Help!!!!! for my baby with asthma....

[idlesaver]

Hi all,

I am a bit new to this site....but I really trust all my MSE friends for the really great ideas in every aspect of life AND NOT JUST THE MONEY SAVING.....

I again need your valuable advice and suggestions in one more concern...:cry:

My 15 mths old daughter is badly suffering from asthma (as told by GP) almost since her birth....!!!

She continuously suffers from chest congestion, difficulty in breathing and not able to sleep at all. (irrespective of any climatic condition)

She continuously needs to be fanned in lie down position (even in this chilled season !!!!!)

I tried allopathy (including nebuliser), Homeopathy (given a try to so many of them), and even ayurvedic (Herbal medicines) treatments.
But none of them could help her much.

If anyone of you having such type of experience can help me in this matter? I would be really greatful for any good suggestions and advice.

Thanking you in advace...

idlesaver

[pudding06]

Hi idlesaver.

sorry to hear about your DD. I have a son with asthma, though he had it form birth the doctor wouldnt believe me. He used to have horrendous attacks but when doctor saw him he would say I was a 'hysterical mother'

eventually he went to have his tonsils removed and the consultant asked what treatment he was on for his asthma and I explained and the consultant was furious. He wrote to the doctor and made him prescibe. A couple of months later I was near the doctors when DS3 had an asthma attack I went straight to the doctors and the doctor was horrified. He couldnt get it to stop and was about to call an ambulance when it started to abate. He apologised, but we put up with this for nearly 6 years without treatment.


To answer your question. Some advice.

Dont mix homeopathic ayurvedic and conventional medicines, unless you have cleared this with your doctor. Some of them can inter - react and cause problems.

If you are having problems camp out at your doctors and make them review her medicines. If one doesnt work sometimes others do. You may need to be referred to a specialist at the hospital if he/she cant help any more.

Be very strict about washing bedding and teddies etc, as often its mites triggering it. If necessary change bedding and was toys every day to see if it has an effect.

Look at what air quality is in your house - ie fumes from new carpets? or cleaning products youv'e used? If possible leave windows open to air rooms where new carpets etc are. Our carpets dont get changed very often, because the fumes trigger my asthma for aobut 2 years after they've been laid!!!

Try to avoid over heated or very cold rooms, and big changes of air temperature indoors. This often triggers attacks.

obvious other triggers are smoking( I hope not) things like antiperspirant sprays ( sets mine off when sons spray anywhere near) same with perfume!!!

check everything!! she may be reacting to something that you have forgotten even exists, like a room fragrance etc.

good luck, and dont put up with it - go back and pester them.

pudds

[emilyt]

I agree all with what Pudding06 has said.

My DD2 who is now nearly 18 has suffered with asthma since she was a baby.
If possible a vinyl or wooden floor is better as you can mop over it therefore reducing dust and dustmites.
I used to put my DD's teddies in the freezer for a few hours this will kill dust mites.
Never let her go to a house that had any animals. She was more allergic to dogs but any dander caused a reaction.
Even if she walked past someone in town and they were smoking she would start coughing so had to keep her well away from any smoke.
Bought an air purifier which i used in her bedroom and it really helped.
Damp wiped all surfices and never used any sprays. i.e perfume, hairspray and of course household polishes and air fresheners.
Cold air caused the an attack so made sure she covered her mouth with a scarf.
Make people aware that she suffers from asthma. There are many people who just don't understand the severity of asthma.
When she was suffering with yet another chest infection i used to put her in a bath. The steam really helped. Also had a kettle in her bedroom. The steam again helped ease her sypmtoms. Do be careful though don't want any accidents.
Also i had had her bed tilted up at the pillow end. Otherwise she would just constantly cough all night long.
We was given an antihistamine medicine from the doctor. This did help in the summertime but the down side was that it made her very sleepy. Only used it when absolutely neccessary.
Can't think of anything else at the moment.
Hope this is of some help.
I really do understand what you are going through.
Take care.
Emilyx

[maisy-mai]

sorry to hear about your dd.
my dd seems to be the opp to the above and steam and damp are the trigger !!!!

my dd is now 7 3/4 has has asthma since birth repeated chest infections till 2 yrs then went on a low dose of antibiotic evey night till she was 3.5yrs as well as her inhalers .

We found that she is fine in the summer may to sep where she comes off all medication .
We bought a dehumidifier even though we have a newish house and no damp or mould.I read somewhere this can help.

she loves animals and they didnt affect her or dust .it will be a long process of elimation what is a trigger or you may never know .


Within a few weeks there was a great improvement couldnt believe how much water came out the air have to empty it twice weekly.

I also noticed over time and made connections that if I hang washing up inside the house use the tumble dryer she will be up coughting that night.

we now make the house warmer so we have "summer" all year around and the dehumidifer going all day on a timer and turn it off overnight .

its worked for us perhaps you could borrow one from a friend to try just a suggestion .

good luck
maisy-mai

[black-saturn]

Try not to use spray polishes in your house or those plug in air freshener things as it makes it worse.

I'm not having a go or anything but I think this thread might be closed anyway for being medical advice.

[newlywed]

I have asthma (diagnosed when I was about 3 years old) and just want to echo the comments about everything you spray!! Air fresheners, especially ambi-pure plug in thingies, perfume, deodorant, smelly candles, polish, some flash sprays, even some bleaches with fragrance can set me off badly.

Also as a child, I always reacted to new bedding because of the stuff they treated the fabric with and it always had to be washed in non-bio before it went anywhere near my bed or I'd have an attack.

And I can't have any feather cushions or pillows anywhere in the room with me - not even over the other side of the room on the chair.

Once you can find the trigger things, it does get a little easier to cope with.

Also preservatives in food and squash etc will trigger it for me too!! Even Ribena, some "flavoured waters" will trigger it off because of preservatives.

[pipkin71]

Hi.

You've had some great advice already. My youngest has had asthma since birth, and, to begin with, the doctor wouldn't recognise her as having asthma because she was too young!

She's 8 now, and another cause we recently connected to her attacks are peanuts, which is something else to consider.

regards
Pipkin xxx

[kippers]

My girl has had asthma since she was three (she's nearly 9 now). It was also a battle to get it diagnosed with many sleepless nights and visits to the emergency doctors to be told there was nothing wrong with her. The asthma helpline was gold to me and helped me confirm it was asthma so i could go to the doctor armed with information. But now after nearly 6 years it is well under control.

At the beginning i was told it was the dust mites and i paid a fortune to have a really clean house, dyson, anti allegy bedding etc not to mention all the time i spend damp dusting/ cleaning/ washing & freezing toys etc. However, i really don't think dust mites are a problem for my daughter, as on holiday at butlins we have slept in some dusty apartments that haven't caused her a problem.

I know her asthma is triggered by animals, cold astmospher, coughs & colds and pollen...there must be others but i'm fairly sure its not dust. When she has a cold we up her preventative to two puffs morning and night instead of one (as per the doctor).

It is trial and error to find the cause (which may change over time anyway). All i can say, is don't be fobbed off. There are loads of different preventatives out there and valumisers for small children, a good asthma nurse will know. (My chemist helped me a lot and showed me how to use them at the beginning).

Good luck.

By the way toddlers get bored puffing into thir volumisers so play games like Thomas puffing down the train track (you tell a story and Thomas goes fast or slow depending on your story).

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Dog Ownership Enhances Symptomatic Responses to Air Pollution in Children with Asthma (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17185284) Effects of air pollution were greatest among children with both a dog and a cat, and effects were generally not observed among children with a cat alone.

Living near busy roads tied to kids' lung risk (http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templates/health_news.asp?articleid=4688&zoneid=7)

Construction remediation aimed at the root cause of moisture sources and combined with a medical/behavioral intervention significantly reduces symptom days and health care use for asthmatic children who live in homes with a documented mold problem. (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17035145) Here are the Housing Guidelines for Asthma from Swale council (http://www.swale.gov.uk/media/adobepdf/Asthma_Leaflet.pdf)

[mr_rush]

OP - it is very difficult to diagnose a 15month old baby with asthma. To formally diagnose asthma you need to show serial fluctuations in lung function together with improved lung function with bronchodilator therapy.

Irrespective of this, the advice given above is good and worth following.
Many children grow out of the wheezy chesty episodes they experience as a baby