Life with an Asthma Kid - Is It Asthma?

Hi,

My daughter was diagnosed with bronchitis at 9 months. She started using a nebulizer at that time. They "upgraded" the diagnosis to asthma when she was two. The treatment was the same. It seems that they wait to diagnose asthma is infants as this follows their insurance records.

Some triggers that my daughter has are, weather change (barimeteric pressure), colds or virus will also activate asthma, and exposure to smoke. (We do not smoke but camp fires, bbq grills, construction on a roof, forest fires. etc.)

There are many other possible triggers. Food, allergies indoor or outdoor. Pet dander.

Saline helps. Nebulizer has been invaluable. I would purchase a machine or look into getting your insurance company to purchase a machine. The albuterol by liquid takes a day to activate, the machine delivers immediately. We were told to use it anytime she coughed. It helped with the cold symptoms as well.

If you get the albuterol that you mix, you can use the machine to deliver saline only when a cold is the only problem. This helps to keep buildups to a minimum. As for outgrowing, my sister did. She wasn't diagonsed until her teen years and exercise was her only trigger. She did outgrow it but my child is now 13 and no such luck.

The American Lung Association put out a book that I bought many years ago. It is titled "Family guide to asthma and allergies". I found it to be helpful. I am sure they have resources that have been updated since this publication 1997.

When you hear a wheeze, rattle, or feeding is interrupted, give treatment.

Also, my asthma is triggered by heartburn and reflux. The gastro will trigger asthma.

Hope this helps, B.

Something you said triggered a thought: has he been evaluated for cystic fibrosis?

Call Heather Michelle at ###-###-#### and ask her about XanGo's mangosteen juice. I believe with all my heart that XanGo will help him. It's good for allergies and asthma so it it is one of those two things, this will help. Heather is a single mom of two boys and I like to send her referrals to help grow her XanGo home business! :)

PS Why give your child a medication with side effects if you can give him a natural food product that will take care of the product? :)

Hi, I'm new to mamasource but wanted to respond to your post. I don't know if you've found any resolve to you son's Asthma, but I wanted to suggest to you a product to try. I would encourage you to give Mona Vie a shot. It's an all natural fruit juice with 19 different berries. I know, it sounds crazy that drinking juice could do anything for your son, but honestly, it has done amazing things for people. I searched real quick for some testimonials from people (I don't know) with allergies, bare in mind, they are from adults, but the possibilities are there that it could help your son as well. Check out these blogs and also my site, or send me an email and I can get you more information.
http://tucsonmonavie.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/alergy-reli...
http://www.724hosting.com/monavie.html
http://www.mountainmonavie.com/Site%202/Introduction.html

my site is www.mymonavie.com/forgottenfruit
I am truly confident that you would see improvement in your son's health. And would offer you a free bottle to get started when you join and place an initial order.

I know this sounds more like a sales pitch, but I feel as though I must share this with anyone that is suffering, because of the great results I've seen in my own life.

Hope to hear from you soon.
D.

Has he been tested for Allergies? I would also try to use all natural cleaning products. Studies show bleach and other phosphorus cleaners in laundry soap and around the house can cause asthma symptoms.
Good Luck
J.

Hi P.,
I know what you are going through. It took Dr.'s 4 yrs to finally get my sons diagnosis right. There are so many things that he can be allergic too. From your description it sounds as if he does have allergies. The only problem with that is he is very young and it is hard to diagnosis what he is allergic to. My son is allergic to almost everything under the sun. (Oak Trees, grass, mold, soy, dairy, wheat, eggs) He had to be put on Nutramagen formula when he was younger and now drinks rice milk. Those are a few examples. Try some benadryl one night and see if this helps with the mucus. My son also has asthma and eczema, we did not know he was allergic to all fabrics with the exception of cotton until he was 4. So he was always broken out in a rash and had open sores in his feet you could put the edge of a penny into. Now my son is 10 and we have his allergies and asthma under control. Although when it gets cooler outside and he exerts himself his asthma gets worse. He also has almost grown out of his eczema.
Again try the benadryl see if this clears up your son. And good luck.
S.

Well, upon first reading, and all the doctors you must have been thru or with to find this diagnosis. My one thought while reading your letter is: What is this child allergic to?
My sons in the early 1970's was allergic to MILK formula and milk until about a year old. We had a terrible time with soy bean formula, but got thru it. Both are healthy and non allergic to milk today. They have some allergies, but have grown into healthy young men. The best to you.
n

I feel your pain. Did you go to full term on the prenancy? The lungs are the last to develop. The baby's lungs might have not been fully develop ( this happened to my nephew and he is getting better)is he on a nebulizer?I was diganosed at 3 with servere asthma. What I can say to you is that there will be a lot of trial and error. A lot you can do yourself! Most asthma has trigers. Try changing his diet and go as organic as possible no boxed or things from a jar. get rid of stinky or stong smells, try using johson's soothing vapor bath. Take a hot seaming shower and then bring the baby in and squirt the vapor bath. It works! Ask dr. first but what works for me is I take a lot of vitamin c. You might have to try several medications before you find one that works for you. have the Dr show you how to do CPT on his back. Have you gone to a pulmonologist yet? Reduce your stress level and the baby stress level. Play calm music. I know this is a lot to take in and it will get better!!!
N.

Hi,

I was just reading your post and my son was the same way as a baby. He did end up having tons of food allergies. They tested him for Cystic Fibrosis and it was negative. He had that horrible rattle in his chest. After the CF test was negative we took him back for allergy testing and it turned out he was allergic to beef, chicken, dairy, oats and tomatoes. As soon as we eliminated the dairy he was like a new kid. At three years old we had him retested and he was negative to all of the allergies he was previously positive to, but then tested very positive for a peanut allergy (UGHH!) I bet it's an allergy to food of some sort. Especially Dairy. We go to Dr. Fuchs and he is so good. Good luck.

I just posted almost the same question. I was reading your post as I am trying to figure out what to do. I do feel comfortable with the rattle noise that my son has being larngomalacia. You might want to read about it but in the end it goes away with time. As for the asthma what Ped Pulminologist are you going to. We just saw one for the first time but I am just at a lost. How are your breathing treatments effecting your son? Do they have him on a steroid? I hope things get better for you and your family and will be interested in how he gets better!

I have to respond to this one. Long story - short.
My son apparently had allergies and wasn't diagnosed until 15 months old. Our life and his was pure misery. Turns out he was tested and allergic to soy, wheat, milk,eggs,peanuts, tree nuts. He has been drinking rice milk since we found all of this out. He is on singulair granules and at night we give him Zytec-thank goodness its over the counter now! Between the singulair and rice milk you could go broke! Anyway, sometimes food allergies can cause these type of mucus symptoms. What kind of diet is he on? Was he ever blood tested (RAST test)?Our son will turn 3 this Sunday. He still has ecezma on his typical spots. I found out to watch out for wheat and wheat starch-- in some products.I hope he will out grow his allergies soon. It is so hard to feed him. The peanuts count was too high and the doctor didn't think he could outgrown that..Perhaps a blood work up should be done? Try the new rice milk products at Target - they just came out with them.Look in the baby aisle in the soaps section and their is a lotion and a body wash with rice and mallow. Vanicream is good but thick. Some like aquaphor for the ecezma but its greasy. With diet control my son was so much more comfortable.

Have they tested your son for cystic fibrosis? It would involve a sweat test. He has a lot of the symptoms. What does your Pediatrician say about the diagnosis and the treatment. Your pediatrician should be a sounding board for all of your questions.

First of all I want to suggest you take your son a pediatrician that has more of a natural/alternative medicine practice. Many doctors today are geared toward treating symptons & not finding the root of the problem. You need someone who is trying to get to the root cause. The eczema is a clear sign of allergies. Keeping your child lubed up makes me think you are using products that have mineral oil as a topical treatment or even worse the steroid creams the Dr.s will prescribe. Do you research on mineral oil...not a good idea. I have a baby line that has worked wonders for many of my clients that have children with eczema. Email me if you want a free sample: ____@____.com, as for the Vicks on the feet. A friend of mine who's a nurse has a daughter that was born with some pulminary issues & the first thing the specialists asked her was if she used Vicks. He said it is very dangerous & can cause issues with lungs, etc in infants & that it should be banned. He has seen many cases directly resulting in use of that product because it is petroleum based. Another product I have is a botanical alternative vapor rub with no mineral oil. I have used it on my daughters feet to help break up congestion & it works great. It smells great & is non-greasy. Doesn't ruin clothing & fabrics like Vicks can. She can be up & walking around with my herbal vapor rub on her feet because it absorbs right in like a light moisturizer. Also, a close friend of mine who is using the baby line for her daughters eczema took her to a specialist that looks at negative food response, a non-invasive approach to determining allergies. She found her daughter was allergic to gluten & dairy & since removing these from her diet she is eczema free. If you want info on the company she saw for that email me & I'll get it for you.

Good luck.
R.
###-###-####
Independent Consultant, District Manager
Arbonne, Int'l

I know a few others mentioned it - but I would definitely rule out Cystic Fibrosis. My best friend has it and you want to know asap if that is the case. Good Luck, R.

Hello,
I also have a child with some health problems. She is not diagnosed as asthmatic but has had many breathing issues. I am sure you see Dr. Favario, if not make an appointment with him. He has my daughter on Singulair, Flovent and Flonese and has been doing well with that for awhile. May I also suggest getting a second opinion. My daughter has many specialists at Miami Childrens Hospital and they are the best.

Good Luck!
J.

The natural mineral Bromaline is a mucus fighter. Look into it at your local health food store. Worked awesome for my son & husband. Seek natural remedies, all that lung drug stuff weakens tissues and creates more issues. Best of luck in your journey to healthy living. Let me know if you need more help.