Asthma?? - De Pere,WI

As someone who has asthma and had it confirmed now, when I'm 42 years old, that my asthma is, in fact, triggered by the cold (cold weather, cold air, changes in the weather, eating or drinking something cold), I can sure sympathize with your daughter. I've had asthma since a child, usually triggered by talking or laughing too much, exercise, and the cold. The cold is the one that kept getting worse after I had my daughter, to the point that in the winter time, I would cough until I (literally) peed myself. It's not funny. I would cough so hard, it felt like my lungs were coming out of my chest, or that I would hack something up. Almost three years after having my daughter (who's now 10) I went on the lowest dose of Advair. That helped my asthma, especially in winter.

BUT, as I've learned these last two years, there are other reasons why a person gets asthma. I still have trouble with my asthma in the winter/cold, but if my body has enough Quercetin, then my asthma is drastically reduced. I also discovered that I have casein allergy, meaning I'm allergic to all cow products. Since I quit eating dairy and use goat, sheep, or coconut instead, I have noticed my asthma attacks have seriously diminished!! As well as my problems with pflegm and nasal and lung congestion. In fact, my asthma specialist can hardly believe that my asthma has improved as much as it has; he's in shock. I also have a severe intolerance to soy and gluten, along with some other foods, so maybe making sure I don't eat ANY of the foods my body is unable to tolerate is helping my asthma. I'm not sure, but I'm down to one puff a day on my Advair--and I live in WI, where it's cold more than it's hot!--and I might be able to go off Advair completely during the summer. YES!

I sincerely think asthma is related to something in the body that is out of whack, and as soon as you find out what the problem is and fix it, nine out of ten times, the asthma will go away as well. And if you can find the problem while young, your body has less time to get sick/really out of whack.

I'd recommend taking your daughter to a Naturopathic Doctor and having her tested for heavy metals (some of them can cause asthmalike symptoms), food allergies and intolerances, and for any malabsorption/nutrient depletion problems.

Good luck.

Yes, take her to a pediatric pulmonologist. My son has asthma and it's made a world of difference to see a specialist. Whether it's asthma or not, a specialist can help you. Although many of the medications used to treat asthma are steroids, they are usually inhaled and don't get into their entire system like oral medications. The doctor may also help you better identify the triggers and causes of her respiratory problems. In addition to the medical specialist, it might not hurt to see a chiropractor. I would find one who works with kids though and is willing to work with or in addition to traditional doctors. Good luck!

check for mold-friend of mines son-kept having severe asthma attacks-told her to switch schools..sure enuff-he got better real fast-the symptoms sounds like what happens to me when i come in contact with mold...check into..also the school should not be questioning a drs orders-but the the fresh air might just be saving her life thru the day...good luck

Hello D.,
I would encourage you to call your doctor back and ask the pending questions if you want answers from him/her. Yes, docs are busy, but your doc works for you and should be willing to address whatever concerns you. While it is important to have the medical intervention you need if it indeed is necessary, I, like you, prefer the natural approach when possible. I've worked with a number of moms addressing allergies and asthma concerns with their kids using natural strategies. We've used a three-pronged approach: 1) addressing the immediate situation with an anti-inflammatory nutrient; 2) strengthening the immune system nutritionally so that ongoing problems are minimized; and 3) eliminating toxins in the environment which can trigger attacks. If you want more info about this option, send me a PM and I'll get in touch.
Blessings,
A.

Hello D.,

Increase your daughter's magnesium intake (magnesium helps reduce lung inflamation). put a cup of epson salt in her bath water. Also, get 'smart medicine for a healthier child' book and read about asthma. do what you whatever you can to avoid any more episodes. the school should be able to keep her inside. otherwise, can you go and sit with her and play a boardgame during recess? Good luck! ~C.~

Definately see the specialist. As others have said you need to get her properly diagnosed and if it is asthma then under control with meds. As for the school, my daughter who has health conditions says inside all winter long. They have her go to the office and sit in the conference room which is acoss from the secretary desk. She usually gets to bring another student with her and they color or read books. Starting in Kindergarten her teacher put all the kids names in a cup and would draw one out for each recess to decide who got to stay inside with her. if that student didn't want to stay inside they would draw again until they got a kid that wanted to stay in. it worked great and still does. they can't tell you that there isn't someone inside that school that can't watch her over recess. that's ridiculous. just get a note from the doctor. Also check in the Americans with disabilities act. i found this for you when i goggled....but you still need the official diagnosis.

Q. Does the ADA apply to people with asthma and allergies?
A. Yes. In both the ADA and Section 504, a person with a disability is described as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or is regarded as having such impairments. Breathing, eating, working and going to school are "major life activities." Asthma and allergies are still considered disabilities under the ADA, even if symptoms are controlled by medication.

The ADA can help people with asthma and allergies obtain safer, healthier environments where they work, shop, eat and go to school. The ADA also affects employment policies. For example, a private preschool can not refuse to enroll children because giving medication to or adapting snacks for students with allergies requires special staff training or because insurance rates might go up. A firm can not refuse to hire an otherwise qualified person solely because of the potential time or insurance needs of a family member.

In public schools where policies and practices do not comply with Section 504, the ADA should stimulate significant changes. In contrast, the ADA will cause few changes in schools where students have reliable access to medication, options for physical education, and classrooms that are free of allergens and irritants.

http://www.ada.gov/

above is the Americans with disabilities act website.

Good luck!

You need to go to an asthma doctor. It does sound like asthma, which can be triggered by cold weather in some people. She probably needs to be on a daily controller medication to help prevent her asthma attacks.

If the doctor confirms it, read up on asthma -- there are lots of books and websites for parents of children with asthma. The tricky thing about asthma is that you, the parent, have a lot of responsibility for responding to symptoms. Her asthma doctor will give you a plan, so you know what to give her when she has various symptoms.

It is possible to get asthma under control. Good luck!

My youngest son has asthma and has had it since he was pretty young. We were going to the regular doctor and it didn't seem to help a lot so we took him to a pediatric allergist who found that he was breathing only 6 points more then what is concidered respitory arrest. He put him on some strong meds and we watched all the allergians in the house. Thing is, we didn't realize how bad his breathing was because he was so use to being low on oxygen that he adjusted for it. I would take him to a pediatric allergist and get it under control that way. Another good thing about doing that, they will teach you what to do and what to watch for.

Hi D.,

I just answered AV, it's three questions back (Eczema and Asthma). Go back and read it. The cold air is not the cause. It may exacerbate something but in my opinion fresh air helps respiratory conditions. doctors treat symptoms and very rarely get to the cause. I teach on the causes and try to help people remove them.

Get back to me if you'd like more info.

M.

Hello! I have a lot of experience with asthma, since I have dealt with it since I was a preteen, my husband has it, and it looks like my two little girls have it. You said it correctly, there are different "triggers" for asthma. Mine included allergies (cigarette smoke, cat and some dog dander, dust mites, trees, grass, yikes!!), exercise, and, yes, cold air (especially exercise in cold air, which is what your daughter does at recess). The main trigger for my husband and my daughters is a cold - it goes straight to their chest. I'm not sure what the ped means by letting the lungs "recover" after being outside. The first thing you need to do is go to the specialist the school nurse recommended. The specialist you need to see is called a pediatric pulmonologist. I'm no doctor, but from what I've experienced, if your daughter does have asthma, she needs to be on a maintenance medication to control her asthma, every day. One of the best, if not THE best, medicine for this is fluticasone (brand name Flovent). It is a corticosteroid but it is not used to treat an attack that has already started; rather, it is used daily to prevent attacks (and thus the "maintenance" label). If your daughter has asthma, it really needs to be under control, or she will continue to struggle with attacks and possible scarring of her lung tissue. She will also likely get an inhaler with a bronchodilator, most often albuterol (brand name Xopenex, Proventil, etc). This is a "rescue" medication that is taken in the event of an attack (it may be what she has been given already). If her asthma is well-controlled, she should not need the rescue meds very often. As far as the school/outside issue, once she's on the meds, it shouldn't be a big deal. Until then, have her wrap a scarf around the lower half of her face when she's at recess. Also, see if she can breathe more through her nose. These things will warm up the air going into her lungs and cause less asthmatic reaction. She should also probably limit her physical activity outside in the cold (at least until her asthma is under control). Anyway! This is rather long, sorry about that. Get her to the specialist and get the asthma under control, and it's not a big deal! God bless you as you sort this out!

The school won't comply just yet because there is no diagnosis. Get one ASAP from a breathing specialist. If she needs to stay inside based on Dr.'s orders then the school HAS to comply. Be as procative as you can. Take the needed steps so your can do what is necessary to take care of your daughter. And if the school gets upset that she has to stay in - oh well. That isn't your concern. Your child's well-being is your focus.

Hi! As I read your question, even though I can't offer advice, I am wondering also what a person can do in this situation. My daughter who is almost 5 and will be in Kindergarten next year has the exact same thing happening. When she's active outside in the cold air, as soon as she comes in from it, she starts to wheeze and kind of cough for about an hour and a half. Then she can breath okay again. Her doctors haven't diagnosed asthma, but say it does sound like an 'exercise induced asthma' which they recommend a neubulizer for. They recommended we have her do a neub treatment BEFORE going outside and it might prevent these episodes. We just have learned this as she was hospitlized for severe pneumonia for the second time this year, so we are slowly finding out how it all is affecting her. I'm wondering if your doctor may check into having the school do neubulizer treatments for her before going outside and see if that might help her. If her doctor does decide to give this a try, the school nurse should be able to have her come to the office for treatment before going outside. Blessings :)

Cold weather always triggered my asthma. But I just wanted to say that as a teacher, I think it's ridiculous that the school can't keep her inside. God forbid she goes outside and has an attack and gets really ill. Can she not sit in the clinic until recess is over? Our students either go to the library or the office and read a book until recess/PE is over. As a parent you need to fight for your child's health and well being. If the doctor wants to keep her inside while it's cold until this is all figured out, then you need to do that. I know of some parents that threatened a lawsuit bc the school did not keep their child from PE (on dr.'s orders) when he had a sprained ankle. (Though I'm not say you should/would do that!) Good luck and stand up for your daughter at school.

Do they have a dr excuse to keep her inside for recess? If they do how can they deny it? Also do they really want you to keep her out of school for two weeks because the dr doesn't want ther playing outside? It's not like she contagious or can't participate in class discussion. Would they not give out medication during a recess becasue it's a lunch break? I find it hard to believe that every teacher or person is on lunch break at the same time. Who is manning the phones if people call? Who is watching the kids outside? Who helps children when they get hurt? To me it just sounds like they don't want to do it not that they can't do it. You would think they would want to help figure out what is wrong with a child instead of helping to hurt that child. I would go back to the school and ask them these question and make sure you have a dr. note stating that this needs to be done for her health. If they refuse go higher up.

The only true way that they can diagnose asthma is to have your daughter do a pulmonary function test and for that to be interpreted the correct way I would take her to a pulmonologist.
Hope things turn out well...