Very Worried Mom!

Hello there,

I know that a lot of kids develop asthma for short periods of time during their early childhood and then outgrow it again. Just be patient and don't worry too much. It may well just be allergies too. Wait and see how it develops through the rest of the spring and summer. If it continues next year, you could always have some allergy tests done, but kids frequently outgrow allergies as well. So, heads up - be patient and don't worry too much!

My son's doctors were very reluctant to diagnose him with asthma initially too. I think he was around 6 months old the first time there was weazing with a cold. After a while it became every virus he got he would weaze. This led to trips to the ER because even the albuterol wouldn't help and doses of oral prednisone. Finally, he was diagnosed and put on preventative inhalers. Since then I have been taking him to a homeopathic doctor and acupuncturist which have helped tremendously and we are reducing his medicine. I recommend reading the book 'your asthma free child' It talks about things you can do to make the asthma better such as not using those harsh cleaning products, and changing your son's eating, and much more. When your child struggles to breath it can be very scary and I know I don't want to think about him having to be on medications for the rest of his life so anything I can do to lesson that the better. Good luck!

P.,

My son had a similar experience. His breathing difficulties were short lived, but we kept the nebulizer for just in case situations. Now, he only needs it once every couple of years when it is a particularly windy time (lots of pollen and dust) and he is having a bad cold. So, the doctors did not diagnose him with asthma but we keep the medicine just in case.

D.

I noticed you live in Fairfield, it's very windy up there and it is Spring, so it might just be seasonal. As long as he's under doctor's care... all you can do is take his advice and maybe get a second opinion (or see an allergy specialist- if you are worried about it).

However your fear is very real and understandable, breathing is kind of important! :-)

My son had a similar experience (difficulty breathing and prescribed inhalers and prednisone), however, it got significantly worse (enough to take him to the ER 3 times) and he has now been officially diagnosed with asthma (at 15 months). He also sees an allergist and the asthma is said to be allergy induced. He may grow out of it. Until then, he is on a maintenance program: inhaler in morning and night, Zyrtec for allergies, and rescue inhaler just in case. Good luck, I hope you find a program that helps. I know how scary it can be. There were nights when I was scared to leave him alone because I thought he might stop breathing. If you need a recommendation for a pediatric pulmonologist and/or allergist my son's dr's are fantastic (however, they are located in Roseville, not sure how far that is from you)!

P.,
My son has asthma, no one else in the family on either side has it. His is due to his allergies, and as soon as he was old enough we put him on allergy meds, this has helped control his episodes a lot. He has had asthma since he was 4 months old. Your son's might be just seasonal.
I know ours in this house definetly is. I guess I should say that I did have one episode when I was pregnant with my second child. SO that was 15 years ago. I also have to take allergy meds to keep just all the drainage under control along with the sneezing and itchy eyes. If you have pets he could possibly have developed an allergy to
their dander, or he may have a trigger. My daugheter has an
attack as a teenager when she eats red pasta sauces. I keep telling her to get tested, and she keeps forgetting to call. (she is now 18). Anyway I hope this helps.
W.

Hello P.,
My daughter just spent 4 days in the hospital for breathing problems. Her doctor and the nurses said he's been a really rough winter for kids and breathing this year. I would try not too worry to much right now.
I hope your baby boy feels better soon.
C.

P.,
I agree with the other mother's replies.
I had an incident with my 2 year old last Oct, where he woke from a sleep and I could tell he had a hard time catching his breath, We took him in to ER and they said it was Croup. And that most likely he won't get it again and it could happen but it's just something that happens.
It scared me because it seemed he had a hard time breathing and then it was during winter and since it was extremely cold outside and by the time we got to ER his breathing got much better.
THey gave him a SHOT OF STEROID too and medicine for 10 days with Steriod. SCARY STUFF.
How is your son now? Still breathing the same way?
If you feel you need a second opinion its ok, and of course if he's not breathing properly I would say go into ER.
I was so nervous a few weeks after this happened to my son, I was so worried each time he might have a relapse...

Just go with your heart feels if you feel you need a second opinion seek one.

Good luck.

I recently found out the air in our homes is about 5 times more toxic than the air outside. The reason for that is: cleaners, such as 409, ajax, sprays, laundry detergent, softners, furniture,bleach, the plug in air freshners. I read that the dust we see in the sunshine in our house is dander from us and animals (if animals live in the house). When chemicals are sprayed in the house, they float down and attach itself to a piece of dust. The dust will get stirred up and we can breath that piece of dust with the chemical on it causing breathing problems. That is just one of the causes of breathing problems. I'm not a doctor. But, this was something I just learned and found it shocking. It definetly makes me want to keep my house cleaner.

They say it is better to air your house out, than to spray freshners, or use plug-ins.

I have allergies and have started using and selling Shaklee products which are all natural and safe, except for one product called Basic G I believe. It kills bacteria. I'm not a salesperson by any means. But, I was so sold on the product when I used it. I became a distributor to get lower prices and hopefully make some money at it at the same time.

I have a ad in "Member Perks" if you are interest at all at looking at the products available. Feel free to call me if you should have any questions. I don't know if this will help your child, but it definetly won't hurt him.

Blessings, B.

Hi Penelope,
I am in agreement with the two moms below that mentions the toxins in your home can have a huge impact on allergies and asthma and the other mom that mentioned going to a homeopathic doctor or acupuncturist. I do healthy green home consultation for people that have allergies or have kids with allergies. I meet many similar situations and see great results with just the change in the products that you use in your home, or even the clothes that you where. Medication is not the answer. It is a temporary relief or a lot of times more harmful that good for children. I am a true believer of lifestyle and nutrition modification as the answer.

I am not a distributor of any particular product, I am just a professional and experienced consultant that help people out with these as well as other situations. If you would like to discuss some options further with me or have a brief analysis done, feel free to respond to me. I also have a network of holistic doctors that I work with to provide treatment outside of the lifestyle adjustments.

Best of luck!

Hi P.,
My daughter is five and suffers from year round allergies. Two years ago (age three) she had an asthma attack. It was so scary! Anyway, it sounds very similar to what you described. The doctor said she may never have another episode, and so far she hasn't. That night she took albuterol. She also used a daily preventative inhaler for the spring, summer and fall. She has taken Claritin and Flonase daily for the last two years to manage the allergies. She hasn't needed the inhaler this year.

This time of year is really bad, especially here in Solano. We try to treat the allergies so that there is less likely-hood of breathing problems.

Good luck! Hopefully this is a one-time situation for you.