What is your experience with child asthma diagnosis?

[kroberts]

I am researching for the asthma UK child diagnosis web pages. I'd like to know what your experiences have been with getting your child diagnosed. It would be great to know what the process was like for you and what tips you might give other parents going through that process...

Thanks!

[Chip_y2kuk]

TERRIBLE..

my little girl had a chest infection when she was little (maybe 12 months ish)

When she got a cold she would end up with a cough that lasted for weeks

Even when she was 6-9 months old running around she was huffing and puffing (and I said more than once she's asthmatic)

At 12-18 months old she went to bed one night with a snotty nose and woke me up trying to cry and breathe, we had a blue inhaler for her (just incase that the doctor had given us when she had a chest infection) we tried to give her that and she wouldn't take it so we called 999 and to be fair the ambulance was at the door by the time the woman said " the ambulance is on its way" ... they came in and said she was wheezing everywhere and she *needed* a nebuliser .... but we still had to go to hospital

We got to paediatric A and E and the doctor wasn't listening at all she said to me she's got a snotty nose and I said yes I'm not bothered about that she's got some sort of virus it was the fact she couldn't breathe or cry ... and the doctor was actually quite rude and dismissive (maybe a little stressed ) however a few of the nurses had heard her with a croupy cough and insisted the doctor prescribe a shot of prednisolone... she told us we would have to stay in A and E and that she had been called away so we would have to wait now until she came back

When she came back she was like a different person (she had read the paramedics hand over and assessment paperwork) and said we did everything right she's had a lot of prednisolone and a fair whack of salbutamol for an adult never mind a child so small and there was no infection and the airways where clear .... and sent us on our way

We went back again months later for the same issue each time we asked about her being asthmatic and where told the same thing over and over they don't diagnose asthma in under X years (the ages varied from 3 to 5)

We visited the doctor and told them what was going on and got told the same thing ... they don't diagnose asthma in under X year olds

We became real pain's in the asses and the GP referred us to the "asthma nurse" (I think just to get us out of her hair) and the asthma nurse listened and said I'm going to prescribe you a brown inhaler, just for a month and I want to see you back here in 4 weeks and keep an eye out for changes in your daughter.... the difference was amazing

She wasn't houghing and puffing when chasing round the house

She didn't get knocked for 10 when she got sick

We had a big list in a notebook we took to this asthma review

The asthma nurse said "based on what you've said" I'm happy to diagnose her with asthma, unless you don't want me to... I said if we don't diagnose her now will we be having this conversation again in 6 months time? ... she said yes probably

My daughter was diagnosed before she was 2 ... but when I say we fought tooth and nail for that we really did ... im sure the gp said " not you again" when we went in once

Shes since been put on a stronger inhaler (clenil 100 that's not normally prescribed to children so young) ... but she tolerates it well and the whole process is "easier" now she's down as an asthmatic ... we go in and say her asthma is playing up and we've tried X,y and z and before it gets anyworse we are here (which doesn't happen often now) and they normally give her prednisolone for a few days

Shes now 5 years old

[Clairebear35]

My daughter used to be very symptomatic from a very young age but the doctors refused to diagnose her until she was 5, apparently they don’t/ or at least didn’t back then diagnose asthma under the age of 5. She’s 17 now and hasn’t been symptomatic for years and not needed any inhalers for years either.