does is seem my son has asthma ?

[dawnuk]

hi I was told to trial my son on a blue inhaler as coughs all year. But I am not really getting much info on if he has asthma etc as it’s been 18 days and not getting much guidance with it all. He is 8 and 132cm tall … I’m not fully understanding what the graph is telling me and how bad it is etc

[dawnuk]

written readings

Readings over a couple of weeks

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Hi,

Well, he's not reached his green zone at any point, and some of the readings show that the blue inhaler has given him some reversibility (the cutoff from memory is about 12-15% improvement, which some readings do have eg 210-250 is about 19% and 200-240 is 20%.

You might want to have a chat with the asthma nurses on here: 0300 222 5800 M-F 9-5, or there's a WhatsApp if you want to share these images with the nurses - 07378 606728. They can advise more and also suggest next steps eg he might need to trial a preventer medication.

Was he shown how to do peak flow properly, and how to take his inhaler properly, ideally with a spacer? It's not hard once you get the hang of it, but you do need to be shown how.

If you scroll down to the bottom of this page there's a video on how to take a peak flow reading: asthma.org.uk/advice/manage...

This post also has more information about peak flow: healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

These pages are about how to use his inhaler:

asthma.org.uk/advice/inhale...

asthma.org.uk/advice/inhale...

[dawnuk in reply to Lysistrata]

I used the WhatsApp but it just keeps asking me to select a number of issue and I do and it keeps going back over the same thing of pick a number. I put the number in and it keeps asking me again.

No no one has showed us a thing I have just used YouTube to work out he has to do it. A and e said they don’t know if he has asthma but will trial the blue inhaler as he has a cough which is all year round. His breathing went very bad one night so I took him in. Since that we have been left

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to dawnuk]

Hmm they really should have shown you more, but A&E doesn't tend to have asthma nurses sadly so it can be pot luck if they're able to discuss what to do - there's a lot of variety in how much many drs/nurses are trained on asthma. Does your surgery have an asthma nurse or helpful GP he could see, particularly since he's needed A&E?

I would try the helpline if you can and select the option to speak to the nurses. They are lovely and very helpful, and they can advise on how to share the graph of his readings if they'd find it helpful to see.

I'm not a medical professional of any kind and can't diagnose, but if his cough is worse at night that's often a sign in children particularly of asthma. Asthma is often quite variable during the day and it tends to be around more at night/early morning in particular. I was diagnosed that way aged 7: a persistent cough especially at night led to a GP visit, she knew about asthma and said oh the cough is classic, especially once she heard it and learned there was a family history. Though no family history doesn't mean he can't have it, a family history just makes it more likely.

It may also be worth thinking about what makes him worse - for example, what happened just before he needed A&E, what had he been doing or been around? It may not be obvious but it can be helpful to try and notice if he seems worse for example when it's cold, or at someone's house with a dog etc.

[dawnuk in reply to Lysistrata]

re done the whole chart and it has lowered this time it seems his range? No idea why as details was the same put in. His issues I find are loud breathing, coughs generally day and night summer and winter . But so far since inhaler I’m not really noticing coughing

The night I took him to a and e. He had chocolate not long before bed. Aside from that nothing unusual to normal

X

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to dawnuk]

Oh for his sake I hope he doesn't have a problem with chocolate, that would be a bit rubbish! But honestly the chocolate may be totally unrelated, especially if he's had it other times and been ok. It can be hard to work out triggers as they can build up and not always be immediate, but you can start noticing patterns so it's worth noting when he seems better/worse, maybe in the app you're using if it allows that. Then you can show a Dr/nurse if you get in to see them and also discuss with the helpline nurses if you call.

If the inhaler helps his coughing that does suggest asthma is more likely. I would keep pushing for an appointment with the GP - perhaps point out again that he's needed A&E. If he does have asthma he shouldn't just be relying on the reliever inhaler all the time. If he does have it, he would need a preventer medication as well to address the underlying inflammation in his lungs - then ideally he wouldn't need to use the blue one much.

Oh and just in case this comes up as it unfortunately seems too common as a misunderstanding at times even from medical professionals: you do not need to have a wheeze to have asthma. Especially if he's feeling ok at the doctor's but even if he isn't, a wheeze can be there but it isn't essential and not all asthmatics wheeze.

[AppleOrchard in reply to Lysistrata]

You’re so right - my son doesn’t have a wheeze and neither do I. It’s a cough for us both.

OP - I’d definitely call the Asthma and Lung helpline. They have been incredibly helpful for us. They can help you get what you need and direct you to resources that will help too.

I call them and they say what they think and then I call my GP. It’s an invaluable resource.

My son coughs when he’s h g an attack and it’s usually all night long. And first thing in the morning too. But during the day, it’s a bit better. Luckily, it’s all under control right now.

[dawnuk]

we used a spacer and pretty sure we are doing it right.. does it seem he has asthma? Or not seeing as readings don’t improve much on the blue inhaler?

[floating_]

Has he been seen by his GP?

[dawnuk in reply to floating_]

struggling to even get in. Got a appointment then it got cancelled due to dr being ill also it seems very hard to get face to face too

[dawnuk]

dr just rang me back and they said going by his height his levels are good. So they don’t feel he has asthma. So said to come off inhaler each day and he can still have it if and when I feel he needs it but they feel any issues he has is probably a ent thing as I question about his heavy breathing it’s more louder than normal. He snores and snorts in sleep so they think maybe adenoids and tonsils are causing issue if anything. They said the graph I sent makes it look he has issues but they said going by numbers his readings are good. So I will see what asthma nurse says when they ring back as I used that number you gave x

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to dawnuk]

Yes definitely worth seeing what the asthma nurses here say when they call back, hope you find them helpful. He might not have asthma of course, and there might be other reasons for the cough - he could also have ENT problems alongside asthma. But they shouldn't really say that he doesn't have asthma because 'his numbers are good for his height' without taking other things into account like how the cough behaves, his history, how he's responded to the blue inhaler etc. Predicted peak flow is just an average - some people will be higher or lower for their height and age but they can still have asthma. The pattern is if anything more important than the raw numbers, as it needs to be considered in relation to what someone's best is and how they respond to the reliever.

I hope whether he has asthma or not, you find a solution so he can stop coughing and feel better, including hopefully getting the ENT issues sorted.

[ChrissieMons]

I think we can sometimes have too much information. I never understand charts and all that stuff. If it's just a cough, he may grow out of it - my daughter did. If the blue inhaler helps, that's great! The important thing is not to worry too much - they've asked you to see how it goes so trust your instincts to see how he is coping. He needs a calm, confident mum!

[dawnuk]

my sons levels seem to be dropping . He said he feels he is getting a cold. But not sure if he should be dropping to low levels like he is

Drop in levels

[dawnuk]

his levels have gone poor

.