The heat outside and the cold of the AC will that get my asthmatic child sick?

[linnettevl]

I read a post about getting cold inside some rides at Disney
and now I wonder if the change is too drastic?

My boys are both asthmatic and any changes in the temperture will make their asthma "act up".Here in NYC we had a drastic change from cold to hot and I ended up in emergency with both my kids. I am worry that It will be too hot outside and when they get inside some rides too cold. We always go to Disney when is not too hot but this year we will be there by the end of July. I have a portable nebulizer (which I hate to carry) but... Can I take it to the parks? Do I need my doctor's note?
Thanks,
Linnette

 

[Mom2R&D]

My oldest DS has weather induced asthma along with allergy induced asthma. His pediatrician placed him on Singulair and Advair last November and he hasn't had the first hint of an asthma attack. It might be something to consider asking your pediatrician about, if you're so inclined.

Otherwise, do your children react well with rescue inhalers? It might be easier to stick one (or two) of those in fanny pack or backpack than bringing the nebulizer into the park.

 

[linnettevl]

Mom2R&D:

Both my kids are on singulair but because of their ages 5 & 7
they cannot take advair(12yrs and older) they take pulmicort but also in the nebulizer form, for some reason that I do not know the doctors refused to give them the "pumps" or rescue inhalers the doctors said that you do not get the same amount of medication delivered to the lungs if not used properly. Do you know if the parks may be equipped with the nebulizer? Where do I call to find out?Sorry for all the question, but this is now begining to worry me...
Thanks
Linnette

 

[Mom2R&D]

Hi Linnette,

That's odd, my DS is only 8 and was placed on Advair when he was 7. His prescription is for 100/50 Advair Diskus and he's never exhibited any problems. Also, my pediatrician gave me two rescue inhalers, one to keep at home, one to leave at school for him. I know there is a risk of not getting an adequate dosage with a rescue inhaler if they aren't used correctly.

I don't know if the parks have nebulizers or not but I don't think there would be any problems if you brought your own. I would have a note from the doctor (just in case) but I can't really see where you'd have to have one. I would think you could pop it into a locker, no problems. You could always call one of the Guest Services numbers (I don't have any handy, sorry) and double check. I know we carried my son's nebulizer when we travelled two years ago (we left it in the hotel room), just to be on the safe side. He didn't have any attacks while we were there (and it was in June) so maybe yours will be okay, too. I think the weather induced asthma has a lot to do with air pressure and extreme temperature variations...though I'm not sure.

Either way, I hope that your trip is a pleasant one with no hitches! If you'd like to PM me, feel free to. Maybe you could double check with your ped about Advair, I know it's been worth it for my son!

Melanie

 

[Lynda Silk]

My son has had asthma since he was 4 months old and he is taking Advair and Singulaire now. We've gone to WDW 3 times since 1997 and he's never had a problem with his asthma at WDW. I can't speak for your child because each child is different, but just wanted to let you know what we experienced.

 

[MELSMICE]

One of my DD's has asthma & has never had a problem going from outside to inside. She also has a rescue inhaler. Is there any way you could explain your situation to your Dr. & get the rescue inhaler for the trip. It may not be as effective as the nebulizer, however, I would think it would be better than nothing if it was needed.

Did you say they're on Pulmicort? Can they do a dose of that more than once a day. My daughter's allergist said if it starts acting up or if we're in a situation where her asthma may be triggered that she could do her normal dose in the morning & then an "emergency" dose in the evening.

Good luck - I hope everything works out for you.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well we did have a problem one year with ds. We usually go in august. I brought his rescue inhaler into the park. I was also thinking of whether to stash the nebulizer machine in a locker. But we were staying at the poly so I knew we could get back sooner if need be. We ended up getting him a wheelchair and pushing him around when it got too hot. The humidity was just really getting to him and I didnt also want to ruin the day of the other 2 ds, so he enjoyed not having to walk so much and conserving his energy and we got to stay in the parks longer than if he was walking around. Some people gave us looks when he got out and waited on line. Sometimes I would say, do you need your medicine etc. Some people only look at the outside but dont know whats going on in the inside. We did get to see beauty and the beast up front once so that was good. He is a little older now and we went in april so we didnt have any problems this time. I think he also takes too much meds, advair, singulair, allegra etc. daily. Take any hints from your observations as to how your child is handling it.

 

[linnettevl]

Thank you all!!!!

luvmarypoppins:

I was also thinking about getting a wheelchair for him because I know that he does get tired and out of breath sometimes but at the same time I want him to be able to enjoy everything.The wheelchair is not for everyday but just and Idea in case that it will be needed, Do you go and rent the wheelchair anywhere in the park? Do you need a Doctor's Note to rent the chair? Can you rent the chair only for few hours?

My son's asthma is a little out of control and he is already taking pulmicourt 2 times a day. He is taking the 50mg vials, singulair, zyrtec, albuterol vials every3 to 4 hrs and prednisone. I think that the humidity does affect him that's why this trip is worring me so much. I have decided that I will take it one day at a time and go slow with him, we will be in Orlando for two weeks and I plan to do parks every other day that way they can rest in between and relax

My boys are looking foward for this trip......

Linnette

 

[ducklite]

I take Advair 250/50 and use Albuterol as a rescue inhalor.

The changes in temperature hot to cold will trigger my asthma, although cold to hot doesn't. But, prolonged exposure to heat/humidity and sun is a terrible trigger (under 10% lung capacity the last time ). I try to do a lot of indoor things (pavillions at Epcot for example) or swim during the early to mid-afternoon on the hottest days, but it doesn't always work--as the WDW EMT's will attest to.

My best advice is to make sure your child lets you know as soon as he feels an attack coming. It takes about 3-5 minutes for the EMT's to reach you. As an FYI, under FL law, if they give a nebulizer treatment, or see you use a rescue inhalor more than three times, they are required to transport you to the hospital, even if you are feeling better after it.

One thing my doctor mentioned to me recently--they think there might be a correlation between carbonated beverages and asthma attacks. The beveragges don't casue the attack, but can aggravate one brought on by another trigger. So you might want to limit the sodas.

Anne

 

[linnettevl]

Ducklite:

MY JAW DROPPED TO THE FLOOR WHEN I READ YOUR POST!!

My son asthma is been acting up a lot recently, he drinks a lot of soda and I have notice that he will start wheezing a lot after drinking soda.(not right away) But I thought it was me the "paranoid" mother but you just confirmed my suspicions, I even mention this to his doctor but he paid no mind. I have to said that I am guilty of buying too much soda in our home, that will stop from now on only juice

I called the doctor today about the rescue inhalers and he advised me to get a "spacer" and he will give it a try. (The doctor still don't like the idea of the inhalers for young children), Anybody have an idea what "spacers" are.

Thank you all, you guys are the best!!!!!
Linnette

 

[carefreegal]

I just wanted to share with you a website that has some basic pictures of what spacers are for inhalers. They are just plastic tubes that attach to inhaler that the medicine wont escape until your son takes a breath in. They work really well with children. I am glad that your doctor has agreed to let you have a rescue breather because they have helped me immensely in time of needs and they truly work quickly. Also a good tip is to make sure you always have water with you and if he starts having trouble he should sit quietly in cool place and sip on water(not cold water). This has helped me before. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

www.add-pediatrics.com/allergies/spacers.html

 

[ducklite]

I would also warn him about how he might feel after using the inhalor if it's Albuterol. While it works great to free up the lungs, in me it causes hand tremours, slight lightheadedness, a "buzzed" feeling like I took too much antihistamine.

Anne

 

[Mom2R&D]

I have to add, my oldest DS would have the *worst* asthma attacks after drinking grape soda! His carbonated beverages are limited to a can or glass a day but no sooner than he'd down a can of Grape Crush he would be in a full fledged asthma attack! I had totally forgotten about this until ducklite mentioned it.

 

[miche61]

My DD11 has had asthma since age of 7. We have been to WDW at least three times since then. She has never had a problem with the weather while there. We do make sure she drinks her water, she really doesn't like to drink pop much. She did have a spacer for awhile, but that didn't last long. She has never used a neb, instantly went to the inhaler. She takes Flovent now, and has had Pulmicort also. If your DSs have a air flow thingy ( brain fade, I forgot the name of that!! Bad Mom!), you can bring that with you to monitor how their breathing is going. One thing you need to remember if your child is taking some sort of steroid inhaler, Pulmicort, Flovent, etc., if your child has to go to the ER for any reason, the staff must be made aware of it due to the clotting issues that may arise.

I would say, enjoy your trip. Take it easy. Drink lots and lots of water. One test to see how their breathing is going (we went to asthma camp one year) is to see if your child can say seven words without stopping. If they can't, take action. We also worked on a breathing technique, where you lay down and try to use your stomach to breathe. Can't say as we've worked on that a lot though, but it's a try.

Rambling... sorry....

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

To answer your questions, you can rent a wheelchair at any park. Its like $7 or $8 dollars a day. When you return it you can get a $1 deposit back. Your family last name goes into a placard on the back of the wheelchair. They give you a list if it gets taken you can get it replaced. The wheelchair can also be used again at another park, wheelchair hopping, so to speak. You just hold onto your card and dont cash in the $1.00 deposit. My dh also does not like to take the albuterol unless absolutely neccessary as it makes him shaky too. He used to use the spacer when younger. He did say it helped him feel better faster. Our ins. refused to pay for it, can you believe that. They pay for a nebulizer machine, drs. visits, hundreds of dollars in drugs, etc. but not that. They said it was a medical assistance device, huh? If you are staying on site at a disney resort they can offer you a complimentary one for your entire stay depending upon availability.

 

[SueM in MN]

To answer 3 questions:
The "air flow thingy" is called a peak flow meter.

You don't need a doctor's note to rent a wheelchair.

You can store a nebulizer and use it in First Aid in any of the parks.

 

[linnettevl]

Went to the doctor this morning and got all the supplies and equipment(?) needed for my son.

The doctor gave me the spacer, peak flow(show me how to use it)
albuterol pump, the new pulmicort pump(so convinient) and lots of boxes of medicines all free of charge(samples) and also gave me a letter to take with me just in case (plus his cell number to call anytime)

I just want to say :THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!

I never knew anything about spacers,peak flows, sodas, I feel much better about the trip..What else can I say? I am happy to be part of this boards and thank you for all your help!!!!

Love,
Linnette

 

[Mom2R&D]

That's great news, Linnette! I hope your trip goes off without a hitch and that y'all have a wonderful time!