(I’m not an asthmatic myself so I’m kind of learning everything still at the moment so please bear with me, any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed!!) Hiya everyone, I’m a little bit desperate for some help with our 4 year old daughter please?! I’m completely aware they don’t usually diagnose asthma so young and don’t really call it asthma but she was basically diagnosed at 1 and they kind of told us she had it so obvious that they kind of had to diagnose it at that stage whereas they usually don’t. Anyway, fast forward to now she basically just has a constant cough all year round that just never goes, but worsens at this time of year and seasonally. The past few weeks have been absolute hell, she has coughed so much and suffered with all kinds of other asthma symptoms it’s literally heartbreaking I’ve not slept from just worrying about her, she’s not sleeping at all as the coughs keeping her awake and the medication she’s on just doesn’t seem to be helping us to keep it controlled or help when she’s having an attack. She was on clenil and ventolin with montelukast, these haven’t been helping whereas they had before so our GP trialed atrovent which also hasn’t particularly helped. We visited the DR today as she’s under their complex case needs due to all of this and other things and has now been put on serevent accuhaler in the hopes that this will work and has been referred for X-rays also as they cannot understand why nothing really seems to be helping. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Also can anyone recommend anything to help with the cough other than the medication that I’ve mentioned above especially when it comes to bedtime and sleeping! I feel so helpless and feel like I’ve tried everything I possibly can with just no luck! Thank you in advance and for taking the time to read ❤️ xx
I’ve obviously not included all information here in depth about how bad she can get, etc but if you need that info to be able to help I’m more than happy to explain just didn’t want to ramble too much 😂
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MrsC1997
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She sounds v like my youngest grandson.he used to cough so much,he would vomit.he had some reduced immunity too.hes just 5 now but has been on inhalers frm being v young.he gets frequent tonsillutis,ear infections etc.he seems to have mine/ his dad's allergies.following last emergency hospital admisson,was given a v gd asthma plan .he had montelukast with little effect whn younger but was recently given 4mg montelukast at nt,and it's been a game changer so it's on repeat prescription.sometimes with spacer they breathe in+ out too shallow+fast.ive taught him how to breathe it in deeply,& hold b4 exhaling, for better absorption.dont be scared of following her plan,& giving more salbutamol,more often if she needs it.asthma nurses at gp surgery r usually gd with young children.be aware,after salbutamol,they can cough more,as airways widen & the mucous asthma produces can move up but usually settles.he has sips of drinks too whn coughing,to keep throat moist+ often add a linctus in.hes on brown steroid puffer, blue salbutamol puffer, montelukast at night. The steroid puffer is to be used usually am + pm( helps reduce inflammation),blue one( ventolin/salbutamol) is bronchodilater = widens & relaxes airways + u will have instructions for dosage. He often goes up to 6puffs 4hrly whn bad.correct technique is essential x
Oh really?! Poor little soul, it’s so heartbreaking isn’t it :(?! You mentioned ear infections, she also constantly has these too! I think we have spent half of her life at drs appointment or at the ENT department with ear infections or for some other ear problem. She’s been hospitalised with mastoiditis also where they just haven’t listened to us in the past it was after this hospital admission that our gp surgery started taking us a bit more seriously, we’ve often questioned the link between the two. It does make you wonder doesn’t it? It’s so hard as I’ve followed the plan given and we’ve also had days where we’ve maxed out the amount of puffs we can give her with little to no relief leading to hospital trips for help etc which is why I think the gp is questioning as to why conventional treatment isn’t working. The atrovent didn’t help at all and she had the newest pump for the first time last night (the serevent accuhaler) and she brought up a load of mucus through the night which seemed to give her a bit of relief as such, I’ve tried to research if this is a usual response but cannot find anything! They do sound very similar in cases though, thank you so much for your response and advice! X
it s such a shame.my grandson wilts whn ill,but is a little trooper.unless hes worn out with breathing probs,he keeps playing,doing his normal stuff.whn airways are inflamed,they do produce excess mucous.the blue puffer dilates the airways,which allows the mucous to come up - little ones struggle to expectorate.hes often sick + its all mucous hes swallowed.hes had steroids at times - they're strong antiinflammatories.perhaps that's what she may require when asthmas bad.as said, montelukast 4mg frm 4yr old has been a game changer.he still has flare ups but prompt use of action plan is reducing the severity .Hope she soon gets help she needs xxx
Hi I absolutely understand how awful the nights can be and the worry when it's a small child. I used to hold my son in an almost sitting position through the night during bad times. Also I had a boiling kettle in the room for steam which seemed to help, used Vicks, put a couple of bricks under foot end of bed to raise it. .......and this was in very dry North Africa where their winter is like English summer. Back in England when he was 6 I read about dust mites being worse from November so cleaned like a demon. Of course I now know there are many different allergies/triggers. Mine is mould (and wear a mask when gardengardening & shifting damp leaves).
There's a lot more knowledge now and little masks on spacers but this ridiculous notion of not diagnosing asthma in babies & small children is a real pain so at least you're getting decent care. I went through it all again with first grandchild so my daughter has learnt more than I ever did when young (more from me than medics). The whole thing is a massive learning curve.
I dont mean to alarm you however, there are other lung issues & GPs are really know it little about many things including asthma but not much about other lung possibilities.
I'd be wanting a referral to somewhere like The Royal Brompton for proper investigation, x-rays dont always show much unlike a CT scan.
For professional guidance please do ring the helpline during uk office hours on 0300 555 2800. Very best wishes to you for your child. P
LysistrataAdministratorCommunity Ambassador in reply to peege
Hi, please be careful about suggesting steam and Vicks. They might help some people with asthma but both can also be triggers.
MrsC1997, this sounds really stressful for you and a horrible time for your daughter! I agree with Peege that asking for a referral to a specialist might be the next step at this point.
I also would definitely give the asthma nurses on here a call, as they can talk through everything and suggest things to discuss with your GP: 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp 07378 606 728 Monday-Friday 0915-5pm
Hiya, thank you for your response! We have found that Vicks can sometimes be a trigger, but can other times help so it’s already something we tend to avoid.
It’s just really hard to just be child and to keep up with her friends when the cough and asthma is holding her back so just trying my hardest to get the correct help now, which hasn’t been easy so far haha! Thank you, I definitely think this will be our next step and is very good advice.
Oh okay, I wasn’t aware I could call anyone. Can I just call and ask for advice/help is that what it’s for? Thank you so much, will definitely be giving them a call!
Sorry not to reply before! It sounds really hard - I don't have children but I imagine it must be awful trying to help and it really seems like you're doing absolutely everything you can! And yes awful for her not to be able to just enjoy being a child and play with her friends.
Yes, the helpline is asthma nurses who you can talk to about what's going on and they can make suggestions. Obviously there are limits as they aren't seeing your daughter and don't have her notes, but they can advise on possibilities and what to discuss with the GP, referrals, practical things too. I think some people just find it a massive relief to be able to talk it through with someone who knows about asthma. I know I have for myself when I've been struggling and not got anywhere with doctors - sometimes it was just a helpful sanity check!
It’s just so hard, and just don’t know what the correct thing to do is! I don’t know if some things that I do are being triggers, or if it’s helping it’s so difficult! I just want to be able to help and take it away! We have been thinking about getting a humidifier for her bedroom, do you think this would help? We do use Vicks, which does sometimes help. Yes we’ve done all the bed raising, I clean like a mad woman we’ve got rid of all pets due to any potential allergens I just feel like I’m at a loss of knowing what to do next, it’s so hard isn’t it?!
It’s awful that you basically have to teach yourself isn’t it! Hubby (her dad) has asthma but he never really remembers his mum nor her remember having this struggle with controlling it! So I am just literally just teaching myself and constantly reading up about anything and everything I can, but feel as though this is something gps/healthcare professionals should be supporting caregivers with.
Oh okay, I wasn’t aware of this. Will most definitely bring it up with gp on our next visit and ask about getting ct scan rather than X-ray, no harm in asking is there?
Thank you so much for your response and advice, I really appreciate it!
Hi MrsC, I so understand, it's hard enough as an adult to get the correct diagnosis , help and support. There was next to nothing in Libya 40 Years ago hence trying Vicks (which I should have added before & I probably wouldn't advise anyone with allergies to use now. It's probably made from petrochemical base like vaseline) .....we could only be prescribed Becotide preventer (a beige one) and Ventolin rescue inhaler (blue one & fast acting) at the time. Luckily William was cooperative & learnt to use inhalers. It was a long time before I worked out that he could have a puff of the Ventolin BEFORE going for a run around, without it it'd be game over within 5 minutes. I recall other mums looking at me askance when I asked if they could stop him running around if he started coughing. People just don't understand unless they've experienced it.
Breathing in cold air seems to be a trigger for many asthmatics. Many of us wear a Buff (amazon, mountain warehouse et al). A Buff is a neck warmer that you can pull up over your mouth & nose in cold air, they come in child sizes. I bought one for granddaughter, it helped loads . Also breathing though the nose is preferable to mouth breathing (if at all possible), cold air gets a little chance to warm up through nasal passages before it hits the lower airways. Extra childhood vitamins could help her immune system fight bugs plus all the hand hygiene they all learnt during the pandemic is another weapon against bugs.
I don't know about a humidifier . Personally I got huge relief when staying in a place that had hot air heating plus underfloor heating. I'd put my face over it when coughing attacksattac occurred. As Lysistrata says, what suits one may not suit another. How is she in a steamy bathroom?
A lot of adults swear by air purifiers, the Dyson is excellent but quite an investment.
You're doing everything you can to make your daughter more comfortable, it's trial and error and this giant learning curve. Do give the helpline nurse a call, they're amazing . You could just read out your original post as it was very good. 9-5 Mon-Fri P ××
I have been doing very badly with my asthma the last month or so.
I think it is weather related and being indoors.
My asthma hates cold air, damp and dust.
So going outside a scarf over the mouth is essential for me. Air purifiers in the house help a lot. Next step is dehumidifiers. A general declutter helped.
I would be looking at your child's asthma triggers.
If your child is trigerred by dust and she has lots of cuddly toys, then her asthma will be really bad at night time.
I would experiment by having your child sleep in a total decluttered, throughly clean room, with a hepa air purifier in it and see if that helps.
I had severe asthma as a young child, my daughter is less severe. In both of us it was triggered by allergies to such things as dust mites, feathers, animals, pollen etc - the usual suspects. I was brought up in a very old, dusty house with ancient furnishings, pet birds and a cat and was in & out of hospital. With my daughter, we went for wipe-clean blinds, washable rugs, leather sofas, synthetic bedding, and no pets! Have a look on allergyuk.org where various products are reviewed and there’s a lot of information. I’m pleased to say her asthma is now (age 9, ie five years after diagnosis) very mild & well controlled. She has a steroid preventer inhaler but hardly ever needs her blue one, except for running about on very cold days.
I’m pleased others have recommended you phone the helpline. They’re so informative and lovely, and if you need more than one chat that’s fine.
I would without question get her referred to a specialist hospital. For my own asthma I go to the Brompton and the difference between that and my local general is amazing, although the latter do their best. The first thing you need is confirmation of her diagnosis, especially as there seem to be unusual aspects to her condition.
Btw my daughter has been discharged by the asthma consultant & is well managed by our gp.
Excellent advice above, you could also try Benylin cough medicine - diluted in warm water - helps to soothe the cough and release mucus. It was one of the staples that got me through a severely asthmatic childhood.
Hi. Im a retired paediatric nurse my advice to you is get an fast track appointment from your Gp to a paediatric respiratory consultant. If your child is working hard and becoming tired with cough and wheeze ring ambulance or don't wait go to A&E. I feel the pandemic made us a see to yourself nation. Its not acceptable with a child. Be a nuisance this is your baby. Needs to be stable. They will or should do allergy tests, allegies to can be an issue too. Paediatric simple linctus in warm water may help ease cough. It basically coats the irritated throat. Good luck. ♥️
HI, as above please be careful about recommending things like Vicks and other home remedies to other people with asthma. They can be a trigger for some people, even if they are ok for you and some others. MrsC1997 is already aware of how Vicks is for her daughter, but others reading this may try it and it's not always safe.
Regarding the cough I find warm drinks help, sitting up instead of lying down at night, totally understand this is a tricky one for a 4yr old so maybe pillows. I can’t have really cold things such as iced drinks, ice cream as I find they make me cough so much so maybe worth seeing if that helps and also I have to have 2 puffs of ventolin every 4 hrs when I’m like that but that is something that you should discuss with the asthma nurse/ Doctor. Also be aware of perfumes/ deodorants, basically strong smelling things as that can be a trigger and makes me 10x worse when I’m already coughing.
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