Asthma

C.
If you will change your laundry detergent to one without chemicals and also convert your whole home to cleaning products without chemicals, your son's asthma will improve very much.

I can share information from other Mom's who have done this and it has helped thier children.

Also this is not expensive, just switching stores and I have a home business with safer, healthier products without the chemicals at wholesale prices (less expensive)
L. Guinnee
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____@____.com

Hi C.
I know what you are going thru, my son was born 2 month early and both of my son was diagnosed with asthma, so my only advice for is to stay on top of his meds and make sure you find out what triggers his asthma, keep him away from them if possible. I know for my boys it is smoke of any kind and the season’s changes. Good luck
A.

C. - though asthma can be scary, if you keep it under good medical control - your son should face no limitations. the most important advice i can give is have your sons' asthma managed by a pediatric pulmonologist - NOT a pediatrician, allergist, etc. it is really important. if you need some names or referrals in the chicago area - let me know.

I do not have experience with this problem, but I have recently started a new nutritional product that I have heard has good results with these problems. Let me know if you want more info. Good luck, G.

Hi C.,
There are some things you can do nutritionally to help your son along. the biggest thign I'd recommend though would be to switch to nontoxic cleaners if you haven't already. Leading brands are full of chemicals that degrade the immune system. Because we are so overwhelmed by these toxins everywhere we turn, we are seeing a huge jump in the rate of allergies and asthma in kids. As a Shaklee distributor, I can assure you that their products are the best. I've seen a ton of testimonials to this affect and can pass some information along to you if you'd like. The proof is in the pudding though - my almost 2 year old daughter is healthy as a horse, almost never sick and is doing great.

Thanks,
K.

I have a 2.5 year old son with asthma. We are down to pulmicort 1x daily and albuteral as needed. My son also has allergies including food allergies. His asthma is triggered by both allergies and cold viruses. Good luck.

I'm sorry, I don't have any advice for your situation. I just wanted to take a minute to tell you something. My daughter who is now almost 3 was also born 3 months early. When I read your post, the first thing I did was thank God that my daughter does not have lung disease. Then because I couldn't offer any advice, I deleted the email. Before I could move on to my next email, my spirit nudged me to pray for your son. Then I asked God that all the mamas who read your post would also be moved to pray for your son. I don't know if you're a believer, but I am and prayer is powerful. I'm praying for your strength and your son's healing. I hope after reading this, other people are praying for you, too. Be blessed!

My daughter was also born at 27 weeks & has BPD, we used to do the pulmacort 2x's daily & albuterol if I heard wheezing or saw retractions in her rib cage. She is now 31months & doing great--I have currently stopped the pulmacort & only use the albuterol when she has a bad cold. She has not been diagnosed with asthma however I also do not let her have fuzzy things(stuffed animals, fuzzy blankets, etc) anything that may harbor dust or dust mite & I wash her bedding very regularly. I also use a organice crib mattress pad especially designed to alleviate dust & dust mites, which was quite pricey, but I bought it at Babies R Us & I really feel by being very conscientious about dust particles mites & where they may thrive it has really helped my daughter be able to wean off the nebulizer. Her lungs will grow & heal until she is about 7 years old which is what my pulmonologist told me, so as long as I am able to keep some of the allergans at bay, I feel that this can only improve her condition. Good Luck, & feel free to contact me with any questions.

A.

Yes! My daughter had RSV at 3 months of age, and for the 3 years since then has had chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. Every little cold turns into a horrible cough for her. We took her to a pulmonoligist at Childrens Memorial in CDH. She was diagnosed w/ asthma and also uses Pulmicort daily and Xopenex as needed thru a nebulizer. It works great. Her asthma is not triggered by exercise, just by catching a virus. I know of other children who have received the same treatment, so it's pretty standard. Hopefully they will outgrow this!
Best wishes!

We had the exact same thing with my son, now 13. I have 2 words for you: Allergy shots. He did them from age 5-7, and our life has been completely different since then. We finally went off ALL medications at age 9. It was with great joy that I relegated the nebulizer to his closet. We only have flare-ups with a bad upper respiratory virus.

C.-
Was just reading the responses you received & noticed everyone praising the great results of pulmicort. Pulmicort is an inhaled STEROID. It does not keep airways healthy or heal scarring of the lungs as someone suggested. It suppresses the immune system so the airways do not react to perceived irritants & become inflamed. It masks the symptoms-it does not cure asthma. I would suggest you do some reading on steroids and their side effects. Also on natural alternatives that involve nutrition & especially digestion. Don't just assume every drug your doctor gives you is safe or it's the only answer. Always question & seek the most information possible from all sources & sides. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER & TRUST YOUR GUT
Blessings-Cindy

We do the exact same thing for my son who is almost 14 months old. He was born 5 days early but has had breathing problems since about 4 months on. At 8 months old he was finally diagnozed with asthma. Luckily (and regretable) he has only been to the hospital once (he really should have been a couple of other times but staying up all night with him kept him out) in April and that's when his ped. prescribed pulmacort daily. We haven't had to give him "rescue" treatments in over a month which is amazing and the longest time ever that we haven't. I completely know what you are going through! After months of telling the doctor that he had more than just a cold I'm so relieved to know that my feelings were true and now he can get the help he needs when he has a breathing problem.

My son was about 18 months when he first started having breathing problems. At the age of 3 we were in the hospital every spring and fall for 2 years with 2-4 day hospital stays because of the asthma. He wasn't diagnosed until he was 41/2. He currently is on Singular, Zyrtec and pulmicort once a day for maintenance. We only use the Albuterol as needed. Not until he was 4 did the Ped nurse at the hospital recommend we see an pediatric asthma/allergy specialist. We found out his allergies were: cats, dogs, Motrin and all peanuts and treenuts & cigarette smoke and campfires. It was a relief to finally find out what his triggers were. Also on another note, I breast fed him until he was 13 months old because he also had eczema since he was 6 weeks old. He was allergic to all milk products so I had to read all the labels with the baby food and other jar foods we were getting. Check with a Ped allergist so you know what he/you are dealing with and you will have more of an understanding on how to help him. I'm bummed it took us so long to find out. He's better and more in control now. Good luck!!

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel.
My son was also diagnosed with asthma at 17 months and was premature. He is now 4 years old. We also did pulmicort but we used Xopenex as a rescue. Albuterol wound him up to much. We were able to switch from pulmicort to Flovent (which is used with a puffer and aerochamber - 2 puffs and your done) when he was 2 1/2 and also fo off for the summer months since his trigger was a cold.
He was released from his pulmonologist in Jan. and has been off of Flovent since. She believes that he has just about outgrown it. We have not had any episodes (knock on wood) so far. We keep a prescription of Xopenex handy just in case.
Be sure to keep doing the Pulmicort religously, it helps to keep the airway healthy and to heal scarring that has happened from previuos episodes.
Good Luck.

Hi C.,

My daughter and I both suffer from Asthma. Sounds like you are already doing a great job of caring for your child’s needs! I congratulate you on being on top of it, at his tender age!

There is another area that is CRITICAL for him, you, and the rest of your family! Are you aware of the dangers of the many common TOXIC chemicals in the home? I have found that information totally devastatingly shocking! Please allow me a chance to tell you about the wonderful, naturally SAFE TOXIN-FREE solution that I have found!! It has made an amazing difference for me, and for my daughter's family! With my asthma, I gasp for air every time I am in the store NEAR the TOXINS aisle! I thank God that I have found this wonderful, HEALTHY solution for myself, my family, and my home!
Please reply to my email or give me a call at ###-###-#### and allow me to tell you about it. Also, check out this site: http://www.livetotalwellness.com/bevk for more info.
Please do YOURSELF a favor and let me help you! I CAN HELP!
B. K

My son's story is similar to many others that have responded. I am happy to tell you that at 3 1/2 years old he seems to have out grown it. We have the nebulizer stored away now in the closet and it has not seem the light of day in many, many months. I hope the same for you :)

My 19 month old son has asthma as well. And he was born full term and a great size.(8 pounds 1 oz)!! He had RSV when he was just about 2 months old and was air lifted to University of Chicago where he spent 8 days there!! So scarey!!!! He did end up in the hospital 2 more time that season with RSV again!! He under went test after test and the last test they did was for asthma and he has a very bad case of it!! He too is on pulacort 2 times a day and albuterol as needed as well. He has the most problems this summer with the heat and just being outside!! I know he has outdoor allergies as well..as they go hand and hand!! He is our baby of 6 children(oldest is 9years old, twins that are 7 and a 4 year old and a 3 year old and then our baby of 19 months)!! I know what you are going through, but everytime I get upset about it I realize we have him here with us and children can live with asthma!! Keep the faith and know you have other to talk to!!

Hi C.,

My neice had problems with asthma as an infant. Her doctor suggested they put her in swimming classes to strengthen her lungs. She started swimming lessons at 6 months. She's now 14, swims like a fish and hasn't needed to use a nebulizer since. Hope this helps!