffs. But as it is all new I have been wondering whether on these occasions it would settle of its own accord, and if she coughs, even a bit, and we don't use the inhaler, whether it would cause some harm. We have been told that it can be difficult to diagnose as there is often no wheeze and no decrease in peakflow so were lead to believe that using the inhaler as a trial was the way to diagnose. She does say that her chest feels a lot better after she has used the inhaler.

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Sounds like she needs the inhalers.

[Wheezycat]

If your daughter says she feels better after the inhaler she needs them. It is a bit of trial and error but if she coughs and says her chest feels sore I wouldn’t hesitate.

[LDloveslattecoffe]

The blue inhaler is to give relief not to diagnose but it helps if you take notes of when you need to give the inhaler ie what was happening, daughters react n and whether she improved after the inhaler.

The peak flow and the graph you need to fill in is the diagnostic tool. How many times a day have they asked to do PF with your daughter? The graph you put an x where reading is and join the dots.

It's the peaks and troughs they will look for. If asthma is well controlled there are less dips and readings more level.

If she hasn't been given another inhaler then it's to be used as needed and it sounds like your daughter is telling you when.

Asthma, hayfever and eczema are linked conditions and you often find them all together in the same person.

Reading your post it sounds like your daughter has a trigger of exercise, if it happened after running and playing at nursery and on your hike. It can help your little girl to take a puff of the inhaler before the walk or running at nursery. The inhaler opens the airway so it will make it easier for her to do these things if takes before rather than after.

It also sounds like her hayfever and infections can trigger your daughters asthma.

It will be trial and error, good luck and hope she feels better soon.

[Pumpkin222 in reply to LDloveslattecoffe]

Thank you. I appreciate all your answers. One thing that has astonished me is that neither the asthma nurse or GP have actually listened to her chest. We'll keep on with what we are doing and keep on with the peak flow chart....

[Yellow75]

My asthma is more cough based, after years of experiencing the cough, I now take my inhaler when it first starts. Found that this doesn't prolong the cough episode and I don't get other symptoms. The cough is a sign that the air ways are becoming restricted. For me it's an early warning sign. My first asthma attack when I was 9 started with a barking cough.