How can I tell if my 19month old has asthma?

Question

His cry is not as strong as it used to be and I don't know if maybe he's just getting sick but he does lil quick intakes of breath sometimes when he is asleep,it worries me and now I want to check him for asthma but don't know how they check for that or how old they need to be?

ok to chocohoma or however it is,this is a place to learn from others experiences,and of course i will bring this up to his pediatrician but I am so sick of these drs who make us feel like we are just overbearing parents who worry over something that they claim is "normal" I just got into an argument with his dr yesterday because I wanted xrays and he didn't want to give it and i said that's fine but I will go elsewhere anyways and get a second opinion,I'm not taking chances with my son,Can you believe what he told me next???You should be his dr then!....What a punk! I told him flat out I don't care i want an xray and guess what? he gave me the order.I just hope he was right when he said my son is fine but better safe than sorry best way to be.

Answer 1

Firstly NEVER go that dr again! 4 the sake of ur son. Secondly mothers instinct (however big/small) ur gut is telling u, ur son mite have asthma get it checked out so u can set ur mind @ ease.

My son (now 3 in nov) is prone to bronchitis & when he falls ill he has to be ventilated as he wheezing was so bad he had to be hospitalised twice. his dr suggested asthma test - which we did immediately by gods grace came back negative. The procedure is simple, x-ray and blood tests and you get the results in a couple of days.

Our next step was he adinoids! from birth he snored so badly that it kept us awake at night and he would not get a good nights sleep as he would toss and turn and gasp for air (it sounded as if his osofogus (excuse the spelling) but his throat closed). once he stopped breathing for 20+ seconds to the point where i had to shake him to wake! Took him to an Ear nose and throad specialist and the following week he was booked in for a op to cut out the adinoids, tonsils and insert grommets into his ears. Now two weeks post op he is sleeping through and the other night i had to get up and see if he was breathing coz he was so quiet.

sorry for getting off the subject there, but it could be another option you would like to look at.

Answer 2

Does he wheeze at all, or cough more than usual? Those can be signs of asthma.

If you want to actually find out, maybe book an appointment with your doctor to get him checked out. If he does have asthma, they may give you medicines to help his breathing. It is important that these are taken when they should, because they can keep asthma under control.

It is a good idea to get him checked out, although I don't know how old you have to be, or if there is even a age limit. I'm not trying to worry you, but asthma attacks are not nice at all, and asthma sufferers are more at risk of getting ill from the flu.

Don't worry, though - asthma medication is very good nowadays.

Answer 3

Please get him checked. You did really good demanding an x ray. For asthma, if there is wheezing, etc., is a good indicator.
My other concern, is possible sleep apnea. Please don't freak out at that. Is there a family history of it? It's when you are sleeping, a person can stop breathing for a few seconds, till the brain says to breathe again. But as observant a mother as you seem to be, I don't know that that is the problem.
Your son could be catching a cold.
Checking for asthma, the dr. usually listens to the lungs, bronchia, etc. with the stethescope. X rays can also help.
Is your son around tobacco smoke? That can cause asthma in children.
I wish you and your son the best. Take care.

Answer 4

okay, first of all, i'm not a doctor -- and please follow the advice to talk to a pediatrician rather than trusting any of us.

but for your general background knowledge: my daughter and i both have asthma and we've been told by nurses and doctors that asthma usually starts at ages 3-6. i don't know if it sometimes starts as early as 19 months. doctors don't generally diagnose asthma unless symptoms recur a certain number of times, usually they'll first diagnose it as reactive airway disease. your son's symptoms do not match mine or my daughter's (most people with asthma have a cough that starts dry and gets more goopy as it gets more serious; wheeze; and breathe rapidly and shallowly). that's not to say your son doesn't have asthma or some other problem. if you feel something is wrong and don't trust your pediatrician to make an accurate diagnosis, you need to switch pediatricians. you can worry yourself to death checking symptoms on the internet and asking questions here, but what you really need is someone you trust who can examine your child and make an informed diagnosis. Good luck.

Edit -- you may have been right about the xrays (obviously I don't know the details), but note that xrays are actually bad for you and raise your risk for cancer. Of course there are times when the benefit of an xray outweighs the risk, but don't automatically assume your doctor was negligent for not ordering xrays if he really saw no evidence one was needed. Again, I don't know the situation and you may have been totally right in this case ... just pointing out that it's not quite so simple as "better safe than sorry."

Answer 5

Is your youngster unwell whilst she wheezes? When an boy or girl will get unwell, they're going to frequently wheeze considering their lungs are so little. Doctors won't diagnose bronchial asthma in a youngster that younger considering of coverage coverages, they usually are not able to participate in the assessments (top flows, and pulmonary position assessments) had to clinically diagnose the ailment. They will name it reactive airway ailment (RAD). What have you ever performed the times whilst your youngster wheezes, has she been crawling on an unvacuumed soiled carpet, round pets, external, round cigarette smoke? All those are triggers you will have to be worried with, make a chart of what you might have performed the times your youngster wheezes, whether it is bronchial asthma, there'll in general be a fashion. Talk for your medical professional. Get MDI's or Nebulizers to aid relieve the wheezing, nevertheless, in general with bronchial asthma, you're going to wheeze quite a lot of mins and it's going to most effective depart with the aid of bronchodialators. Good good fortune

Answer 6

When his pediatrician tells you he has asthma.

NO one on here is qualified to diagnose a wheezing baby, even people who are nurses, or even doctors in life. A physical exam is necessary.

Please take your responsibility seriously, and get the child checked out.

Answer 7

Call your pediatrician and ask. Explain your son's symptoms. Chances are it's a chest cold, but you can never be too safe.