wilderness01
Been There, Done That, Going Back!
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2002
- Messages
- 5,104
I tell my parents that we don't want to create asthma cripples and that asthmatics should be able to do what everyone else does at least 95% of the time. The only time they should hold back is if they've had an acute attack or dramatic changes such as shortness of breath not associated with exercise or peak flows less than 50% predicted. Obviously it assumes they're doing their maintenance meds.
I couldn't agree more. When our son was 5 he blew a 50 and then a 25 on his peak flow meter. He usually blew a 200. He was very ill and on a bunch of meds (220 Flovent twice a day, every 3 hours nebs of albuterol, steroids, antibiotics, etc) already but I just wasn't quite comfortable with how he was acting and how his color looked. His energy level was also so low that it scared me. He didn't have enough air to speak loudly and could not blow his nose. I was on the phone with the pediatric pulmonologist and he asked me to take his peak flow and that was when he blew the 50. I thought he didn't do it right so I had him redo it and then he blew a 25. Just an hour before he was well above these two numbers. I panicked when I read this and as the Dr. was stating "get him to the er right now, right now, right now" I was getting him ready to take him to the hospital. I was scared to death and not thinking clearly because obviously I should have called an ambulance. That following year I babied him to the point where I think I did create an asthma cripple out of both of us. Being a nurse I know this is wrong, but being a mother I couldn't help it. Our son is now 10.5 years old and very well maintained on his maintenance meds. I also had to reteach him and myself how it is a disease that you could live a normal life with as long as you know your triggers and follow what you should. Please don't make the same mistake I did and then have to reteach your child to not live in fear. It was just such a stressful time in our life at the time because we also had a new baby that was having weight issues and labeled failure to thrive, who also went in the hospital for 5 days with RSV 5 days after the above incident with our first son, along with our daughter who also had RSV/pneumonia at the same time at home. Whew, how I didn't end up in the psych unit for stress I will never know. My point is you will get through it but do it calmly and with knowledge. Have your ducks in a row with meds and where to go when you are in Florida if an emergency arrives and you will be fine. Forever my husband would say he was so happy I was a nurse (OB, NICU, occasional Peds when they make me float there
) and had a pretty good knowledge base to understand the warning signs. Now 5.5 years later I can pick up on just about anything with either one of our sons and life is really calm. 
to you. Go and take an education class so you can better understand what asthma is all about. I read up on it at work all the time, educate myself with any new articles and really pick my doctors brain so we are all on the same page if a crisis should arrive. Our second son also was brittle for awhile but I never made the mistake of making him a cripple and although he is alot younger he deals with the asthma like a champ.
I need to add that our son plays flag football, soccer, basketball, volleyball and golfs. If he is ill obviously the practices/games are drastically cut or taken away but we all live a very normal life now and are happy, healthy and thriving. You too will get to this point where everything will seem status quo and asthma will just be like any other bump in the road.
I couldn't agree more. When our son was 5 he blew a 50 and then a 25 on his peak flow meter. He usually blew a 200. He was very ill and on a bunch of meds (220 Flovent twice a day, every 3 hours nebs of albuterol, steroids, antibiotics, etc) already but I just wasn't quite comfortable with how he was acting and how his color looked. His energy level was also so low that it scared me. He didn't have enough air to speak loudly and could not blow his nose. I was on the phone with the pediatric pulmonologist and he asked me to take his peak flow and that was when he blew the 50. I thought he didn't do it right so I had him redo it and then he blew a 25. Just an hour before he was well above these two numbers. I panicked when I read this and as the Dr. was stating "get him to the er right now, right now, right now" I was getting him ready to take him to the hospital. I was scared to death and not thinking clearly because obviously I should have called an ambulance. That following year I babied him to the point where I think I did create an asthma cripple out of both of us. Being a nurse I know this is wrong, but being a mother I couldn't help it. Our son is now 10.5 years old and very well maintained on his maintenance meds. I also had to reteach him and myself how it is a disease that you could live a normal life with as long as you know your triggers and follow what you should. Please don't make the same mistake I did and then have to reteach your child to not live in fear. It was just such a stressful time in our life at the time because we also had a new baby that was having weight issues and labeled failure to thrive, who also went in the hospital for 5 days with RSV 5 days after the above incident with our first son, along with our daughter who also had RSV/pneumonia at the same time at home. Whew, how I didn't end up in the psych unit for stress I will never know. My point is you will get through it but do it calmly and with knowledge. Have your ducks in a row with meds and where to go when you are in Florida if an emergency arrives and you will be fine. Forever my husband would say he was so happy I was a nurse (OB, NICU, occasional Peds when they make me float there ) and had a pretty good knowledge base to understand the warning signs. Now 5.5 years later I can pick up on just about anything with either one of our sons and life is really calm. to you. Go and take an education class so you can better understand what asthma is all about. I read up on it at work all the time, educate myself with any new articles and really pick my doctors brain so we are all on the same page if a crisis should arrive. Our second son also was brittle for awhile but I never made the mistake of making him a cripple and although he is alot younger he deals with the asthma like a champ.I need to add that our son plays flag football, soccer, basketball, volleyball and golfs. If he is ill obviously the practices/games are drastically cut or taken away but we all live a very normal life now and are happy, healthy and thriving. You too will get to this point where everything will seem status quo and asthma will just be like any other bump in the road.
