Asthma - Kansas City,MO

My son was just diagnosed with it after his 3rd attack and he is 3.5. He had one last Feb-breathing really fast after I picked him up from school. Doctors said it was some kind of lung infection. In Feb he had the same thing again, then followed by a cold about 2-3 weeks later so they diagnosed him. He is now on an inhaler twice a day for a month. I did all the allergy testing and there wasnt much, but he does have food allergies-peanuts/nuts are life threatening, and slight to eggs. It seems as if he is sick all the time too, and it sucks, but the inhaler seems to be helping, and I had to give him allergy meds yesterday. I hope it gets better as well.

Not sure what your income is, but Children's Mercy has a healthy home program where they will come in and inspect your house for mold and allergens. Is there a chance it could be mold (behind your walls)?

Have you had him tested for allergies? Sometimes if you avoid things he's allergic to, his asthma isn't triggered. I've heard of people moving to houses with no carpeting and their kids don't need meds anymore b/c they were allergic to dust mites, for example. Good luck..

If you haven't already seen an allergist, you need to do so.

Clear his room of any and all stuffed animals and anything that can trap dust. Be sure to clean, dust and vacuum daily and see if this helps. My brother had asthma and after this asthma cleared immediately and only had allergies. My sister and I have had asthma since we were young and still do, we live in different houses now and environement isnt a trigger for us, weather and laughter is (believe it or not lol) Also check for mold...my friends son recently was diagnosed and he didnt want all that medicine being taken so they checked for mold, they had it in their apt and they moved and now no more meds!

I agree with the poster about seeing an allergiest.

That said, I've had asthma since I was 6, and have been on meds for it and other allergies my entire life. Honestly, it just becomes part of life. Because I call tell you that unmanaged asthma is horrible - if it's not life threatening. Try breathing through a coffee stir only. That's what an asthma attack feels like.
But it sounds like there's larger issues at foot if he's been constantly sick.

I would not try messing with homeopathic stuff for managing his breathing. But you might be able to get a handle on the rest of it if you can find out what's triggering him.

Sorry mom, good luck.

ask your doctor about a nebulizer. You do 4 treatments a day and should notice a big difference in a week or 2. It helped my kids a lot. Also if you are burning wood for heat STOP! We found that out as our oldest son got a lot worse when we lived in a house that only had a wood stove for heat. He sounded awful and wasn't getting better until the dr finally asked if we burned wood and that was the ultimate cure. We bought ceramic heaters for each room that shut off if they get tipped over so they were safe and don't cause fires. The new Edenpure heaters they have out now work great too to heat bigger open space areas. As soon as we quit burning wood he got 100 percent better and was off all meds within a week and rarely used his inhaler after that winter.

Keep him away from smokers, even the smell of their clothes can cause breathing problems. Dust also doesn't help so dust and vacuum often. Watch your windows for mold.. we lived in one apt that the windows had so much condensation that they would get mold in the tracks and had to clean the tracks out at least once a month.

We moved a lot when the kids were little so different climates affected their breathing.

Oldest was born in California.. he was born healthy but developed asthma symptoms at 3 months and coughed constantly with that cough and had nebulizer treatments every few weeks until we moved to Washington state. He did very well there and only occasionally used his inhaler during the fall and spring months but usually developed a cough during those seasons. We moved to TN--burned wood that first winter and he got awful--after we quit burning wood then he was fine and didn't have to use his inhaler again the following 2 years we were there. We moved to Georgia and all 3 of my kids developed asthma problems there to the point the doctor prescribed a nebulizer to use at home for all 3 of them. We lived there 3 years and moved to Kansas City and have been here 7 years. oldest that had all the asthma issues since 3 months old hasn't needed to use his inhaler at all since we moved here. The dr still monitors his asthma and says he still can't pass the breathing test so still has a mild case and still prescribes an inhaler for emergencies but he hasn't needed to use it at all. 2nd child has no issues and is very healthy here but was sick a lot in Georgia. 3rd one still uses nebulizer usually in the fall months and the dr is monitoring him but hasn't determined if he still has asthma or not--it is mild and usually occurs a month or 2 in the fall months. Playing in the leaves also triggers his and how to keep kids out of a leaf pile is pretty much impossible so he has to deal with coughing several weeks after playing in the leaves.

They can grow out of it and sometimes the environment can trigger asthma symptoms. If you have old carpet in your house that could be a major issue. Brand new carpet can also cause breathing problems with that strong new smell. Hardwood floors are best because carpet has so much dirt and dust trapped under it and in the padding. If you have ever taken out a carpet you will see and gross out knowing all that dirt was in your house and you didn't know it.

It does usually get better and he may even grow out of his as he gets older or when you figure out what allergies are triggering his. Since he just got over pheumonia he just probably needs more time to get better.

You can use a cool mist humidifier too, it helps but make sure you keep it clean so you aren't putting more pollutants into the air. The hot ones are not good for asthma.

Do not use cough suppressants. Cough syrups are suppressants. This keeps him from coughing and keeps the junk trapped in his lungs. Menthol cough drops are suppressants. Luden's has cough drops that aren't suppressants and are basically like candy. You can also buy the sugar free hard candies that are basically the same thing.

Hope your little one gets better soon.

When I was 9 years old my brother who was 5 passed out from his first asthma attack and my mother found him in the floor. He was on all sorts of medication then and stuff to burn and breathe, etc. That was in the 1950's. Much has changed since then. One of our sons had it hit him about the same age (4 or 5 )and he was on medication and we made monthly trips to the ER and it became a real issue. Then we went to an allergist who was head of allergy at Children's Mercy and in Overland Park too and he said asthma is nothing to mess around with, can be fatal and that our son's next step was death. It really made me listen. He put him on Prednisone which my brother had been on years before but he put him on large doses. I was very concerned but he explained that you have to clear up the inflamation that is deep in the lungs or you are masking it with inhalers and then it will come back worse and worse and those are the people who die from it. So after a bit on Prednisone and then on inhalers our son was under control. He's now on Advair and we now have a granddaughter on it too. You can keep the house clean, no carpets, beds in covered allergy zippers, etc, but I would see an allergist and be tested first and then go from there. I think it is often just hereditary and you just have to treat it even if you do all the 'right' things at home. Our allergist said no blinds, no carpets, no stuffed animals, etc. It really didn't help that much and you have to live in the world too. I would try to eliminate those things though if you can. It will get better if you get a good doctor and the right medications and also swimming is the best exercise for asthma as it expands the lungs and our son was told to swim often and so was our granddaughter. Some asthma is brought on only by running so I wouldn't suggest that as a sport.

My daughter was 1.5 when she contracted RSV and ever since then every winter is trial/error with asthma (starting in October). We have a nebulizer at home and just previously started seeing a pediatric pulmonoligist who put her on nasonex and Qvar 2x aday . . . (we were on Prednisone 4 times in a 2 month period) . . since the new daily meds started, we havent used prednisone nor have we been to the ER yet this year. last year every other weekend we were in the ER due to her asthma . . Problem is she is fine until she gets the slightest cold wherein it makes her asthma go in full blown mode. We now have an asthma action plan and it is working for us. I suggest trying to see a ped. pulmonoligist. My DH thought she was on too much meds (which she is) but we are being proactive so we dont end up in a terrible situation. For us, it is getting a little better. There are also Naturpaths out there who would treat your son differently . . . I hope you find the right answer . . . it's very difficult watching a child suffer. hugs

I haven't gone through it... but we're going through it with our 8yo. (Hospitalized 1st time in Feb). Of course now I'm wracking my brain over every little thing for YEARS now trying to see if I was missing a pattern. Sigh. Maybe. Maybe not. He "slowed down" a lot at about age 4 (used to run 3-6 miles a day plus 8-10 hours of constant movement/exercise) and he was *fast*. We attributed his slowing down to maturing/ other interests. So is it? Isn't it? God knows. These stupid scenarios just keep running though my head day and night. Mom-guilt is really and truely a superpower.

We're in for 3 hours of testing with the asthma and allergy group tomorrow, then pulmonolgy following those tests then cardiology on the 23rd.

Wheee. Poor kiddo. ((And, quite frankly, my brain hurts))

get him in to a sport. it will help his asthma. honestly this sounds ridiculous but it worked for me i have been inhaler free for5 yrs. second get a hepa filter and matress covers and pillow covers. and get rid of all chemicals. clean with baking soda and vinegar only. i buy all free and clear. sensative skin soap and body wash.get a saline spray for his nose. it gets better when you study how to control asthma without meds. i still use them occasionally like benedryl and saline spray every day. but things like i mentioned will help tremendously. and get a mold test and test your house. it may be something hidden. go to about.com and sign up for the allergy and asthma blogs you will learn a lot and post any and all questions in there you will moreless become an expert after that. also check out webmd.com. good luck

My son has had asthma since he was three. He had RSV as a baby and was more susceptable. I don't know of alternatives - my doctor emphasized that this can be life threatening - but I work with the KC Allergy and Asthma clinic now and they are remarkable. They work with you to keep the meds as low as possible and still be effective. In the spring and summer, my son has an inhaler, nose spray, eye drops, Singulair to prevent and allergy meds. Whew! BUT, I am able to wean him off of these each fall and get nearly 5 months of the year when he takes nothing. It helped to pinpoint what allergies triggered the asthma. It has stopped all of the pneumonia and respiratory illnesses, tho!

I have had asthma all my life and I'm 48. I too am on 2 daily meds for asthma and 1 for allergies plus my rescue inhaler. I feel much better then struggling for breath everyday some people out grow it mine just has gotten worse with age. You might want to have your duct work cleaned if you have a fan forced heating/ cooling system and hemp filters. An air purifier will help and don't get an ionized kind it hard to breath ( have no idea why). If he has carpet in his room you might consider going to tile or vacuum daily and if you can get a hemp filter vacuum. .I wish you the best of luck be sure he gets plenty of fluids as the meds do make you very dry and will help with then mucus in his lungs.