Asthma - Info Please

[doodles]

Can somebody please point me in the right direction for info on asthma in children. There seems to be so much info available online but I want some really down to earth and basic info without all the scary info that pops up when you search the topic.

[hermanmunster]

Hi Doodles, what sort of thing are you looking for ?

patient.co.uk has plenty of useful stuff - put asthma in search.

[Sherbetlemon]

Useful stuff here, and you can phone or email an asthma nurse with specific queries.

http://www.asthma.org.uk/

[doodles]

[quote="hermanmunster"]Hi Doodles, what sort of thing are you looking for ?

Probably just somebody to tell me it's all going to be ok! All the stuff I've found on line is a bit incomprehensible and scary.

DS2 been coughing at night for a while and getting a bit wheezy every now and then nothing too dramatic - he had an asthmatic incident last winter and was given an inhaler and we have been using that - now it's finished and we went to Drs today and have come away with brown inhaler and a blue one. Have to do peak flows for a week and then go back.

Really trust Dr - and he did say it may be asthma or viral and that's why they want to see him next week - so that's not the problem just it was all bit of a shock as he is really strong sportsman and can run like the wind, play rugby, football and can run forever! Not what I was expecting - just expecting another "incident" or a virus I think.

[hermanmunster]

Hi Doodles

there are loads of sportsmen with asthma - or "hyperactive airways" - Now is a REALLY bad time of the year - lots of allergic asthma with tree grot AKA fungus and moulds - people wheezing all over the place. Seen LOADS - most fine - rarely need extra treatment.

The diary thing is to see if there is a diurnal pattern also a response to the inhalers. Brown and blue is right course of treatment, partic if using blue more than few times this week. Lots "grow out of it" ... never need inhalers after a while - some only need them at certain times of the year. Some of my colleagues could do with them ..... irritating coughs from all over the building ...

Think lots of kids were put down as "viral" when in fact they were wheezing from mild asthma and treating them is better as they can get running and joining in whereas the persistent wheeze may have stopped them in the past. I remember a schoolfriend really gasping for breath when they only used blue inhalers - TBH if the condition is managed then they should hardly need the blue these days.

[doodles]

Thanks Herman, just what I needed - sensible info I can understand.

Interesting about time of year as he has been worse when it is damp and grotty. Was fine all through the snowy weather but a bit of damp and we are off!

[Just1-2go]

My son (year 5) is asthmatic, he is fine most of the time, but suffers more in Feb/march when I think Birch pollen is his problem and when he has a viral infection. At these times he really struggles with sudden changes in temperature or humidity i.e going from cold outside to warm inside, particularly the hairdressers (probably combination of heat/damp/chemicals), this tends to make him do that annoying repetitive cough rather than wheeze. We manage it with a brown inhaler but we do use the blue one in occasional waves, if that makes sense.

Incidentally he is in the cross country club and is running an inter-schools race tomorrow, I know the initial diagnosis is scary but with care it is a condition that can be managed and really doesn't stop them being the children they should be.

[doodles]

Thanks - I think we may be in the "seasonal" category (though I am a mere beginner). Suppose just got to wait and see what happens.

[Sherbetlemon]

Doodles - my daughter loves sport of any sort and is a very keen athlete, competing regularly for her school and club. She went through a bad patch when her asthma wasn't very well controlled and she was constantly fatigued and often wheezy, but after a paediatric referral and a thorough overhaul of her medication, she is the exuberant, tiggerish person that nature intended again. The doctor has been very sympathetic to her need to run flat out at any opportunity and has given us plenty of advice, particularly for the difficult winter months (she has been advised to use her blue inhaler before training or races, for example).

Keep on top of it and I'm sure your son will be able to lead his life as normal.

[Looking for help]

My son was diagnosed out of the blue at 18....he is a very keen sportsman and has always managed to run really fast, play football really well etc etc, it came out of the blue after a very bad cough refused to clear up after antibiotics. He still plays all his sport and manages to keep everything under control with his inhalers even while under my radar at university.

My daughter on the other hand has had episodes since a small baby, some of which have been pretty scary, and I'm finding it very difficult to get it through her daft brain that just because nothing too bad has happened for a year or so, taking the brown inhaler is incredibly important, she is 16 and obviously knows more than her mother . Her asthma appears to be seasonal and early summer pollen related.

The most important thing is to take the preventative, and so keep everything under control.