15 month old - 'probably asthma' - advice please x

Hello everyone. Just a bit of background. My daughter will be 15 months next week.

When she was 2/3/4 months old (Feb/March Apr time), over that period of time she had very noisy breathing. She was eventually given antibiotics and that cleared it up.

She was symptom free until Oct/Nov last year. Since then I've had her back to the Dr's no less than 6 times. She's been given antibiotics lots, also a ventolin inhaler (been told to use when can hear noisy breathing). Over that time we've been told it's likely asthma, and to use the inhalers and the antibiotics. She's had 5 courses (now 6), of antibiotics since November!

Today I took her back to the GP as she is the worst she's been. She was up all night coughing and trying to get her breath. The GP checked her over, asked a few questions about eczema (which we have), and her dad (he has asthma), and says that he doesn't think it is a chest infection, but in fact is just a cold that a triggered an asthmatic episode.

He has upped her dosage of Ventolin and given her another inhaler Salbutamol (are they the same?), and also a short course of Prednisalone (sorry not sure how to spell it!). Also put her on amoxycillin (again!).

I have to take her back next week, and then he said depending on how she is after these treatments we would discuss diagnosing her with asthma, and then talk about preventative medication for her.

I feel awful. But I am scared about it all. What is an asthmatic episode? What's the difference between that and an actual asthma attack? Last night she was really struggling for breath. I gave her the Ventolin inhaler, 6 puffs over about 10 mins and had her in the steamy bathroom with me, and her breathing did ease. Was that an attack? Should I have been taking her to the hospital?

I'm really worried, and scared and confused about everything.

Claire x

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It's all really confusing in the beginning, and not to mention very mentally draining too.

From what I can gather you little one has ha a cold which goes to the chest and creates, what my doctor has said is a,

Viral wheeze, and gives the symptoms of asthma. I use sabutamol on my daughter, if she begins tugging at her neck and,

Gets recession of the chest that's when I know she needs to see a doctor. Im sorry that what I have said may not be of much use.

But good luck fingers crossed for you

X x x

[Thomass_mum]

We have been told when our son is bad to give two puffs, wait 2 mins, then give 2 puffs repeated up to 10 puffs of ventolin/salbutamol and if no improvement we should take him to hospital. It is scary and even now after 8 months of uncontrolled asthma it still scares the life out of me!

Jenny.