Daughter in intensive care

My daughter has just turned 13 and she has had asthma all her life. For the last 9 years she has been under a consultant and although shes had many attacks they have been mild and managed by the gp or a&e with a few nebs and steroids. However in Aug 2013 she had an attack that landed her in hospital and since then shes been admitted 44 times! It is exhausting but she never got to the point she needed intravenous medication unitl about 5 weeks ago when shenhad an attack that was off the scale. She stabilised in hospital but after being in there for a day and a half she suddenly crashed and her blood gasses were at 15 for co2. She went blind and disorientated and it was incredibly frightening. She was on 50% oxygen via an airvo machine pumping warm o2 into her, iv hydrocotrizone, salbutamol and in the end it was the iv magnesium that stabilised her. She was moved to Intensive care but recovered quickly. 5 days after discharge the school called an ambulance and she was rushed to resus and admitted back onto the high dependency unit on iv's again. 7 days after discharge shes back in and then 4 days after discharge (shes still in hospital now) she is back on then iv's and I am at my wits end. I have had asthma all my life and Maria has has too but it seems shes just getting worse and worse. On the last admission she was stretched to hourly nebs and steroids. Then 12 hours later on the ward under the care of the consultant she deteriorated and didn't respond to back to back nebs and I just don't understand why or how its gotten so bad and so frequent. Is this normal in brittle asthmatics? we have had 44 admissions in 18 months and the last 3 out of 4 have required critical care. Please someone tell me this will get better!!!

[twinkly29]

Sounds horrendous

Your poor daughter. Not to mention terrifying for you.

Is she under the care of a specialist? Does she have follow up appointments post admission?

Is she on high level meds normally? Ie more than blue and brown inhalers?

[yaf_user681_15459]

Oh crikey you must be going through hell, sounds awful and so very scary.

Sending you my thoughts and love. Thinking of Maria and you and wishing her a very speedy recovery. X

[Hidden]

Thankyou both! Over the last 2 years she has been on Seretide, Oxysis 12 turbohaler, alvesco, Symbocort turbohaler, montelukast, 10 mg of pred every day and shes now on this new seteroid one called relvar. Shes using that one with the alvesco (ciclesinide) and the montelukast since June and she stayed out of hospital over the summer but shes now been increased to double the strength of the relvar (its so new even her consultant who is head of paediatrics and the resp team) had to look up the dosage! Shes now on 30mg pred dropping by 5mg every week til we are back down to 10mg per day.

But we got her CT scan appt yesterday and shes booked in for the 2nd of March so hopefully that will shed some light but Im so scared she will have scarring on her lungs which is irreversible. Its a nightmare but shes on a normal ward now and coming home later fingers crossed!!

[twinkly29]

Hope she has continued to improve and is home or home soon.

All I can suggest is taking things very easy and not going back to school next week if sshe isn't a lot stronger. I've struggled and been readmitted several times since having pneumonia in October and my peak flows have been bad ever since, which I'm sure is partly why it keeps going wrong. It all just gets too much.

[cici73]

I'm so sorry you and Maria have been going through this (hugs)

Sounds a nightmare, you're both in my thoughts and my prayers.

[twinkly29]

How are things? x

[Hidden]

Awful for your daughter and your to watch. Hope things improve. Thoughts with you both. Xx

[angievere]

Just seen this thread. So sorry for you and your daughter. Hope things have improved. xx

[Asthma-girl]

I've only just seen this.

What an awful time for you all, such a worry.

I hope your daughter has improved.