Could this be asthma?

Question

My daughter is 21 months old and for 2 weeks has been waking up coughing and wheezing during the night and after naps. I took her to the pediatrician and he diagnosed an ear infection. 3 days later she spiked a high fever and we ended up in the ER and they diagnosed bronchitis. Still no improvement after the antibiotics. She woke up 2 days ago after a nap and was really struggling to breathe, i took her to the ER again and they said they could find nothing wrong and her lungs were clear. When i explained the symptoms to the ER doctor he suggested that it could be cough induced asthma. Also told me that he couldnt offically diagnose it that the pediatrician would have too. Have an appointment with the pediatrician tommorrow. All the runaround is frustrating me, my child is sick, i just want them to do something to help her. Does this sound like asthma to anyone else?

I dont think its allergies, i have severe allergies myself so our house is extremely clean and all that fun stuff. SHe has RSV when she was 13 months old and they tested again in the ER and it was negative. I just want them to find out whats wrong with my little girl, We arent leaving the doctors office tommorrow until we have some answers! Thank you everyone

Found out today that its a nasty case of bronchitis! thanks everyone! i appreciate the answers!

Answer 1

It does sound alot like asthma...

Get a warm heat vaporizer to add moisture to the air it will help decrease the attacks frequency and intensity...

If an accute (sudden very bad) attack occurs.... Try going into the bathroom with your child and turning on the tub or shower and filling the room with steam hold your child up as steam rises you want her in the cloud of steam... After a few minutes you will notice her breathing is less labored... If the attack is really bad she will likely feel very tired that's ok let her sleep when she sleeps she will take deeper my rhythmic breaths of steam and it will help her more...

The dr will probably prescribe an inhaler or other asthma medication use in conjunction with the steam to help her...

After 30-40 minutes in the steam you will want to bundle your child up before leaving the bathroom because entering the house will feel chilly...

Once on medication asthma is most often very managable in children... And in all likelihood she will grow out of it over time...

I know it is the most frightening thing in the world to see your child struggling for breath the most essential thing to life... I know the frustrtation when you see the symptoms at home but the child is fine at the Dr's office... I can completely empathize with the frustration and anger because you want something done now...

I went through the same thing when my son when he was 2 years old.. He had a bout with RSV at 13 months and began having asthma symptoms at age 25 months... His Dr put him on an inhaler Ventolin and I used the steam sessions for accute attacks to ease his breathing faster... He is now 17 the last asthma attack he had was at age 11 we still keep his perscription up to date just in case.... It well worth the price of an inhaler every 6 months for the piece of mind it provides...

Try to remain calm write down the exact symptoms and times for your childs Dr.... If you feel the Dr. is not giving your opinion as a Mom enough credit get a second opinion...

Most of all once a diagnosis is made try your best to not limit your daughters activities for fear of an attack... My son played pee wee football, little league, basketball etc. all with me on the sidelines inhaler at the ready... He needed to be a normal kid.. Even if there were a few attacks that scared me, he needed to participate in sports like all the kids....

Answer 2

It does sound like asthma. Although, it can be very confusing and frustrating to understand, it could be an allergy with asthmatic symptoms. What you have described sounds very much like what my son, who is 4, has been going through for the past two years. I have not taken him to an allergist yet because I do not want to subject him, at this age, to the kind of tests they preform to find out exactly what he is allergic to. Although, my pediatrician has prescribed me with an inhaler at low doses, as a preventative, to curb the more pronounced asthmatic symptoms. It has helped a great deal. I am not keen on giving him medication all the time but it prevents him from having severe episodes and I know the drugs he received when he did have severe episodes are more harmful, on a ongoing basis, then what he takes as a preventative. I also suffer from some allergies and when I go through an attack, I have asthmatic symptoms as well - choking, having difficulty taking a breath and constant coughing (the coughing is a response to try to clear the lungs). I am sure you are aware that allergies can be caused not only by environmental circumstances (you say that you keep every thing at home clean) but can be caused by foods, fibers, animals, etc. as well. Respectfully, no matter how clean you are, there are things that you just can't control. I wish you well and I hope your daughter will feel better soon.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Yes, it sounds like it could be allergy-induced asthma. Before speaking with the pediatrician take a close look at your home to see if there are specific triggers. Even if it's not asthma if your child has a cold or allergies these household triggers could worsen the symptoms. Aside from the usual dust, dust mites and other allergens a commonly missed area for allergies is located in the tray underneath your fridge. Many people don't even realize they HAVE a tray under their fridge that catches condensation. It's frequently full of mold and for the child with a mold allergy can be a trigger.

Answer 5

I feel your pain. I've had asthma for 14 years now and have seen several doctors. The truth is, there is no known cure for asthma at the moment. But the symptoms can be prevented. It really depends on what causes your brother's asthma. Mine is usually dust and hot weather. But I think the universal method is using the control inhaler.

I cured my Asthma the natural way?

Answer 6

I may be totally wrong here, but my son had some similar symptoms when he was littler. He was a sick puppy, and no one could find out what was wrong.

A few hundred doctors later (slight exaggeration there), we found out he had RSV. Nasty little virus, but after a few breathing treatments he was on the road to recovery.

Good luck , and I really hope your Baby feels better!

Answer 7

It's possible but if it is it could clear up with the right treatment, it doesn't necessarily mean that she'll always have asthma.

All I can say is, think about what you are going to tell the doc tomorrow, be assertive with what you want. Don't be fobbed off, because parents know their child best. Insist on further investigation and treatment in a nice but firm way.

Answer 8

It could be but doctors are usually reluctant to diagnose asthma in a child so young until they have recurrent problems. My son had asthma "symptoms" for over a year before they finally put that "label" of asthma on him. Good luck to you!

Answer 9

since she is only doing this when she wakes up from where ever you put her down to sleep, try some where else with different bedding and or blankets. different jammies too. if she stops then you know that it has something to do with her original bedding. also when you wash her clothes, use only detergent and fabric softeners or sheets that have no perfumes or other smelly stuff in them.

Answer 10

Impossible to judge from here, hope they sort it out tomorrow, though.