First time with nebulizer

[connie254]

My DS has autism and now Dx'ed with asthma. I feel fairly certain that we will need to take the nebulizer into the parks.
Is it possible for first aid to hold it for me? If not, I would need to give him a treatment somewhere with an outlet and fairly quiet. I know the parks fairly well but can't come up with an area that would work. Maybe a companion restroom, but last visit, they were always occupied no matter where we went.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I would imagine you could go to the first aid center or use any electrical outlet in the park. I'm not sure why you need it to be quiet. All of my kids have asthma - ds was only two when he was diagnosed. We always used the nebulizer in the room in the am/pm and carried their inhaler/spacers in the parks. Most doctors don't use nebs anymore and use the inhalers only.

 

[sookie]

Talk to your doctor about a spacer and inhaler like a previous poster said. You can get a spacer with mask if needed.

 

[mistysue]

I didn't know this until I looked, but my doctor set us up to rent a nebulizer... well for $50 I went online and bought one. I was going to be renting for $20 a month! Anyways they aren't as expensive as you may expect and you can buy portable ones with battery backup designed to work more quickly. Especially if you expect to have it a while it may be worth your time and money.

 

[BigAlsGal]

My DS has autism and now Dx'ed with asthma. I feel fairly certain that we will need to take the nebulizer into the parks.
Is it possible for first aid to hold it for me? If not, I would need to give him a treatment somewhere with an outlet and fairly quiet. I know the parks fairly well but can't come up with an area that would work. Maybe a companion restroom, but last visit, they were always occupied no matter where we went.

Our kids use a nebulizer. There was only one instance we took it into the park and that was when one of my DD was recovering from a virus. We took it in a bag and put it in the bottom of the stroller. She never needed to use it but just in case ya know!

I'm not sure where quiet outlets would be. First aid would be my guess.

Hopefully your son is on a good preventative like beudesonide. These greatly reduce the need for emergency treatments. Given one before you go out for the day and one in the evening would hopefully prevent an emergency situation.

 

[jenineh]

Maybe look into a battery operated nebulizer.

 

[SueM in MN]

Just summarizing and adding a bit to what other posters wrote:

First Aid will store equipment like that. They have private rooms where you could do a treatment. Because people are using them for various treatments, they do have outlets.
But, it may not be convenient to go all the way beck there from wherever you are in the parks.

I would not recommend the Companion Restrooms for a treatment. First of all, as you noticed, they can have a wait and you never know how long you will wait. Lots of people using them. Done are people with disabilities who may take a while because of their needs; some are people with multiple children who are taking a while because of the number of people in at the same time.
There is not necessarily going to be a place to plug it in and not all are quiet. You are also likely to get interrupted by people knocking on the door - that happens pretty much anytime I use one for DD, even though we are in less than 15 minutes.

Many people use battery operated nebulizers - that helps a lot because you don't need to worry about finding an outlet. Many of the battery operated ones are also very small - like not much bigger than a stack of cards - so would be easy to carry with.

Check into an inhaler with spacer. I'm guessing the doctor may have suggested a nebulizer because your child may not be cooperative with an inhaler with spacer because of being autistic, but he might surprise you and do well.

 

[connie254]

I want it fairly quiet so he can concentrate on the treatment and not het distracted.
He initially had the inhaler/spacer and it just seem to help. So the doctor wants to get the asthma under control first, then back off on the meds. He suggested a PFT but we agree it would be hard for DS to do that.

 

[grafxgirl]

When my son was younger we had a small battery operated nebulizer that we took with us. Once he was about 4 he was able to use an inhaler with a spacer.

 

[cobright]

This isn't rocket science. The little plastic cup does most of the work, all you need to do is supply clean air at 8-20 PSI. A hand operated raft inflator will get this done, like: http://www.walmart.com/ip/35395575?...28572381&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=69651609901&veh=sem)

Or a tiny bottle of medical oxygen would probably do the trick and I doubt the O2 would cause problems (ask a Doctor of course). Google DIY Nebulizer and see that asthmatics in the developing world have solved this problem for you.

 

[BigAlsGal]

This isn't rocket science. The little plastic cup does most of the work, all you need to do is supply clean air at 8-20 PSI. A hand operated raft inflator will get this done, like: http://www.walmart.com/ip/35395575?...28572381&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=69651609901&veh=sem)

Or a tiny bottle of medical oxygen would probably do the trick and I doubt the O2 would cause problems (ask a Doctor of course). Google DIY Nebulizer and see that asthmatics in the developing world have solved this problem for you.

What??? They're not asking how to rig up a makeshift nebulizer. They have one. They're asking where a quiet outlet is located. Some suggested a battery operated device so an outlet wouldn't be necessary. I would seriously doubt they would substitute a bike pump and a plastic cup for their plug in nebulizer.

Thanks for the laugh though.

 

[Starwind]

Other posters have given good advice for using the plug-in nebulizer.

I also recommend getting a portable battery-powered nebulizer.

The one I use (and have for over a dozen years; I am on my second and now have the newer model) is an Omron MicroAir. Not cheap, but it fits in one's hand and runs off of 2 AA batteries. It can also be plugged in if one wishes. The catch is that it is an ultrasonic nebulizer and some meds (esp some CF meds) can't be used in it. However, Ventolin/salbutamol is fine in it. Over the years I have used it on city buses, airplanes, in the car, at work, and while out and about in all kinds of places. it is nearly silent, so the noise doesn't bother other people.

Another good portable model, cheaper but a bit bulker than the Omron, is made by Pari. It is a compressor, so it uses the traditional nebulizer cup (but Pari makes some excellent ones under their own brand that are much more efficient and faster treatment times than the cheaper ones that come with many low price traditional nebulizers). Note for this one that it is often sold with the battery as an optional extra, so if one does purchase it, making sure one actually is buying the battery with it is important.

One of the advantages of a portable nebulizer is that you can carry it with you which means you can use it just about wherever you are when you need it.

That said, during my first adult trip to WDW in 1998, I had the older version of the Omron and I needed to use it at Epcot. I used my inhaler and then took myself to the First Aid station where I sat in the quiet AC to use the nebulizer.


Even the bulky plug-in kinds they have now are SOOOOO much better than the 13 pound very bulky compressor I had to carry to and from school for almost all of high school.

-SW

 

[cobright]

What??? They're not asking how to rig up a makeshift nebulizer. They have one. They're asking where a quiet outlet is located. Some suggested a battery operated device so an outlet wouldn't be necessary. I would seriously doubt they would substitute a bike pump and a plastic cup for their plug in nebulizer.

Thanks for the laugh though.

What I am suggesting is that, with the equipment the OP already has and not much else, she can nebulize her asthmatic child wherever she likes. You can power a nebulizer with a couple inflated Mickey balloons if you like.

The OP was worried about being able to find an electrical outlet somewhere quiet; I gave her one solution to that problem. I've seen the terror my wife experiences getting caught out without access to her nebulizer, an asthma attack is like a force of nature. I'm glad you got a laugh out of it.

 

[BigAlsGal]

What I am suggesting is that, with the equipment the OP already has and not much else, she can nebulize her asthmatic child wherever she likes. You can power a nebulizer with a couple inflated Mickey balloons if you like.

The OP was worried about being able to find an electrical outlet somewhere quiet; I gave her one solution to that problem. I've seen the terror my wife experiences getting caught out without access to her nebulizer, an asthma attack is like a force of nature. I'm glad you got a laugh out of it.

Yeah I have asthma. I know how it is. I'm sure if OP had to make the choice of an outlet in a noisy area or running a nebulizer with Mickey balloons under a shady tree I would think they would choose the outlet.

I could be wrong though. Different strokes right?