Just Found Out My Son Has Asthma

I have had asthma since I was a kid and now I make breathing my life as I am a Respiratory Therapist. Some suggestions from other moms were very good. If you didnt get a Peak Flow Meter or a spacer to use with the inhaler you should talk to your doctor about those. The peak flow meter will help you and your son learn to tell when his asthma is acting up. They are very easy to use and may even be fun at first. They just take a deep breathe and blow as hard as he can into it. By getting this number you will be able to tell how much air is he is getting out which is very important because like another mom mentioned asthmatics have trouble getting air out. Depending on the number he may need to use his inhaler or if it very low then a trip to the ER may be in order.

A general rule for use of the rescue inhaler is every 4-6 hours as needed. I mentioned a spacer above, this is a plastic tube in which the inhaler is placed at one end and the other is a one way valve with the mouthpiece. The eliminates many problems people have in coordinating actuating the inhaler and breathing in. It also allows for more medicine to get into the lungs instead of the back of the throat. Another tip is if your son does have a cold it is not going to hurt to use the Xopenex regularly. Giving him 2 puffs four times a day may just help him make it through a normal cold without major breathing issues.

My next suggestion would be to get a pulmonologist if you dont already have one. They are much better at managing your childs asthma than a regular doctor would be. In time you will learn what effects your sons asthma. Keeping a journal of what was going on before he was having trouble would help. Asthma is all about triggers and the sooner you learn what they are the better your child will feel. You will in time learn the signs of when your son is not feeling well. Many moms gave you great clues and I am sure that if you think about it you can tell when something is just not right with him. To this day my family can look at me and know if I am even having a little trouble. A good sign that I didnt see mentioned is if you find your son in a "tripod" position. That would be sitting up leaning forward with his arms holding him up.

If I can be of anymore help let me know.
T.
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1 mom found this helpful

My 5 year old has asthma (allergy related) he is on Flovent, Albuterol inhaler, and sigulair, Clairtan...

The flovent is the preventative... so he takes that 2 times daily. The singulair and Claritan are preventatives too... he has food allergies (all legumes including soy (mild), peanut (severe) and peas (well super severe)

The Albuterol he has when he has asthma symptoms. For him, he has little coughs constantly (mild) or is wheezing when he talks/breaths, or is coughing a lot at night. Pretty much when in doubt I give him Albuterol.

My 10 year old son has asthma to, after a while you get the hang of when he needs to use his inhaler. Listen to his breathing, if he seems to be having a hard time breathing, or his breathing sounds kindy wheezy or rattled, he should take his inhaler, or if it hurts him to take a breath. Make sure when he goes out in the cold, that his mouth is covered, breathing in cold air can kinda agravate the asthma.

Good Luck

P.

I agree with the poster that said to talk to the doctors. Request a consult and write all your questions down. That way you won't forget anything when you get there. Don't beat yourself up over not knowing, these things sneak up on us as parents. We do the best we can but we're not psychic. Give yourself a pat on the back for being a loving concerned mama and give the doc a call. I think it will set your mind at ease to have your questions answered by a professional.

Hi,
I have 2 kids that have asthma. My oldest is 13 and then my 6 year old has it also. Dan my oldest only takes albutorel as needed. Doug my 6 year old is on azmacort 2x a day. Plus albuterol as needed. We also have a neubulizer. When we found out with both of our kids that they had asthma, it was hard. We had no clue what to look for. If they are coughing at night and not during the day that is asthma. My 6 year old when he was first diagnosed his was way out of control. But it does take time. I know with my 6 year old if he starts clearing his throat alot like there is something in it then we give him his inhaler.
Any signs of chest pain, we give the inhaler.
Don't feel bad u are new to this, and it's going to take a little while for u to get use to it. I know our family dr. is a great help to us.

Their cough is usually a harsher cough, and sounds more like a croupy cough..... You will notice it is worse at night !!!
I have 2 children w/ it, and each is different... One is more tends to produce more mucus w/ hers.... So, watch at night if he goes into a coughing spell he may tend to choke a little (but please don't be alarmed).... Make sure you prop him up a little higher w/more pillows, it helps better with breathing at night!!!!!
I'm not sure what tends to flare you childs asthma, but some factors (as I'm sure they've told you) can be play/activity, cold weather, colds (illness), smoke, pet dander, dust, etc.
My children seem to have problems when the weather changes drasticly, the weather is extremely cold, or they are sick....

Also, now that you know that he has asthma you need to watch what cold medications you give to him.... Make sure with you doctor/pharmacy first before giving it to him......

I hope I have been of some help to you!!!!!

S. my older son has ashtma. Found out at age 2 he is 4 almost 5 now. If you think this cough is not ashtma related have him checked out. Whats the worse thing they can tell you? not sure why they would put a 7 year old on Asmanex its for children 12 and older. the xopenex is used to relax the lungs. so for when to use the inhaler I would use it right before you give him the asmanex. In doubt call the dr. they have his chart and can tell you when to use them.

Please ask your doctor. He or she has the correct answers.

i have asthma and the differance for me is i start breathing really fast almost hyperventalating comes with the cough plus i act hyper. hope this helps.

Hi S. , My name is L. , I also have Asthma and it sucks having it ...I am sorry your son has it , The time to use the inhaler is when he cant breathe , short of breath or sounds as if hes sucking air ...