Asthma in Toddlers - Practical Home Advice?

Mango Joe

Mods - This is not a request for medical advice in any respect - We have been and will continue to use our GP for same. I am simply looking for practical parenting tips, changes to diet, home furnishings etc.

Hi All - We have a 2.5 yr old who has a pretty persistent, recurring pattern of heavy, wheezy chest infections/coughs. He has been on Singulair Sachets for about a year and has just recently been prescribed a blue and brown inhaler after we enquired with our GP if he thought they would be beneficial - ie. pretty much as an afterthought.

We received very little in the way of explanation or advice and I only just happened to read online that it would be considered common sense/practical advise to always make sure that the blue (bronchodilator) is to hand especially when travelling etc. in case he ever had an Asthma attack, we really only got handed a prescription - No real tips on what to do if things got hairy.

Also I got a bit scared having heard 3 stories in quick succession of Children who had Asthma attacks - 2 woke up immobile, ie. conscious but unable to get help for themselves and someone luckily got to them in time (1 was in extended family) and one regarding someone whose Child sadly died and was only found the next morning.

Just to reiterate, Boards.ie correctly are cautious about People dispensing medical advice as it is a legal minefield and obviously no sensible substitute for a GP - I am looking for Parenting advise drawn from your own personal experience. By this I mean that I would hope to benefit from your own years of experience with regard to things like dietary changes (Goats, Soya Milk etc.) the use of room humidifiers, ripping out all the carpets in favour of all wooden floors and so on.

To conclude - if there are any sound, practical measures that you have taken that you felt were beneficial and helped to safeguard your asthmatic Child then I'd be most grateful to hear them

Joe.

Nevyn

Hoovering (or steaming if you have a steamer, a hand held jug shaped one are usually less then 50 euro.) the mattress every week, and changing the bedclothes, eliminating the amount of teddy/stuff toys from the room, get rid of the carpet if there is one in the bed room or in the sitting room. Also hoovering (steaming) the soft furnishings in the sitting room and try and open the windows in the house for even 15 mins a day to air the house.
Regular dusting before the levels build up are helpful as well, microfiber clothes shift a multitude wet and dry and those in conjunction with a steam means you can eliminate a lot of cleaning chemicals in the house.
All of the above are to try and reduce the account of dust mites and dust in the house.

I have pretty bad dust allergy and the only carpet in the house is on the stairs and I try to follow the above as much as possible it makes a big difference.

Take him for lots of walks, it can be hard esp if the pollen count is up but being out in the fresh air can help, also you can track the pollen count for you area online.

As for his meds and coping with an attack, have you read the guild for parents on the Asthma Assoc of Irelands website?
http://www.asthmasociety.ie/all-about-asthma/For-Parents.html

There is a good section as well on inhalers and spacers.

Grawns

My 15 month has been diagnosed with asthma after 4 attacks in 5 months. The 1st landed us in Temple street hosp for 2 days as she was dangerously ill and they suspected swine flu or bronchiolitis. My experience of her asthma is that it is triggered by a cold and while she may have the cold over a few days the onset of a bad attack is then sudden and swift and happens at night when she is lying down.

Bridget had her 1st cold at 10 months, has never had an antibiotic or a recorded temperature.

The attacks were treated with oral steroid tablets and ventolin. We have just recently been prescibed the brown preventor inhaler ( becotide) to supplement the treatment inhaler ( ventolin - salbutomal). I still hold out hope that she has viral wheezing and will grow out of it but we are treating her as recommended ( suspected asthma).

You should always bring your childs medication with you when travelling - just common sense. We have pets and I myself have had asthma all my life so I am not afraid for her and feel confident in the treatment. Keep pets out of the bedroom.

Try not to worry too much as asthma is very common and easily managed and once you get over the shock diagnosis you will feel more confident

LegacyUser

My sister developed it at 11 but has lived a very normal life (now 26).MY cousins all have it aswell, they just always carry inhalers with them.
For later in life, swimming is good for the lungs.Friends of mine have very severe asthma but swim a LOT for years, since they were small. Gives the lungs a chance to strengthen I suppose.

RosieJoe

Have landed in the same boat recently with the 2 youngest being diagnosed as asthmatic.

One of them has both the blue and brown inhaler, we were told the blue is to be used when required ( ie is having an attack, either asthmatic or coughing) and the brown one to be used twice daily. We have 3 blue ones. One for home, one for school and one for the baby bag for when we are out and about.

Best thing you can do, which we also did, was attended an Asthma Clinic. The one we attended was in our Doctors surgery. Get onto your GP looking for any information on one running.

cbyrd

do you know if its triggered by any foods??

RosieJoe

You can check here also for more guidelines:

http://www.asthmasociety.ie/index.cfm

caprilicious

I had chronic asthma as a child (thankfully grew out of it as a teen)
One thing I would definitely recommend is asking your GP for an allergy test.

I didn't have an allergy test until after I was hospitalised for a bad attack - I was allergic to the E additives in coca cola! could've saved my poor parents the distress if they'd known.

As per posters above, keep as little soft furnishings/teddys - anything that can accumulate dust from your childs room.

Try not to use aerosols such as fly spray/mr. sheen type stuff/air freshener etc around the house as they might cause your little one to catch their breath.

When I was really bad with my asthma my mum used to bring me for walks to the beach first thing in the morning 6/7am in the summer, as the air was so clear it made it easier for me to breathe. Similarly if I was bad with the asthma she would avoid bringing me into town where it'd be smoky.

She bought a facial steamer like this;


http://cgi.ebay.ie/New-Facial-Sauna-Face-Steamer-Steam-Inhaler-/380175478907?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Skincare_PP&hash=item588439707b#ht_2490wt_939

& when I was having trouble breathing she would put some vicks or eucalyptus leaves in the hot water for me to inhale.
It was ideal for opening up my airways & much safer than the oft recommended basin of boiling water some people recommend for the same purpose, especially when I was very young.

Other than that, my ventolin (blue inhaler) went every where with me and I was able to have a normal childhood, participate in sports etc

Please God your little one will grow out of it and not have any serious problems with it x

Mango Joe

Just back online here today Folks!

Thanks for all the replies - some very useful stuff there