Need Help with My Sons Asthma and Allergies

Hi! This question kills me! My daughter became very ill when she was about 4 months old and we were at the hospital (Phoenix Childrens) every other week if not more for over a year. They told me she had asthma and to give her the albuterol and the pulmicort, she would grow out of it, blah, blah, blah. NONE of it worked, she just got sicker. They finally told me not to come back I was wasting their time, it was asthma and she would probably grow out of it. I spent the next 2 1/2 years going to 6 different specialists that I was referred to to be told the same thing. Last year, I finally found a doctor that would listen and it turns out there is a problem with her. BUT just as and FYI, they CANNOT diagnos children under the age of 5 with asthma!
I can tell ytou from personal experiance, the pulmicort is a little stronger, but works and my daughter never had any bad side effects from it. We also use Xopenex. We use it up to 12 times in a day sometimes and it works wonders. It is better than the Albuterol. Im not sure who you are seeing as a specialist, if you are seeing a allergy doctor, I would also reccomend taking him to see a pulmunologist. We see Dr. Barbara Stewart. Im no sure who or if you have insurance, but she takes just about everything! She litterally saving my daughters life, if we hadn't found her, Im not sure she would still be here! She is on 3rd Avenue and Osborn and her number is ###-###-####. If you have any other questions or just want to talk to someone who has been there, my email address is ____@____.com. Sorry, its so long, but I hope it helps!
~ J.

Hi S.,

I say stay away from that medicine with all of those side effects. I have heard of two all natural cures for asthma that work. One is Himalayan salt, they have salt lamps and inhalers that you inhale the salt in water. If you google "himalayan salt and asthma" many sites come up. They say that when some one is gasping for air they really need water and this special salt helps the body to balance the water. There is also an all natural product called Respitrol which guarantees that it improves air capacity by over 400% and children can take it. You can google that as well. Good luck, C.

I am a respiratory therapist and a mom. You do have a couple different choices other than the pulmocort. There are a couple bronchodialators (which help keep the bronchioles of the lungs open) out there and they can be given alone or combined with other antiinflamitory meds. In my experience these are the best that have worked:

Albuterol, a bronchodialator, can be given up to every 2 hours, but generally given every 4 hours. It does have some side effects such as nervousness, increased heart rate or jitters. It can also make children a little hyper.

The one that I have seen the best results with little side effects is called Xopenex (the x sounds like a z). It comes in two doses 0.67mg and 1.25mg. This works like the Albuterol that I mentioned but it is longer lasting and does not have the side effects like Albuterol. Alot of pulmonary doctors will prescribe Xopenex for children because of the reduced side effects. Xopenex usually is given every 6 hours. But can be given as frequently as every 4 hours.

In my experience with children with asthma, the Xopenex works the best. I would ask your pulmunologist about the 0.67mg dose.

If your child has a problem with inflamation you can also add Ipratropium Bromide, also known as Atrovent. This can be added to either Albuterol or Xopenex. Atrovent helps to keep the the airways open longer. It is kind of a double wammy to help combat any asthma attacks, wheezing or stridor.

Hope this information helps. If you have any questions please let me know. I will try to help clarify anything I can before you go see his doctor.

Hi - My son has allergies and also had some asthma problems. He wasn't tested for allergies until he was 2 years old. He has dust mite allergies and tree pollen allergies (don't know if this is what your son has). We enclosed his bed matress and pillows with allergy covers (plastic), got rid of the stuffed animals, carpet and drapes in his room. We also run an air purifier 24 hours a day in his room. This has helped control his dust mite allergy. His nose doesn't run and he no longer has any asthma problems. Hope this info helps if it is dust mites allergy. Good luck! S.