Child with asthma??

Question

Has anyone out there got a child with asthma? My son has just turned 4 and is currently on prednisolone tablets and ventolin nebs. He is coughing constantly all day and night. Any tips on how to help his night time coughing? Hes had a relaxing bath and a nebuliser before bed and has woken up in a state again. Any tips gratefully received, I've tried all the medical advise and non have worked !

Answer 1

Hi my daughter has asthma since she was four years old. She will be twelve this month. She gets really bad asthma attacks and usually has to end up in hospital. You have to be careful on how many times he has the nebuliser, if he needs it before 4 hours he needs to go to casualty. At night time put him enough pillows so that his back is mostly straight and I also got her anti allergy pillows and bedlinen which I wash quite frequently.Has your son had allergy tests done? At least you know if he is allergic to something for eg my daughter is allergic to cats,dogs,birds,pollen and dustmites. Also to clean his room furniture do not use spray use a damp cloth. You don't say how long he has been taking prednisolone, if he has for a few days he should get better pretty soon. I hope this helps in any way. If you want to ask me anything else feel free to email me.

Answer 2

I've had asthma since I was 3 days old and I used to suffer with coughs at night. When the coughing wasn't too bad I found that sleeping in a slightly sitting up position helped. To be honest, it sounds as though the medicine that he is taking isn't the right mix for him. Ask your doctor if there are any other medicines that he can take as well as the nebs and pred or instead of.

However, like I've already mentioned, I suffered with coughs and I've only just managed to sort it all out. I asked my doctor for a different medication and the reply I got was "there is no other medication, have you tried breathing properly when you lie down?" So I got a list from the asthma organisation of all the different medications and basically threw it in his face which lead to a change. So don't accept whatever your doctor says.

If you want more help then try this website: http://www.asthma.org.uk/index.html
which is the best place to go, you can also contact asthma specialist here and get books and advice for free.

Hope the cough eases up soon!

Answer 3

I was a child with asthma and have a son with it. If he is on those meds and still coughing, you need to see a different doctor. It could be sinus drainage causing an issue as well. I use a room humidifier to keep my lungs from feeling dried out in the winter and that helps me tremendously. You can also find the drops that are not medicated that he can suck on during the day...for a soothing feeling in his throat in case that is the issue. If he is coughing because of bronchial problems, then he needs a fast acting inhaler. I have used Alupent for 20 years and cannot imagine surviving without it. He may also be dealing with alergy issues. Many asthmatics are severly allergic. Ask his doctor to send him for testing and they can give you even more suggestions. You MUST do something soon, though...nighttime coughing is bad for asthmatics and can bring on full blown attacks. He won't sleep as he should and that leads to other health issues. Good luck....hope he can get some help soon.

Answer 4

No pets in the house. Get rid of all carpets. Central heating, too dry to breath for asthmatics. No cuddly toys, drink lemonade, this makes you burp and it gives slight relief to the tightened chest/abdomen. No milk or chocolate ever, it is usually bad for asthmatics. Check out websites for flowers and plants that cause asthma attacks. Don't use aerosols, or spray perfumes in the house. Don't let anyone smoke near the child. Be careful what you put in the bathwater. All bath additives give of fumes of some sort. Don't dust, wipe surfaces with a slightly damp cloth. Bleach is an excellent cleaner but it kills your lungs if you have asthma. Shake bedclothes outside and hoover the bed if you don't have an anti allergy cover, mattress or pillow case. Massage the shoulders, this helps to relax the shoulders and makes it easier to breathe. When I was a kid my mother used to pat between my shoulders for 10 minutes a day. You have to have the child lie down on their front. Sounds crazy but it does help to shift the build up of mucus. Don't be too distressed by the coughing. It is one of the symptoms that all asthmatics go through. I do hope that some of these suggestions work for you.

Answer 5

One of my daughters has mild asthma and used to itch her throat at night and cough . Recently the doctor suggested that we try using her inhaler for two puffs in the morning and two before bed as a preventative . It jas helped not end . no wheezing when she runs around outside , not coughing at night . But my only comment would be that Luckily she has very mild asthma and has only (touch Wood) ever had one mild attack and that was when she was two and thats how we found out she had it . Also now she is nearl 10 so they do say that with age it can get better . But anyway maybe try that after talking to DR .

All the best X

Answer 6

My brother is an asthmatic and after ten years his asthma has shown no sign of improving. He has been to several doctors but they didn't help much.

If you want a proven, all-natural way to cure your asthma, without having to pay for useless medications with harmful side-effects, then this is the most important page you'll ever read.

Answer 7

My son is 6 and has asthma and was coughing constantly, could not sleep. It sounds like the medication he is on is not working. My son is on Asthmanex, claritin and albeterol inhaler. He never coughs unless he is sick. If you doctor is unwilling to try different medication to get his asthma under control which it clearly is not than get a new doctor. Is this a GP or Pediatrician? If so go to a Asthma/Allergy specialist. It may cost more but it is their specialty they really know their stuff. Good luck.

Answer 8

I have 2 sons with asthma. They were both diagnosed when they were small children. My eldest is 20yrs old now and ive just asked him what he does to relieve his night time cough. Unfortunatly he doesnt know of anything that stops this automatically. When he was a small child i always kept his room aired, not too hot not too cold.You didnt say if your child has a steriod inhaler just that he is on steriods, ask your doctor if you can try a preventer this is normally a brown inhaler. Hope everything is okay with your boy its not a nice illness asthma, my son used to cry when he had come out of an attack, what he couldnt understand is why he had it. He still sometimes says now why me. Its not that easy to answer im afraid.

Answer 9

I would advise finding the cause!!!

You have done everything right now you need to find out what is causing an attack.........Asthmatics have a lot of allergys...

First of all see if it could be chest infection, can you hear mucus on his lungs, has he had a cold recently?!?!?

Dairy causes a lot of mucus build up so does he drink tons of milk?

My son and I between us are allergic to an extensive list, dust mites (change his room from carpet to floor boards or tiles) tree pollen which is all year round just try messing about with his diet cut things out for a week at a time to see if anything changes.....

Heating can also aggravate it so air his room during the day....

good luck xxx

Answer 10

My DD has asthma and has since she was very small. Run a humidifier in hsi room, SERIOUSLY put somthing under the legs at the head of his bed to raise it up about 3-4 inches.. also, try some Delsymm (sp) to quiet the cough.

Please be very sure that this is asthma, if the treatments are not working.. be persistent with your pediatrician to check for other lung/breathing disorders.