Need Help with Asthma

Hi S.,

My now 9 year old daughter Piage was also very asthmatic growing up. Requiring a nebulizer w/albuterol twice daily and an inhaler also. As she has gotten older she has outgrown some of the more severe symptoms, she now can go 6 - 8 months without an attack. I will always tell everyone to find a Doctor that makes you feel comfortable, if you are not comfortable about their treatment of your child it is time to move on. I do not live in your area, I wish you lived in Orlando because Dr. Carr's practice at Pediatrics Plus is fabulous. I have always loved his office & they have never reffered me to a specialist. They have always told me that she does not need one & they have done a fantastic job in keeping her healthy. We did have to do lengthy question and answer sessions. Like do I have more carpet than tile. Is my house dust free, how often do I let her over heat, like running outside when it gets to being 101 in the shade. So I would discuss his treatment with a pediatrician that you find and are comfortable with and see if you can find if he has an inviromental trigger that maybe you can get a handle on. Drugs are not always a bad thing though, none of us like seeing our kids on them, but I would rather see them healthy on them, than unhealthy off them.

On another note, you have alot on your plate, Mom of 2, single, working, going to school. I just wanted to say way to go & hope all works out for you.

God Bless and I will be praying for you.

S.,
I am sorry you and your boy are going through this, my son was in the hospital two weeks ago with pneumonia too, it is sooo sad to see them in that condition. He had to take lots of antibiotics, even 10 days after he came from the hospital and the aerosol and steroids treatments, they are the fashion this days (I hate it). asthma is so common this days, it is just sad, at least my son hasn't been diagnosed with that , this is his second bout of pneumonia in three years and I think it has to do with us moving into an apartment with a very nasty carpet, the last time was the same. Nothing happened while we were living in a house with wood floors and tiles.

I also used products without harmful chemical's, they can be very hard on people with asthma, you should check, like chlorine, ammonia, lysol, etc. can infest the air inside your house. Go to http://www.saferforyourhome.com and let me know if you would like to try something like that and I will help you get them. There are many people that have seen great changes in their health by switching to these kind of products in their daily life and this is a good time to start since your kids are little, don't let it get out of hand. I would find another doctor too, I hate medicaments and try to keep my family healthy so that I don't have to take them but sometimes you do need them. Please email me if you need to talk, I am not in your area, sorry. ____@____.com and my web site www.friendsenhancinglives.com good luck and I hope it end up not been asthma, I hate that illness. J.

I would start with getting a second opinion. 1) you didn't like the Dr. to begin with and 2) As commin as it is, asthma is nothing to mess around with.
Next, keep an open mind about the meds. If a second opinion recommends them, then go with it. I have 2 friends who have had young children with asthma and have both had to go on the daily nebulizer treatments. The one has been doing them for about 1 1/2 years and has been able to cut back to just during cold and flu season. The other is a bit older and has basically grown out of the need for daily inhaler treatments.From what I've been told, these are low dose steroids, but keeps the asthma in check. These treatments are especially necessary during cold and flu season, when they are most likely to have a flare-up of the asthma.
I understand hating to have your child on any kind of medication long-term (especially something like steroids). But as much as you fear the damage any steroids may be doing to your son, imagine the damage that's being done to his body by not being able to breathe properly.
I also speak from experience of having asthma myself for the last 7 years. It is terrifying to have an attack (which only exacerbates the attack). And even as adult, I've many times underestimated the severity of my attack (having found this out after ER staff asked why I waited so long to get to the ER). A 2 year old has no way of telling you the severity of his breathing problems and you may not know until he is in a full-blown attack. The meds will help prevent this from ever happening.
As far as figuring out the source, I would see an allergist and have him tested to figure out what if he has any allergen triggers. These could be environment, diet, weather, etc.
Here are some things I have learned as a lifelong allergy and adult asthma sufferer:
If it is allergy triggered you can help elminate triggers by:
1) Keeping you home as dust free as possible. dust and dustmites are one of the biggest triggers out there.
2) Buy hypoallergenic pillow, mattress and comforter cover.
3) Use blinds instead of drapes.
4) Hard floors instead of carpets.
5) When cleaning with strong chemicals, have him out of the house (or away from where you are cleaning).
6) No pets that shed or have dander (there are some dogs that do not have this issue and don't bother allergy sufferers - ask your dr.).
7) Use fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, soaps, shampoos, lotions and laundry detergents.
8) No smoking around the child or in the house.
9) During high pollen season (you can find the pollen rate in your area on www.pollen.com) keep the A/C on.
10) Try to avoid overheating in the summer and in the winter, try to stay warm.
11) If you have mold or mildew get it cleaned up asap. These are also major triggers for many people.

I know firsthand, how difficult it can be to live with asthma. But if gotten under control your son can have a perfectly normal, healthy childhood. In the past, I have made several trips to the ER b/c of asthma attacks, but with the help of low doses of medication and following some of the suggestions above , I really don't have a problem with it very often anymore. I am basically off of the medication (with the exception of the rescue inhaler when I flare-up), I excercise, Ikept my cat, and I live in excrutiatinglu hot S. FL. all without any attacks for nearly 2 years.
I hope this helps. Good luck.

I have mild asthma not severe. However, if I get upset or do a lot of physical activity it does get bad sometimes. Anyway I was diagnosed before they had Singulair, and was started out on just an inhailer as needed. Later on I had some problems after an auto accident and they added on a few other inhalers and the daily inhaled steriods. The stough was nasty, and I couldn't get myself into the habit of taking it everyday. I did not like using it at all. Eventually I got back down to the one albuteral inhaler two puffs once a day and as needed. That suited me fine and I did well. Remember also that if he has issues with attacks during physical activities like running, make sure he uses the inhaler about 1/2 hour prior. I was waiting until I had attacks during long runs and then taking it. Later another person with asthma warned me to do it before hand because the medicine speeds up your heart rate and while running your heart rate is already quite high, so it's not good for your heart. Ever since I just take it 1/2 hour before running or whatever and I'm ussually fine. Don't use the Asthma as an excuse to keep him inactive either. The more he stays active the better his body will be at dealing with it. Just don't over do it. After he gets older he will know his body better and have a better understanding of what he can handle. One other thing, asthma doesn't really go away except in some rare cases. It does often improve with age, but not always. I hope that is helpful. Good luck

Do you have animals? What kind of home do you live in? Is it carpeted, is there mold in the house. Are your children frequently exposed to sick kids? (Daycares and playgroups) These are triggers in asthma, also smoke and pollen. I used to have bad allergy related asthma and constantly had pnemonia each season change. My parents were medical so they dealt with it on there own, getting antibiotics when I had pnemonia. We had to give away the long haired cats, and kept the short haired ones. I eventually became immune to the cats, however now that I am married and living away from mom and dad I have asthma when I go home.
I think environment plays a big role when it comes to asthma. I am not sure of what you are worried about, the steriods help him breathe better. I know that keeping him active helps. But what is your objection? Other than medication. Asthma doesn't go away. I always thought of it as a way of life, needing it seldomly, but there if I did need it.
Good Luck,
Jen
Oh you can purchase air filters for your house, it sometimes helps.

Ok now I can suggest a new pediatric doctor but no specialist. But my story - my 23 month old son supposedly had a bout of ashtma a couple of months ago --steriods ihaler neubulizer etc..the whole thing I didn't like the mask in his face and the steriods etc.. it was too much-- anyway I got the name of a ped. Dr. David Mackoul and Dr. Jones its Mackoulpediatrics.com
anyway turns out my son doesn't have wheezing he said and took him off all of the treatments Dr. at ppc on Viscaya in Cape put him on! I have left that practice and have seen Dr. MacKoul and Dr. JOnes.My son has multiple food allergies and bad ecezma---------- they are helping us handle this--the asthma - so called--- isn't an issue. Call them for an appointment------------L.

Does he have a nebulizer? I know you said you were looking for drug free options, but my little girl has asthma, and her nebulizer treatments, with the albuterol seem to help her. Do you have pets? Sometimes allergies are the triggers for the asthma. You may want to see an allergist if you haven't already. They can test to see what your sons allergies may be, and if he is exposed to any of those things regularly you can work on eliminating them. I have been asthmatic all my life, and my doctor used to make me keep a journal, that helped me to notice patterns with triggers of attacks. If you hated the doctor, you definitely need a second opinion. I have dealt with a pediatrician that I just can't stand, so I have a hard time believing a word he says, so now I make a point not to see him, it saves my sanity. I hope this has been helpful, rather than rambly. Best of luck, asthma is a scary thing to have to deal with.

S.,

I don't have any suggestions about what to do about your son's asthma, but I do know that if you're uncomfortable with that physician, get your rear to someone else. A mother's instinct is usually correct. If you didn't like this doctor, there's a reason. Trust your instincts.

I'm a 24 year old mom of a 3 year old, and sounds like we'd be pretty good friends, if you didn't object to me being in Labelle. ;)

Hi S.,
My daughter is now 15months old. She was constantly getting sick massive colds and ear infections... I have a very weak immune system I'm always sick too... my mother, brother and sister are asthmatic so the doctor suspects Katie (my daughter) may be too. Shes on Singulair once a day (powder form) and I only give her the nebulyzer treatments (pulmocort & albuterol) when I see shes getting a cold ... I don't keep her on it everyday like they used to do for my brother and sister. They've also given my daughter Prednisone (sp?) which makes her cough up all the yucky stuff but thats really strong and I try to avoid it as much as possible...
I say you get a 2nd opinion and see what they advise you... try to go to a Joe Dimaggio hospital for a specialist or find the organization someone else mentioned thats for asthma...

I put my son on meds and every now and then, I say to myself, "He's been doing fine for months!! Why keep him on meds if he is fine???" So I'd take him off the meds and within a few days he'd get sick and it would last for more than a week. ... But I continued to try taking him off of the meds a couple of times a year, and eventally he was able to stay off of them. He is 9 and hasn't been on a daily preventative for over a year, but we keep an inhailer at home and at school in case he needs it. You need to contact the asthma associations (do a google search) and you can get pamphlets sent to you, or just find tips on line. There are so many things you need to do (like buy special covers for his mattress and pillows-- don't have to buy from anywhere special- Target has them) to give him the best environment possible, but don't knock the drugs if they work. Also, a Heppa airfilter for his bedroom works wonders (and the hum helps him sleep)