Newly Diagnosed - Help!!

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the late hour but we have just got back from the hospital (again) after my 3 yr old son suffered a prolonged bout of that really scary choking coughing. We also spent most of the night awake with him and even though we have the ventolin and preventative medication we are really struggling to get his symptoms under control.

He was diagnosed with asthma last week and although the doctor was happy to dole out the medication we received no advice whatsoever. The worse thing about this condition is seeing your child in such distress and it's hard to keep your own emotions under control when they're suffering and you're exhausted.

Anyway, I was really just looking for any tips or hints you can give me to try and control this condition. I shall go out tomorrow and get the pillow and mattress protectors and I've removed all cuddly toys from his bedroom. Is there anything else I can do? Even with the medication he's still coughing day & night, how long does it normally take to work?

By the way, Happy Mothers Day to you all!!

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The preventor inhalers can take a few weeks to get maximum benefit, has your son been given prednisilone tablets? These work more quickly and are stronger but have more side effects, they often give them in a flare up of asthma. They usually work within 24 hours to help the inflammation in the lungs go down.

It is very scarey to watch your child struggle for breath but you do become more us eto it in time and more aware of the danger signs. Sometimes my son has seemed very ill with coughing and looked awful but his chest has not been too bad.

Other tips are damp dusting the house every day, watching out for cats etc.

My son is badly affected by colds so we increase his inhalers every time he has a sniffle. If he is wheezy we give him up to 5 puffs of his inhaler, 2 never seems enough!

Hope this helps, Becky