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[LuvOrlando]

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[MousekaMaddi]

oh noooooooo, sending all good thoughts for easy breathing for both of u!! I know nada about it but wanted to send u a hug

 

[mommasita]

I have no experience with this. But I do want to send out hugs and prayers...Happy Belated Birthday as well..

 

[safetymom]

I would keep him home and call the doctor. Asthma is scary. You can watch someone go from breathing fine to barely breathing in minutes.

Sending prayers to all of you.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Well, today is my birthday and what was supposed to be a great day turned terrifying early today when my son had a terrible Asthma Attack.

He's been coughing here and there but since this is that time of year for flare-ups I sort of took it in stride. I had him at his Asthma Dr's Wed to be tested for allergens and he seemed fine, even to his Dr.

Well, this AM we all woke up and I heard him coughing a little but not enough to alarm me. I hopped in the shower and by them time I got out he sounded scary bad. He had taken his Proventil (rescue inhaler) and Advair (new maintainence inhaler) while I was in the shower but when I got out he sounded off the charts.

DH went into the shower and I dressed all the while listening to him, knowing the Proventil should kick in any second. BUT instead he sounded like he was getting worse. He was losing the ability to speak and kept making odd raspy noises. I brought him into the bathroom to breathe in steam and became more and more alarmed as time moved on... his voice was getting softer and weirder with each minute. I was terrified but couldn't cry because upsetting an Asthmatic makes everything worse. Shaking, I brought him to the window to breathe in the cold air (to you non Asthma familiar folks the cold/hot air method can help calm airways). Then I checked his peakflow the red zone. I figured his Proventil must not be working so he got a dose of the new inhaler Ventilin that his DR JUST gave me. The new dose worked marginally and he began to improve SLOWLY as we went back and forth from window to steam. I called the Dr and he gave me a regimen to follow (Proventil every 4 hrs and Advair every 8rs) but I am still so very scared.

I can't tell you how terrified I was that I was going to lose him right then in my shower and burst into tears as soon as he went downstairs.... still rasping but seemingly stable. I am so afraid of this disease, its horrible for me to watch my child suffocate and feel so helpless... I HATE it. Of course, just then DH showed up to tell me DS's fine, which I think is his way of being supportive(he does deflection/distraction well), but it just makes me feel like he's in denial.

All daytoday , every-time we get close to the new dose time he starts dropping fast. He's had trouble with steps and with fast walking.

I desperately want him to stay home tomorrow but don't want to keep him out of school. I am so afraid he will miss symptoms or not report trouble. His peak-flows are all int the yellow, no more red... but there is no green either. I just don't trust the situation

I don't know what I should do? I am just sick over what to do tomorrow. What are the thoughts of the people here?


OK, I'm kicking DH out of my bed so I can be with DS to watch him.

To me it sounds like your son was having a fairly severe asthma attack. I'm surprised you weren't advised to go to the ER. He belonged there to be evaluated and treated, and his asthma plan may need to be revised. There's no way they can do all that over the phone. If it's severe enough, you can call 911 because paramedics have stronger medication on board should he need it right away (sounds like he did).

I bolded your text and am showing you this article to help you recognize these signs as emergent should they happen again. You can also lift his shirt and look at his chest. If you see the outline of his ribs and collarbones when he breathes he is likely using accessory muscles to breathe and that's another sign it's serious.

http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZE2O8XA7C&sub_cat=19

Here's my advice to you. I would launch a study to learn all I could about asthma in children. (ETA I like this website.) I would visit our pediatrician for the sole purpose of re-evaluating his disease and developing "asthma prevention" and "emergency action" plans in light of this episode. I would also have discussions with the school nurse and your son's teacher who can keep an eye on your son while he's at school and make them part of the plan.

I know how scary this is. I worked in a pediatric ER for several years and recently my own 10yo son has begun having asthma-like symptoms during allergy season and when he has a cold. I sent him to school with his inhaler last week and he kept it in his backpack all day and never brought it to the nurse like he was supposed to. I'd had a conversation with the nurse about it in the fall but that episode had passed. So I sent in notes to his teacher, the nurse and the gym teacher explaining his issues (which are thankfully very mild right now as he has a cold) so everyone was on the same page about it. His teacher sent him to the nurse for his inhaler before gym which was great. I'm working to teach him to take these steps on his own but he's shy and doesn't want to call attention to himself, you know how it is. Luckily there's another boy in his class who also uses an inhaler so they walked together to the nurse's office. I explained in my note to the teachers what to look for in my son to know if he's having difficulty and may need to see the nurse for his inhaler (coughing, basically). School nurses deal with this regularly so they know what to do should more than an inhaler be needed.

Good luck to you and your son.

 

[goldcupmom]

I totally understand your fear. My middle child, DS18 was that way when he was little. Still is just as asthmatic, but not as scary now.

Do you have a nebulizer machine? The inhalers they sometimes don't really get all the meds in a dose - especially when they aren't breathing right. Not sure how old your DS is, but I would let a Dr. know and ask if you can get a nebulizer machine. They tend to work miracles when the inhalers don't. We did the advair, proventil & ventolin as well. but using a nebulizer instead of the proventil really made a difference. Also adding a singulair(oral tablet) really helped in the long run.

Good Luck & prayers sent up for you both!!

 

[Mackey Mouse]

I do not have any experience with this myself, but I did have a friend whose daughter had asthma and she was always using the nebulizer and going to the hospital.. I know it must be so scary and you were so brave doing all that you did, I think I would have called 911 or driven to the ER... I am a chicken when it comes to my kids not breathing properly..

Hugs and Happy Birthday.....hope he's doing better and continues to do so..

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[zumbergc]

Don't forget about going to the ER when he is having severe difficulty in breathing. With my brother growing up, and my husband both having asthma. I've made many a trip to the ER for not breathing.

When they get the weezing going, and they aren't able to get a breath of air, or if there breathing becomes really labored, time for the ER.

When you get the to ER, generally w/ an asthma attack, you are sent to the front of the line, triage right away and sent back. My husband generally gets one of those breathing treatments to open up his airways. I think its a steroid. I think taking a trip to the ER is better than being worried your child airways are going to completely close at home. Bring your rescue inhalers to use on the way!

Lots of hugs for the stressful time.
Connie

 

[Trish Bessette]

My prayers are with you and your sweet son. Never feel bad about keeping him out of school, thank god you are able to! Happy Birthday to you son!

 

[JessicaR]

Although many feel the inhalers are just as good if not better my practical experience is that the nebulizer opens up my son much more efficiently. Again could just be a person to person difference. What you described would have sent us to the ER. Not all allergy/immunologists and pulmonologists are created equally so, it cant hurt to get a second opinion and see if two doctors concur on his prophylactic and emergency plans.

Ventolin and Proventil inhalers are the same. Same drug same dosing. They are both brand names for albuterol. That in itself raises a red flag that both were taken at the time of the attack. ADVAIR should not be used for relief of sudden asthma symptoms.

I hear ya about the nuttiness prednisone can cause but I'll take that over not breathing any day. It sounds like he could have used a course initially when the attack started. The thing with asthma is once it progresses to a certain point it takes more meds, time and effort to get it under control. A shot of adrenaline at the ER maybe also.

Peak flow every day and chart it. We are able to for-see a problem before it even starts based on that alone.

How about Singulair?

Happy Birthday!

I hope he is feeling MUCH better by now! So scary when they are having a problem breathing.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[WHIT1]

I too have asthma and its triggers is chemicals and smells. Especially bleach. So you can imagine my terror when I went to the hospital and they use bleach. Had a bad asthama attack also. But I am doing very well since my son bought me the air purifier it makes a big difference. It is very expensive but has kept my asthma under control. I even have small ones I use in my br and I travel with one at all time. The air in your house does matter no matter how much you clean.What about the household chemicals you use could they also be triggering his asthma. I noticed I have become allergic to everything.
Going to the chiropractor and the dentist office they red flag me cause I have an attack because they use candles and arometherapy. Just a thought.I feel your pain and helplessness.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[lovemygoofy]

I"m just now getting to this thread, sorry it's late. The nebulizer is his best friend during an attack. Keep it plugged or at least out of the box at all times in the same location and have the meds near the machine. I keep my mouthpiece in a ziploc bag attached to the cord right at my machine.

I don't know what kind of nebulizer meds he has but I use xopenex and it doesn't make you jumpy or wired up but works great. I would use the machine every 3-4 hours during a bad attack and keep the regimine up after the attack had settled.

Also, make sure that the steam doesn't worsen his asthma as it makes me cough even more. Does he still have his tonsils? I found that my tonsils were constantly infected and caused a sinus infection which was constantly dripping down and making a chest infection and always coughing. Once my tonils were gone(at 25 years old) I saw a big difference.

Also in a pinch, make a strong cup of coffee and cut it with hot chocolate or something sweet that he will drink. The coffee will act as a stimulate for his bronchial tubes and loosen any mucus in the tubes. While he is drinking his coffee, have him breathe with counts. Inhale count 2 or 3 beats exhale and keep it constant. It should relax him and his tubes enough to let more air pass.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[Mackey Mouse]

I am so glad to hear he is doing better... do come by and give us updates and post whenever.. I think giving support to others in need is a great way to start the day...

 

[minniemomof3]

LuvOrlando,

When I read your post, it reminds me of what I would go though with my son.

He's was diagnosed with severe asthma at age 1. My son had pneumonia twice, partially collapsed lung all by the age of 1 before he was officially diagnosed. He's almost 4 now, although he still has the asthma, it's much more under control.

My son takes singulair daily and we us a nublizer at the first sign of an attack. If he has a severe attack and not resonding to his meds then I rush him to ER or call an ambulance, this was on the advice of his pediatrician.

The best thing to do is recognize his triggers and start treatment right away. Our pediatician advised us to put my son on the nublizer at the first sign of a cold ( which is one of biggest triggers). We don't even wait for the coughing to start, as soon as he starts sniffling we start treatment and we keep him on the nebulizer 4 times a day during his cold. These preventative measures have worked great for us.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I know first hand how scary it is watching your child stuggling to breathe.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[minniemomof3]

That's encouraging news. I am also hoping my son outgrows this.