? for Parents of Kids with Asthma -- Update

[EthansMom]

The kids' pediatrician finally diagnosed both kids as having asthma. They're both going to be taking Pulmicort (inhaled steroid) for the remainder of the winter to try to keep them healthy. With both kids, their biggest asthma trigger seems to be getting viruses like colds and flus. They get a cold (which of course, they always share with each other) and the cold turns into some nasty coughing/bronchitis/chest infection/sinus infection/ear infection mess that lasts for weeks. Yuck!

DS is being tested for allergies today to see if there are any environmental allergens that are a concern. I'm prepared to hear that I'll probably be told that we need to find a new home for my cat.

My Question is This: For those of you with kids who have asthma, what changes in your home environment seem to have made the most difference for your child? Did you find a new home for the family pet? Did you install air filters in your air handler? Did you get any special allergen-free bedding? Do you clean more often or use special cleaners?

Basically, what seemed to work for you and what didn't seem to make a difference?

Thanks!

 

[golfgal]

My kids have asthma. Each one is different. DS13's is more related to his seasonal allergies, spring and fall are the worst times for him. The twins tend to be more triggered by colds. DS10 tends to have attacks at odd times but usually when it is very humid.

We didn't change their bedding or anything like that because they didn't test positive for dust mites or other household allergies. We didn't have a pet. The one thing I REALLY noticed is moving to our new house we put in hardwood floors. The kids have been SO much better this past year. I think that has made the biggest difference, getting rid of the carpet.

The twins have been off meds and just carry inhalers but haven't needed them in over a year. DS13 has been off his meds since about November and we are in a wait and see mode with him. He seems to be doing pretty well this time. Our dr tries to take them off meds every once in a while to see how they do.

 

[justhat]

As a kid I had asthma flare-ups when I would get a cold or other similar virus. We had 3 cats in my house and didn't get rid of any of them (nor the dog) and I was fine. I mention that cause I am allergic to cats (developed that allergy when I was around 8 and I don't think my mom really believed it, in fact I still think she thinks I'm making it up and I'm 25). The cats gave me bad allergy symptoms, but never affected my asthma so you might be alright keeping your family pet. I also never used any allergen-free bedding, but again, it was mostly just colds that triggered my asthma.

Good luck with your kids. My 2.5yo nephew uses pulmicort and it works very well for him so I hope it has the same effect for your kids.

 

[jonestavern]

hmm.. there are so many things you can do.
a fast list here, as the mason is due any moment & I am traisping around in sweats!
mattresses & pillows should be cleaned regularly & encased in specially designed for the job cases
I even removed the curtains & replaced with blinds(cut that blind cord--if it's looped-- for younger ones)
do replace/clean furnace/ac filters air cleaner filters regularly
keep the cat washed & combed--there is an allergen shampoo at vet's for this
get a self contained vacuum
animals (if that is indeed the trigger) not to sleep in asthmatic's bedrm or play areas
check into a pediatric pulmonologist, best advice anyone ever gave me for DSnow16
you can board the cat out, or let it vacation with a friend, for a few weeks, to try to determine triggers
DS16 is allergic to some cats & not at all to others. His main triggers are extremes in temperatures
if cat must be given up to a shelter, be sure it is a no-kill shelter, ask them,
you'd be surprised at which orgs euthanized. also, be aware there is often a waiting list(around here several months!) to get your pet a space in the shelter
I bet you'll get a lot of excellent info here. there was a thread recently where some very knowledgeable folks responded

Best wishes-
Jean

 

[EthansMom]

The one thing I REALLY noticed is moving to our new house we put in hardwood floors. The kids have been SO much better this past year. I think that has made the biggest difference, getting rid of the carpet.

We don't have any carpeting in this house. Last night, DH and I were saying, "Well, at least we don't have any carpet." I know that having the hardwood makes it much easier to keep the house clean -- you can't ignore it when there is dust sitting on the floor because you can actually SEE it!

I'm thinking about getting a better vacuum cleaner -- maybe something with a HEPA filter. I'd already been wanting a Dyson. Getting a new vacuum cleaner probably wouldn't help as much as vacuuming twice a week instead of once a week, though.

I'm really waiting to see what the allergy doctor says about my DS, but I'm pretty certain that he'll be allergice to molds, which are hard to escape here in Connecticut. DS gets a drippy nose and coughing from the time the leaves start falling until it starts snowing.

 

[EthansMom]

get a self contained vacuum

Thank you for the nice long list. What's a self contained vacuum? (I'd already been thinking about getting a new vacuum. Certainly one with a longer hose would help me clean/dust places higher than the floor.)

 

[golfgal]

Do you have hardwood in his bedroom? That is where it will make the most difference. You could install Pergo or prefinished hardwoods so you don't have to deal with the mess.

 

[EthansMom]

Do you have hardwood in his bedroom? That is where it will make the most difference. You could install Pergo or prefinished hardwoods so you don't have to deal with the mess.

Yes, thankfully, the entire main floor of our house has hardwood or tile (bathroom/kitchen). The basement has laminate and tile.

And the cat won't go into either one of the kids' bedrooms, sleep with the kids, or get anywhere near them. She's a crotchety, old lady cat and doesn't care for kids so she comes upstairs when the kids go to bed and then she cuddles with me.

 

[Christine]

Honestly, I don't think ANYTHING I did made his asthma improve--only the meds.

I got my ENTIRE house hardwooded, so I have no carpet, nor do I have drapes. He has a special pillow and a cover for his mattress and box spring.

I also have a sealed vacuum.

After doing all that, I noticed no changes.

 

[cepmom]

DD8 has allergy induced asthma...she is allergic to tree pollen and cats so her worst time is in the spring/summer. Thankfully we do not have cats. She was very similar to your children...every cold turned into an infection of some kind, usually ear or sinus. One summer she was having a terrible time with coughing, and never having dealt with asthma before, I didn't know what to make of it. Finally took her to the allergy and asthma dr and he diagnosed her with allergy induced asthma. He put her on Pulmicort first but it made very little difference. He switched her to Singulair and it was like a miracle drug! She had already been on Claritin and Flonase for her allergies, but they didn't seem to be working very well either. She now takes Allegra 2x a day, Nasonex 1 x a day, and the Singulair 1x a day, at bedtime. She has been doing really well and hardly has any problems with the asthma. She has the albuterol inhalor in case of an asthma attack, but very rarely needs it. If she gets a cold during the winter and develops a cough, I will give it to her to help, but that is not too often.

We keep the windows shut during the spring to help keep the pollen out of the house and vacuum often.

 

[golfgal]

Honestly, I don't think ANYTHING I did made his asthma improve--only the meds.

I got my ENTIRE house hardwooded, so I have no carpet, nor do I have drapes. He has a special pillow and a cover for his mattress and box spring.

I also have a sealed vacuum.

After doing all that, I noticed no changes.

This is true. If your asthma is allergy related then these preventive measures will help but if you just have asthma, these aren't going to do anything for you.

 

[Christine]

This is true. If your asthma is allergy related then these preventive measures will help but if you just have asthma, these aren't going to do anything for you.

My son's are definitely allergy related: dust mites, mold, and any other thing you can imagine.

I'm just thinking that despite all my efforts, this stuff is still in the house.

 

[LtlTee]

I'll echo all of the advice given -- all very good points.

My 9-year-old has asthma and environmental and seasonal allergies, and was diagnosed around 5 (altho we noticed it much sooner). After trying a couple of different meds diagnosed by his pediatrician and after a couple of trips to the ER for severe attacks, we asked for a referral to an allergist.

The allergist did testing to find out what exactly he is allergic to. His asthma is exercise-induced, but mostly allergy-induced. His allergens are highest for dust mites, mold, and pollen. His also mildly allergic to pet dander.
Our allergist is of the mindset that you need to control as many environmental factors as possible and treat with as little medicine as possible. We now use good allergy filters on our heater, we've gotten new pillows and pillow protectors for him, we wash his bedding often in hot water, vacuum his rug frequently (we got a new vacuum), and have him sleep with his windows closed. We do have two dogs, who are our babies, and it would have killed all of us to have to get rid of them (but we would have if necessary.) His doctor gave him guidelines with regard to the dogs: they do not go in his room, and he washes his hands every time after playing with/petting them. In my son's case, it isn't so much the pet dander, but the allergens (pollen, etc) they would bring in on their fur after being outside.

Sorry this is so long, but I'm thrilled with his progress, and I think the small changes we've made have really helped. We've been able to cut his medicine in half, and we are in the process of weaning him off of one completely.

 

[LtlTee]

Honestly, I don't think ANYTHING I did made his asthma improve--only the meds.

I got my ENTIRE house hardwooded, so I have no carpet, nor do I have drapes. He has a special pillow and a cover for his mattress and box spring.

I also have a sealed vacuum.

After doing all that, I noticed no changes.

Have you tried replacing/using good heater/AC filters? I noticed a huge difference in the amount of overall dust in our house when we did this.

 

[Poohgirl]

My DS9 has had very bad asthma since birth and has taken every inhaled and nebulized meds you could imagine. We FINALLY have it under control. The most important thing is to find out his allergies. Once you know you can attack as many as those triggers as you can. My son's biggest is dust. Like that is an easy one. We took the carpet out of his room and replaced it with wood floor (as well as most of the house). Much easier to control dust. He is also on a Singular pill daily. He has a HEPA air filter in his room as well. He is also allergic to cats and we have two. They do not go in his room and he stays away from holding them they dont seem to bother him unless he touches them. He does still have an inhaler and uses it mostly when he is out side playing in the cold. My son was like yours, he would catch a winter cold from his brother and before long it turned into a hospital visit. He has not had one cold progress this year! . I also am sure that he gets a flu shot as soon as they are available in the early winter. Best of luck.

 

[Poohgirl]

I'm thinking about getting a better vacuum cleaner -- maybe something with a HEPA filter. I'd already been wanting a Dyson. Getting a new vacuum cleaner probably wouldn't help as much as vacuuming twice a week instead of once a week, though.

I have a Dyson and you would be amazed at the amount of dust that will end up in the trap. It is a heavy vaccum but controls dust wonderfully!!

 

[mickeyfan2]

My Question is This: For those of you with kids who have asthma, what changes in your home environment seem to have made the most difference for your child? Did you find a new home for the family pet? Did you install air filters in your air handler? Did you get any special allergen-free bedding? Do you clean more often or use special cleaners?

I am asthmatic and this is what we did to our home. And it did help me.

Remove carpet from the entire home (it too expensive then just the bedroom) and install hardwood floors. Cover the mattress and box spring with special dust mite covers. Hepa air filter on the A/C, an air filter in bedroom and never open windows (we use the A/C fan to bring in exterior purified air). No pets ever in the bedroom. Use pull down shade rather than heavy curtains in the bedroom. We use special mildew cleaners in the bathrooms. Run a dehumidifier set below 50% in the basement.

Basically the bedroom needs to be a safe place.

I like your son have intrinsic asthma. I also have allergy induced (extrinsic) asthma.

Any other questions?

ETA we have a cental vac and use the swiffer dusters on the hardwood floors and the swiffer duster or the special asthma dusters to dust. They all work great and no dust gets put into the air.

 

[Crankyshank]

The most common allergy (and also my major asthma trigger) is dust mites. There are special sprays you can get to spray the mattresses and box springs and carpets with. Also a liquid that you add to your wash that kills them when you wash your sheets (hot water alone doesn't kill them). I use the stuff for the wash and it made a huge difference.

We also have air purifiers with hepa filters in every room of our house except the bathroom. That has helped more than anything with my environmental triggers like pollen and mold. Before I got them, I couldn't keep my windows open when the weather was nice because they would cause an attack or a sinus triggered migraine.

Also make sure you have a dehumidifier in your cellar. My allergist recommends a humidity level of 40% but no higher than 50%

 

[EthansMom]

Honestly, I don't think ANYTHING I did made his asthma improve--only the meds.

I got my ENTIRE house hardwooded, so I have no carpet, nor do I have drapes. He has a special pillow and a cover for his mattress and box spring.

I also have a sealed vacuum.

After doing all that, I noticed no changes.

My brother has always had asthma and that was my feeling with him. Nothing our parents did seemed to help much. But my brother is highly allergic to basically everything -- all pollens, molds, dusts, animals, perfumes, dyes, etc.... There's just no way my brother could get away from EVERYTHING.

That's part of the thing with my kids. I want to do everything I can to help alleviate their asthma, but I don't want to invest a LOT of time and money doing stuff that won't help. Luckily, neither of my children seems to have the severity of allergy problems that their uncle has.

So far, it sounds like getting some feedback from the allergy doctor and concentrating on DS's allergens will help.

Right now, we're considering getting a HEPA filtration unit on the furnace/AC, dusting and vacuuming twice as often, and repainting the Masterbathroom with mold-resistant paint and replacing the fans in both bathrooms (I clean the bathrooms thoroughly, but they get moldy often).

 

[EthansMom]

IWe use special mildew cleaners in the bathrooms.

Do you happen to know the brand of mildew cleaner you use? We get mold & mildew in the bathroom quite often. DH just finished repainting one bathroom with mold-resistant paint and will be repainting the other bathroom soon.

Thanks for all of the advice!