Does anyone have asthma?

[Kim]

my 5 year old just got diagnosed with asthma yesterday, and I want to know what I can expect.

[Markel]

When my second son was about 3 he came down with asthma. It seemed that something was acting as an irritant. He needed some nebulizer treatments for a while. But in a couple of years he seemed to grow out of it for the most part. He still keeps an albuterol inhaler available for the rare occasion that he feels he needs it, but it hardly ever is the case any more. I hope this is short-time problem for your 5-year-old.

[Jenny]

At this age, it is hard to predict if it is a lifetime thing or if it is something temporary that he will grow out of, like Markel said.

We'll be thinking about him. Poor kid. :( (And about you, too! Poor mom & dad! :( :) )

[chrissy]

I have to agree with them. We thought Audie was heading there last year and she pulled through with just really bad seasonal allergies.

[Markel]

Kim,

You might want to consider if there are any known asthma-irritants that might be instigating the attack. In my case, it might have been that I was varnishing a front door (it was in an enclosed front porch, and I was forcing ventilation out of the porch, but some of the fumes might have been getting into the house). Oil based paints, varnishes, etc., and a number of other environmental things can be a cause. Here's (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/asthma/intro/) a web page with some information about this.

Sometimes a good air filter can be a big help.

[edit] Another good source of trigger information is at http://www.ohsuhealth.com/allergy/astrigs.asp

[johnnymk]

I have had a low grade of asthma all of my life. Some years are better than others. I have been taking allergy shots for about five years and they help me tremendously.
Allergy testing would be an excellent idea to see what he's allergic to.

[Kim]

Thanks All, for your help, and the links gave me great info Markel. It seems that this is hereditary from her dad's horrible allergies, so hopefully when she is older she will just get hayfever instead of all this wheezing/coughing. Thanks again!

[Nija]

I have asthma. It blows. I have one of the badder cases, but it's not horrible. I carry two inhalers with me at all times. One I take 2 times a day, and the other is the "emergency" inhaler and that is to be used as needed. Always hope the emergency inhaler takes care of the problem, because if it's presists you have to take them to the hospital to get a breathing treatment, where you kid gets to sit there like a gimp while breathing through a tube. I never took the allergy test, I've just found what I'm allgeric to through trial and error. I'm allergic to grass (especially fresh cut) almost all prefumes and fragrances, dust and Mold. Smoggy days are bad, exercise sucks (buf if they don't collapse it makes them stronger :P). Most asthmatic kids have problems during spring and summer, I'm weird.. i have the most problems during fall and winter..

Chest colds and anything having to do with breathing will hit your kid harder than normal (as i've come to experience {as I have a really bad cough right now}). Try to see if your doctor can get the kid some steroids (that's the inhaler I take twice a day) they have been helping me out a lot.

[Kim]

Thanks Nija...sorry to hear your asthma is so bad. Ashley's did start out as a cold, but the cough has lasted for more than a month. No other cold symptoms. Right now she has to take albuterol by nebulizer every 4 hours, and a steroid treatment once a day. It seems to be helping already, but this getting up during the night kinds sucks.

[johnnymk]

I really can not emphasize the importance of allergy shots. Before I had them, I had that tired achy feeling practically every day. Along with tightness in my chest, it simulates depression.
Albuterol is a temporary fix which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I haven't had to use it for a long time.
Spring will be coming up real soon. That's when I generally have problems. The period for allergy problems lasts for about 5 weeks in the spring. Also, late August to the first frost is when I have my second spell.
I believe that there are many side effects to the use of Albuterol type of inhalers. I think that it is a steroid, which has long term effects. I really try to avoid inhalers if I can.

[Nija]

Originally posted by Kim
Thanks Nija...sorry to hear your asthma is so bad. Ashley's did start out as a cold, but the cough has lasted for more than a month. No other cold symptoms. Right now she has to take albuterol by nebulizer every 4 hours, and a steroid treatment once a day. It seems to be helping already, but this getting up during the night kinds sucks.

*shrug* I know people that have to keep a breathing treatment machine at their homes or wherever the child is, because the inhalers do not work for them, so I feel fortunate that it's not that bad.

That sounds like what they put me on when I get "sick" (i'm not offically sick yet :P) Ventolin every four hours, Qvar every 12, and sometimes, if I'm really lucky I get to take some pills (don't remember their name, but they suck)... eventually after all that... I get to take something to help me beat the sickness into submission...

[molecularfire]

For inhalers, I'd go with the epinephrine ones. Oh, and you might also check with your doctor. Genetec has a drug out (can't think of the name right now... it's the anti-IgE one) that's very good against both allergies and asthma. It's basically as close to a cure for allergies as you can get right now, but it works for asthma also.