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[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

I see you're in PA - me too - and Ragweed just started last week around here which is the one thing that causes my allergies to act up. So it could be a reaction he's having to Ragweed that's causing his most recent asthma flare up. Could be stress of school starting too. Stress can affect any disease in the body, even if the doctors say it doesn't, I believe it does.

Does your son's teacher have direct email in her classroom? If so, more for your sake than hers, I would shoot her a quick email just saying that DS has been having some asthma flare ups this week, that you just wanted to give her a heads up in case he seems to be having a reaction to something. This way she is on alert to be on the watch for anything suspicious, and you may rest easier knowing that she has a special eye on him. She may even be nice enough to email you at lunch or the end of the day with an update.

My DS has mild asthma & so far the ragweed or the stress of starting school has not bothered him. He usually gets his worst flareups with the change of seasons, when the heat kicks in at home & school. That darn wheezing cough just never lets up does it! Hang in there!

[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

I see we not only have asthmatic sons in common, we are both in the Lehigh Valley, both started school today (Saucon Valley - how about you?) & were both married in 1993 (me on 9/18)!

Small world. I also cannot believe the nurses didn't follow the doctors orders today. Let's hope they get it right tomorrow!!

[Mackey Mouse]

Hugs to you two....I do hope that they have a decent school year without the asthma attacks. I do not have anyone in my family with this but I have seen an asthma attack and it is not pretty....Please come here and talk anytime you need to and I am sure there are others on the Dis that will be joining you....it is such a horrible illness...gasping for breath.

[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

Good Mornings LuvOrlando! You are smart (smarter than me) not to put personal info online. It was late & I was just so excited to meet someone nearby! I work at the Promenade! Just part time at Yankee Candle (there I go again with the personal info whoops!) when the kids are in school. This week I'm there every day (2 people quit unexpectedly so I'm covering for them). If you're ever out & about stop by & say hello.

DS10 with the mild asthma plays sports year round but has never had an asthmatic episode while playing. I've seen a few kids though have full blown attacks & need their inhalers, yes that is a scary sight. Because his asthma is mild I don't even have a current rx for his inhaler. We just found it the other day & we still have the Aerochamber on it from when he was much smaller. I said I think we can get rid of the Aerochamber now! He does much better with his nebulizer. I'e always scheduled his nebulizer treatments around school so that I wouldn't have to deal with the school nurses to administer it. Your story makes me see that I might be justified in doing so, even if it means he skips a treatment.

Good luck today & let us know how your son's day goes!

[LuvOrlando]

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[dvcbnd]

Hi! My DH & I are asthmatic (we became asthamtic w/in the past couple of yrs) and our two sons - DS12 and DS5 are also. They were diagnosed with it since they were around 3 yrs old. My DH and DS12 have been diagnosed with environmental allergies. Every year when school starts I get the jitters, more so with my little guy. I feel like that I have to entrust their well-being with the school, teachers and the school nurse. Every year at the beginning of school, I meet with the teachers, nurse and remind the principal that they have asthma. I find that my youngest doesn't really understand when he is having a problem and this terrifies me, because then he's at the mercy of making sure that an adult notices that something is wrong.
We leave a nebulizer with xopenex in the nurse's office for our youngest and an inhaler with her for our oldest.
I constantly preach to them about how important it is for them to notify the teacher, nurse, etc. if they are having any kind of a problem! With asthma every second counts!
We also carry around a portable nebulizer everywhere we go. It comes with a carry case that looks like a camera bag. It is really quite convenient and this sets me at ease. There have been times where we have been in an amusement park and they needed to use it. I find that any kind of excitement also sets them off. We live in NYC an asthma is very prevalant here. Thank God our DD8 is asthma free!
It helps to know that you're not alone. You have all been very helpful too me also - THANK YOU!

[LuvOrlando]

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[hematite153]

OK, I just got back from the school and they again neglected to give DS his inhaler:scared1: . Once is concerning but twice is just neglectful. I didn't show how angry I am. Instead I stayed in the room and administered the inhaler myself. How on earth am I supposed to trust these people in an emergency if they can't even keep up with maintainance meds after an episode has been established. :sad2: :sad2: :sad2: :sad2: Not a great way to start off the year

Just a thought because you said that your son is now 9....

When I work at camps we tend to expect 9 year-olds to remember that they need meds. (Yes, we check with them and reinforce when needed, but they usually get pretty good and remembering for themselves after a few days.)

Perhaps you could have a discussion with your son about how dangerous asthma can be. (I suspect that he already knows this because I know how awful it can feel to fight an asthma attack. I think they are hard to experience without getting worried.) Talk to him about the schedule for his maintenance meds and why it's important for him to get them everyday. Then ask him to tell the teacher what he needs if they forget again. I would imagine that a few days of this would make everyone aware that it isn't something that can be forgotten. Yes, his classmates would likely all learn about his need as well, but asthma shouldn't have much of a stigma attached and it can't hurt for his peers to be ready to say, "I think XX needs help breathing" during an attack where he doesn't have enough oxygen to speak.

[LuvOrlando]

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[hematite153]

\What I did not consider was how helpful classmates and friends could be in case of an episode. I wonder if I could get a local Allergist to come in to talk to the kids about what allergic reactions & Asthma look like so they can tell their teacher if there is a problem?

I mostly work in high schools but we get a few students every year who have a presentation that they want to give to their teachers and classmates about medical conditions/learning issues/etc.

Usually, they started doing this in late elementary school and the quality of the material has changed a bit over time.

What is your DS like in terms of speaking in groups? Does he like surfing the net?

If he resents the asthma, then he might buy into how important the daytime maintenance meds are to keep him from needing to stop during fun times.

If he's up for the challenge of reading information (say from the lung association or the Allergy/Asthma Information Association) and putting together a brief speech for his teacher, school nurses, and peers then it might give him a sense of having control over the disease. Plus, if you can pair him with an allergist it ought to give him a sense of importance.

If he's too young yet for this suggestion, then you can keep it on the back burner for later.

Good luck getting people to listen and getting the school to remember his needs.

[TaraPA]

That's a good idea to have someone (or him) talk to the class about it. If my DS didn't have astma I'm sure he'd have no clue what it was.

Good luck today with the school - are you planning to go in - or at least call & check that he got his treatment? I'm back to YC at Promenade all day!

Let us know how day 3 goes.

[LuvOrlando]

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[dvcbnd]

I forgot to mention it in my previous post that we are using Advair. We also spoke to our doctor about the risks and was told that the risks outweigh the benefit. We have been using it for a couple of years and have had no problems.
I also find it difficult when we have an asthmatic cough and we are in public and you get those glances from people like they are afraid of catching something from you. It is more difficult with our kids when they are in school, at a party or another activity. I find myself "explaining" to everyone how they have asthma and that they're not sick. It makes me feel like I'm labelling them and I hate it! Now, we're finding that our oldest DS12 uses it as an excuse because he has such problems with asthma flare-ups when doing physical activities at times, that now he's becoming afraid to be active and the "asthma" is his crutch. Thanks for listening!

[hematite153]

It's true Tara, most people have no idea what the disease is or how it works. DS has a friend who 2 times questioned whether or not he could 'catch' Asthma from my son. I explained it to him both times but I'm still not sure he understands that the cough isn't from being sick. I try and educate everyone around DS, coaches, teachers & parents of friends...

Even adults don't seem to be able to get this.

I get so tired of the dirty looks, and muttered insults when I cough in reaction to people's perfumes, smoke, etc. Believe me, if I could avoid coughing, I would! I won't eat out in states that allow smoking in restaurants, I'll go out of my way to walk around designated smoking areas, I'll bring an air purifier to work, etc. But, I cannot control the habits of others and thus, if you smoke outside the designated area, or get in an elevator with me when you are wearing perfume, I am going to cough. It is an asthmatic reaction and I cannot control it! Urgh, I know that on this thread I am really preaching to the choir.

Thank you to those of you who are working so hard to help your children learn to live with asthma and to educate the world around them. Your work will help more people than you realize.


My DS seems to be improving. His Soccer practice yesterday went over just fine, even in the heat and humidity. Hopefully his Tae Kwon Do class this evening will be just as uneventful.

Excellent! Did he get his meds midday?

I hate that he is on the more dangerous Advair but since its for Asthmatics who are hard to control and it works well I guess the benefits outweigh the risks. Does anyone out there have a child on Advair or use it themselves? I'm curious if some people switch to less dangerous maintainance meds when Asthma season is over?

I don't know much about Advair so I can't really help.

My DSis (respiratory therapist) tells me that the ideal goal should be to figure out which meds each individual responds to best. Supposedly some maintenance meds are best for environmental asthma and others for exercise induced asthma, etc. But, every individual still responds differently. Thus, although the drugs are frequently referred to by strength they don't really work in exactly the same way.

I have definitely been known to cycle on and off of maintenance meds depending upon my reactions. However, with your DS, I'd recommend that you be careful with this approach. If you have really been able to document an allergy season for him when 95% of his reactions occur, then you probably could switch him off the Advair in other seasons. But, if only 70% of his reactions occur during this season, or if the season is tough to predict, then I suspect it would be safer to keep him on the 'stronger' drugs. Have you discussed these concerns with your new doctor?

[TaraPA]

LuvOrlando, I'm not familiar with Advair or the other med you mentioned, we have never used either. We use regular Albuterol in the nebulizer as needed.

Isn't it a shame that people don't understand that an asthmatic cough is not contagious? I feel like I'm apologizing & explaining constantly when he's in a flare-up. My DS has that awful hacking, barking cough that lasts for a week or more. He coughs so hard at night that he throws up, and gasps for breath. His teachers often send him to the nurse for it, because it is disturbing the class!

[safetymom]

I am sorry to hear about your son. A great source of information and treatment is the National Jewish Center in Denver. http://www.njc.org/

My late husband had very very bad asthma and would be hospitalized every 6 weeks or so until he found that hospital. He never had a bad episode after that. They worked miracles for him.

[MenashaCorp]

I am sorry to hear about your son. A great source of information and treatment is the National Jewish Center in Denver. http://www.njc.org/

Good information.

Without giving out too much personal information, :thumbsup2 I must applaud the OP for her responsible approach and desire to educate others. I find appalling that her former allergist was unwilling to write a simple note to help her son avoid triggers.

There is not much variability among the inhaled steroids in efficacy or patient response. Advair is more effective for many because it combines a long-acting airway muscle relaxer, which helps nighttime and exercise-induced symptoms, with the anti-inflammatory. It is very safe for the vast majority of patients. Cycling on and off controllers is not a good idea. Inflammation is present year-round. An ounce of prevention.... And no, I don't work for GSK. ;)

LuvOrlando, I would ask your new allergist about immunotherapy (allergy shots) if you haven't already, since medication only modifies symptoms, the downstream effects of the allergic and asthmatic response, whereas induction of tolerance to environmental triggers can halt or even reverse progression of asthma. Certainly would be nice to reduce any patient's medication need.

Yes, I too have asthma. It doesn't have me. :goodvibes

[ducklite]

I'm an adult asthmatic. I've been on Advair for five years now, and about three years ago added Singulair to the mix. Between the two my asthma has been controlled enough that I use a rescue inhaler maybe twice a month!

Of course I also try to avoid my triggers.

I haven't used my nebulizer since April, and then used it prophylactically--I was going to an all day outdoor rock concert--some of my my triggers are heat with direct sun and singing at the top of my lungs. :rotfl: Needless to say... :rolleyes1

I agree with the psoter who said that the important thing is to learn the triggers and figure out which preventative meds work best for you.

Anne

[LuvOrlando]

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[dvcbnd]

I am so sorry to hear about your cat. It's always a very difficult time when those type of decisions need to be made. Our pets are part of our families and therefore the loss is tremendous. We had to put our dog to sleep when our oldest DS12 was a year old. She was only 5 yrs old but had developed a cancerous brain tumor therefore there was no alternative. She was failing rapidly. My children constantly ask if we can have a pet but do to our allergies/asthma, I'm afraid to take in a new one.
We will be praying for you to get through this time of sorrow and know that we're hear for you whenever you need someone to listen.

[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

Hi LuvOrlando, it's Tara. I hadn't checked in for a few days, and I am so sorry to hear about your cat. We have a cat too, I can't imagine how you must feel. We just debated getting another one, DS's friend has 3 kittens to give away, and they are just so darn cute.

The Ragweed that started about a week ago is really bothering me (sneezing, itchy, watery eyes & throat) but fortunately it has not bothered DS at all.

[LuvOrlando]

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[GraysMom]

LuvOrlando, I'm so sorry to hear about your cat :grouphug: . We lost our first cat very suddenly when we were dealing with infertility issues. She was our "baby" and it was just awful, so I feel for you. Luckily we found our current sweetheart a few weeks later. Maybe when the time is right, you'll be able to offer a loving home to a new kitty.

I can't believe the nurse at your DS's school is not on top of maintainence meds. I taught first grade before DS was born, and I always had a post-it note taped to my desk to remind me about any kids who had meds to take (if the nurse didn't call at the right time, I would call her and check) as well as a note in the sub folder to send so and so to the nurse at x time for meds (a touchy line to walk with all the HIPPA rules, so I usually ask the parents to write a note giving me permission to put it in the folder).

Maybe you could call the school nurse about 15 min past his scheduled meds time to make sure he's gotten it (a pain for you, I know, but at least your DS will get his meds). Also, does his school have one full time nurse? I ask because the school I taught in had a nurse who split her days between our school and another one about 15 min away, leaving the secretary to dispense meds :scared1:. The whole situation just made me VERY nervous-especially when I had a student who was deathly allergic to bee stings, which left me as the next in line to administer the shot if he got stung! I hope the school gets with the program soon. If they don't, I would take my concerns to the principal, and then to the director of student services if needed.

[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

We've been to CHOP a few times too (not for asthma), what a long day that is. There was always a 90 min. wait or longer too. How ironic that your DS also suffers from nose bleeds - my DS10 does, and I had them as a child as well. About 3 years ago our family doctor suggested we have his vessels cauterized, but the specialist did not see the need for it. He still gets nosebleeds about 2-3 times a week, mostly at night.

The ragweed is pretty bad today, I know I am suffering from the sneezing and itchy & watery eyes. And YES we need rain!!!!!!!!!!

[outlander]

Luv, sorry to hear about your cat:sad1:
Do you still have other pets in your home?

[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

Hey LuvOrlando - I was just about to PM you to check out the DIS Meet for this area that I posted in another thread on the C&C Board! Everyone has very different schedules so this will be hard to get everyone together on the 1st try, but it's worth a shot. I'm at The Promenade 4-5 days a week so I can easily meet at different times as well.

How are you & your surviving kitty doing?? I hope every day gets a little better for you.

[LuvOrlando]

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[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

Good Morning LuvsOrlando!! I don't know about those 3 meds at all - BUT - when my DS started with Albuterol (or maybe it was the Albuterol/Prednisone combo) they did tell me it can cause behavior changes in children - and it DID! DS was much more aggitated while on the albuterol. I think I even remember using the word "evil" to describe him! :scared1: I haven't noticed this side effect since he's older (or either used to the meds) but that could very well be what is causing the meltdowns. That plus school starting could be doing it. My little guy, DS7 (non asthma) has been very short fused the last 2 weeks since school started, and he has always been timid & quiet, always listened to me. For the past 2 weeks he has been slamming doors, bawling his head off & throwing things when he doesn't get his way. I'm chalking it up to school starting & the shorter amount of sleep he gets because of this.

[LuvOrlando]

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[arminnie]

Does anyone out there have a child on Advair or use it themselves? I'm curious if some people switch to less dangerous maintainance meds when Asthma season is over?
I've used Advair for many years now. I don't consider it dangerous for me at all - it has the exact same meds that I took separately for many years before.

For me (and many other asthmatics) there is no asthma season - it is a year round disease that must be kept under control ALWAYS not just seasonally.

Is your son seeing a pulmonary specialist (preferably a pediatric pulmonary specialist)? I know it can mean one more doctor to add to the list, but they really do treat the long-term health of the lung itself - not just the symptoms cause by the allergies. My pulmonary doctor works very closely with my allergist.

Last year I had to use albuterol twice a day for about 6 months because of an infection. But my pulmonary doctors' goal has always been for me NOT to need the rescue inhaler very often.

Good luck with your son's treatment. Having such a caring parent helps him more than any specific doctor.

[arminnie]

I just finished reading the rest of the thread - I am so sorry about your pet loss. I can still barely talk about the loss of my first dog 14 years ago.

I am definitely a dog person (2 now), but I had to go with my sister to have a cat put down last year. It was a stray from the neighborhood that had only been around about a year - but I cried and cried over the loss of that cat.

Hugs.

[LuvOrlando]

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[outlander]

Oh luvs, I wish I would have seen this earlier! YES, YES, YES...I believe Singulair could very well be the problem. My son had the EXACT same sypmtoms when he was on it. He would just by so moody and crying all the time. I thought I was crazy but it was definitely when he was on the Singulair. I was fortunate that my doctor supported me when I mentioned it to him, otherwise I think I would have kept him on it longer and he (we) would have been miserable. He now takes Zyrtec for the seasonal allergies but he is on Flovent (similar to your Advair) YEAR ROUND. It really is important that you keep him on the maintenance meds year round. For a couple of years I would not believe that it was better for my son to be on meds all the time and every time I would try to think I knew best, he would end up in the hospital. It would work for a few months, but really even a few weeks makes a difference and to try to guess the 'seasons' and triggers that are going to effect their reaction with symptoms. It's just not worth it. Especially since you still have constant environmental triggers that are keeping his immune system in a irritated state. When you are having to use the rescue inhaler (albuterol) more than a few times a month, the asthma is not in control.
I've learned the hard way. :(

[LuvOrlando]

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[LuvOrlando]

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[outlander]

Hi Outlander,

Thank heavens my DS has never been in the hospital... that must have been absolutely horrible for you.Yeah, it's not fun. Not only because they are sick but because you (as a parent) wish there was something more you could do. Fortunately, I really feel like we have his asthma controlled better now. Hopefully he won't have to be admitted again.

Unfortunately, DS can't take any of those non-drowsy allergy formulas like Zyrtec and Alavert because they all seem to cause severe hyperactivity. He can't even take cough syrup other than Codeine for the same reason. Even caffeine in soda is banned in my home. Sadly, he is not the only one that can't tolerate these stimulants... they make me off the wall too so I guess there must be a genetic link.That's too bad, the Zyrtec has really worked for us when nothing else would. It really seems to be different than all of the others in so many ways. In fact, even though our insurance won't cover it, we still get it because it works so good. Hopefully you can find something that will work for you.

DS has missed 2 doses of Singulair but he still had an outburst just now over the fact his band instrument wasn't waiting for him when he got home and won't get it until 7:15 this evening. Yes, I know he just sounds spoiled but really this just isn't him:sad2: I can't even get mad. He had a fit on the sofa as DD was doing her home work and we just sat there open mouthed and stared at him:confused3 All I could say is "Are you feeling sick or something?":confused3

The only thing left is the Advair but I'm not sure if extreme hyperactivity is a side effect or not. I really wish the Dr would have called back but he has not yet done so:headache: so, at least for now I'm on my own:sad2: Singulair was definitely our culprit. I doubt the Advair would have such a side effect because it is very specific. It is not absorbed readily throughout the body like normal medications.

As for the rescue inhaler, he doesn't use it often, only when there is a flare up. But when there is a flare up he can be on it for a few days before he stabilizes. I can't really say whether his Asthma is under control. I'm not quite sure if it is expected to disappear under the right meds or if occasional trouble is just to be expected.It's good that he doesn't use it often. Of course flare ups will occur. There is no cure for asthma, we can only manage it. The key is to manage it well and minimize flare ups.

Here we are a few days later and DS is holding up well.

I didn't know at first but I wasn't the only person to feel the consequences of his medication. DS told me that his best friend angered him on Tuesday at soccer practice. As a result my DS actually tripped his friend:sad2: His friend got very angry and didn't talk to him for 2 days, DS was unrepentant at first. Thankfully, after the medication got out of DS's system, he realized how out of line he had been and apologized on his own. We were talking about how he could deal with the problem and he came up with the solution on his own. So they are ok now. Still, I feel so badly for DS... what a terrible burden illness is on kids. I hope he gets feeling better. It does effect everyone.

At the moment DS has quieted down. But I know this is only temporary. Within the month he will have another severe episode because all the corn around us will need to be harvested.Stay on the Advair! I can't remember if you said whether or not he still has the Accuchamber (spacer). Those are *really* helpful to get more of the medication into the lungs. Asthmatics can't fully expand their lungs during an attack anyway so getting a good dose is really hard with the inhaler alone. The spacer 'holds' the medication and allows the user to take a few good breaths instead of just one. If you don't have a nebulizer (that has really made a difference for us too) then you at least need a spacer. We need to give these guys the best chance we can for them to get the medication they need. Especially during an attack.


I hope everything goes well!

[PoohnPglet]

Hello - another asthmatic with a child that has asthma here! (I only scanned the last page of posts so I am sorry if I repeat anything.)

My asthma was undiagnosed as a child. I think mainly because while I do wheeze when I have an attack it is mostly coughing. My doctor always just said I had a cold and sent me home. When I was a pre-teen/teen, most of my symptoms slowly just ebbed away until I was symptom free. Until I was 29 and had a really bad case of pneumonia. Since then, my asthma is back like it never left. The doctor said that it does happen that asthma will go into "remission" only to come back due to a particularly bad respiratory illness. Now I take Advair and use an albuterol rescue inhaler when necessary.

My son was diagnosed by the time he was 3 after 2 hospital stays. He was put on Singulair, Flovent and Flonase (no Advair yet although he did go on that at about 10ish), with the occasional round of steroid treatments as well as a nebulizer and a rescue inhaler. (I don't care what anyone says, a nebulizers delivers the albuterol better than any inhaler.) My son did have trouble during the changing of the seasons with allergies, but his big danger was catching any kind of cold/resp infection. They would almost always lead to a trip to the hospital with a case of pneumonia.

I had some very scary times over the years dealing with peoples ignorance. Like the school nurse when he was in 3rd grade refusing to give him his inhaler because he wasn't struggling enough to use it. I asked her what she meant by that and she said that most kids waited to come to get their inhalers until they were coughing and breathless and that my son wanted his when he was just wheezing. I was like what? And my son's doctor called up the principal and ask if she needed to come to the school to educate them about asthma and how denying meds could be life threatening? (Anyway, I digress)

My son is now 17 and the only meds he takes now are over the counter Claritin-D when the pollens are high. We keep a rescue inhaler on hand, but I had to toss out the last one of his in a never opened box because it was 3 months expired. (My symptoms are active so we do have reliable ones on hand!) He plays sports, skates, surfs and doesn't have any problems. (Although he is still ticked that he cannot go to the Air Force Academy because of his asthma.) I suppose I do have to worry that there is the potential his can come back, so I have really focused on him being as healthy as I can - eating fruits and veggies, watching fats and sugars, taking vitamins, drinking plenty of water etc...

So, I guess I just wanted to tell you to hang in there, stay vigilant and if your doctor is not your partner in this find another one!


(Wow - long post! Sorry!)

[LuvOrlando]

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[PoohnPglet]

Thank you both Outlander and PoohnPglet for your responses. Sometimes the weight of dealing with Asthma can be isolating. It's nice to hear from other people who've had the same experiences with the stubbornly ignorant that I have had to endure.

Outlander, I wouldn't dream of letting DS go without any medication at all. At this time he is only taking Advair but I'm sure he will need another round of the messy stuff in a few weeks when I won't be able to avoid it. I guess the best I can hope for is that Soccer season will be over by that time. We do have an Aerochamber Max and a Nebulizer. It seems as though the nebulizer exaggerates his hyperactivity issues and brings them to a head more quickly. As a result of the fact that the Aerochamber seems to work just fine I tend to avoid the Nebulizer in all but the most serious of circumstances.

PoohnPglet, it never ocurred to me that having Asthma might prohibit my DS from doing whatever he wanted to do. I didn't know that Asthma would prevent DS from choosing the Armed Forces if he wanted to join as an adult. Just out of curiosity, are Asthmatics prohibited from all the Armed Forces or just the Air Force?

He has been told the Armed Forces as a whole. We haven't asked in a while, so the answer might be different now that they have changed some of the recruitment standards.

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Just wanted to let the Dis know there is a panel of experts coming together 11/4 that will address asthma (both pediatric & adult) they are going to have a Q&A session for all the experts.
PM me is you would like the address, time & place.

[LuvOrlando]

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[outlander]

Just wanted to let the Dis know there is a panel of experts coming together 11/4 that will address asthma (both pediatric & adult) they are going to have a Q&A session for all the experts.
PM me is you would like the address, time & place.
That sounds interesting.

How are things going luv?

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Yes, Neverenoughwdw I'm very interested.

PM me & I will be happy to forward you the flyer

[LuvOrlando]

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[TaraPA]

Hey LuvOrlando - I haven't been around for awhile but I wanted to pop in & say hi - and glad to hear your DS is doing ok these days. Now if we could just get a good frost to kill the ragweed.....hahahahaha...ready for another 85 degree sweltering & humid day today?????

[LuvOrlando]

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[Whosemom]

Hey Luv,
you might remember reading and responding about my dollbaby who has thyroid problems. Well, she also has what they call cough varient asthma.It took 8 months of her coughing until she threw up everynight to get it diagnosed. Part of the problem was that the hormones that "regulate" the disease go up at night, so the doc never heard her cough. THe other is, she never wheezes. But, like you mentioned, an incident can go on for a very long time. In her case, a couple of weeks can pass where she is all over that inhaler every day. We had, along with a pp, a school nurse deny her her medicine because she wasn't bad enough. Hello! It happened last spring, and I didn't know about it until school was out, so we had quite the heart-to-heart this fall, as you might imagine. :scared1:

So anyway, she's on your list...advair, singulair, xopenx/pulmicort for the nebulizer, but an albuterol inhaler away from home. She also takes allegra or benidryl, depending on if she is stuffy or just maintaining. Add the thyroid med to that and she feels like a little old lady with her line up of meds on the table! She does ok with these, but let me tell ya! THey had her on clariton before the allegra and she just cried and cried and cried.

Advair has changed her life. Before it, she was starting to dread being anywhere quiet, because we could never keep her asthma under control and she coughed that terrible cough and kids had said stuff to her. Now she's MOSTLY ok. You can tell if she misses her advair.

We also took her off singulair for a very brief time last spring. after 7 days we had the "cough til you barf" and a lovely thin coating of mucus on her lamitnate floor had me on my butt when I went up to take care of her (:lmao: slide whistle effect here. Even she laughed at that one.) When the first thing your kid says after throwing up is "I'm ok - its just mucus, not real barf" thats a sad thing.

You do have one blessing in knowing his triggers. We have been utterly unable to pinpoint Pinkie's. We're starting to think stress may be her main trigger. Her last couple of incidents started when I've been away. And we usually have a flair up on vacations. Not things she would SAY were stressful, but probably they are.

One other thing we notice that may be a bit of a warning to you. If she has off the chart behavior, generally a day or two later we are treating a full blown asthma. (Except now we get to try to factor in that thyroid med changes can trigger some wild behavior too.) Our incidents may be different than yours, as its never an emergency of the go-to-the-er type. More of a drawn out unpleasantness.

Anyway, hang in there sister, we're all in this together!!! :grouphug: