Asthma questions

crazymama30

Active Member
easy child has recently been diagnosed with Asthma. She is 12. She had a cold when she was diagnosed. I have some questions for those of you in the know.

Is it odd to be diagnosed when sick (a cold) and is that accurate?

She has a cough, and it seems to sticking around longer than it would have before. It is a very deep cough. Is that from the asthma?

Isn't asthma usually caught at an earlier age? Can it pop up at any time?

She does have an albuterol inhaler to use, and it does seem to help the cough some. husband took her to the doctor for the cold as they were both sick, so I have not had a chance to ask any of these questions. I am leary of her being diagnosed when she is sick, and by a FNP at a GP's office. I think I may make her an appointment with an Asthma specialist when she is better.


Thanks in advance for the info.
 

house of cards

New Member
My 2 youngest have asthma. They were both diagnosed after repeated illness and a chest x-ray. My mom was diagnosed with asthma in her 60's so I would say it can come on at any time. There is often a big connection between asthma and allergies. Have you had any allergy testing done? My kids see a pulminologist who is also the head of emergency medicine at a highly reguarded hospital and he diagnosed them the first time he listened to their lungs.
 

crazymama30

Active Member
I am sure she has some allergies, but we have not had any testing done. I am worried she is allergic to dogs and cats, and we have both and she loves them so much. I don't think we have a pulmonologist here except at the hospital (he only sees ICU patients) but we do have an Allergy and Asthma specialist. I need to get an appointment for her there.

Thanks for your input.
 

house of cards

New Member
My little one C is allergic to cats and dogs as well. I have a 16 yo yellow lab which has been the sweetest dog in the world, and a shedding machine. I was told to brush daily and bathe him weekly but he stinks for hours when bathed. I just do the best I can and won't replace him when he passes although I love dogs. If I don't notice a huge improvement with C, I might try a short haired little bitty one a year or two down the road. An air cleaner helps alot.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Yes, it can manifest at any age.

My husband has asthma.
He's got allergies, too. Especially cats. As long as he exercises and stays away from milk products, he doesn't need his inhaler. Occasionally during ragweed or pollen seasons he needs the inhaler.
Keep the animals out of your easy child's bedroom. Unless your easy child has a full-blown attack every time the animal comes in the room, you probably won't have to get rid of your pets. (I'm trying to be hopeful. My husband had to get rid of his collie and regrets it to this day ... probably one reason he puts up with-me bringing home strays every now and then.)

What sorts of allergies does your easy child have? Anything that she can obviously stay away from?
 

crazymama30

Active Member
I am not sure what her allergies are to, I have not had her tested yet. Her asthma, if that is what it is, is very mild. The bad part is her cat lives in her room, and will run away if he cannot. Last time we went out of town he got out and we had to get a live trap to catch him. When he is in the room he is the nicest cat in the world. Go figure.
 

smallworld

Moderator
Sometimes wheezing can occur as part of a viral or bacterial infection. Our pediatrician doesn't diagnosis that as asthma unless it happens repeated times. My son has had wheezing as a symptom of infections, but he doesn't have asthma because it has only occurred a few times during illness. My older daughter, on the other hand, has been diagnosed with asthma because her wheezing has occurred numerous times during illness and during allergy season. We did have her allergy-tested, and she is allergic to trees, grass, ragweed, mold and dust. In the spring she is more likely to have asthma attacks because of her allergies. She carries Albuterol with her at all times, and following an attack will also go on a course of a maintenance inhaler (in her case, Advair).

I think it's wise to have your daughter checked out by a specialist to make sure you know exactly what you're dealing with.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Asthma can come on at any age. It is also often diagnosis'd when the child has a cold or the flu. Keep using the albuterol as directed. If it doesn't help ask for xopenex. It is far more expensive, but worth it if your loved one can't breathe.

I tihnk seeing a specialist or at the very least her regular doctor rather than the nurse practitioner is a good idea. Be sure you get a preventative if she has many problems. Do some research before you put her on advair. It seems our docs LOVE the stuff but I have been reading about many problems if you are on it for a long time. I worry about thank you being on it. It is a combination of 2 medications, one of which is supposed to be not very safe. So be sure you read up before you go in, and ask lots of questions.

I am so very sorry she has this to deal with. It can be VERY scary when you can't breathe. Going into the bathroom and turning the shower on as hot at it will go so you can breathe in the steam is a very helpful thing when the asthma is bad.

Hugs,

Susie
 

jal

Member
I was diagnosed with-mild asthma around the age of 12. If she is still wheezing and coughing you may want a chest xray for pneuomonia. I have had pneumonia several times in my life and there were times I did not even know I had it (no cough, just pain). I know I have it if I have any pain from my collarbone going into my neck and I have a cold. I would not take a diagnosis of asthma when one is already ill.

Good luck!
 
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hearts and roses

Mind Reader
I have had asthma since I'm 3 years old, 42 years. While growing up I received immunology shots (till about 17) and had asthma attacks occasionally, usually around the holidays and in early Spring with all the pollens coming round. As an adult, more preventive medications became available. I tried going back to the immunology shots at about 24 yrs, but my body had changed and it wasn't worth the weekly reactions. Instead, I worked with my Immunologist/Allergist to find a preventative medication that worked for me. Since then medications have changed and advanced and when I moved I found a new DR here who has been great.
I have been on the same preventive medication regime for almost 10 years and it works for me. My asthma is VERY much under control.

I have true asthma, which means it is not ONLY brought on by a cold/flu. I can get it whenever I am exposed to an allergen I react to, such as cats. If I contract a cold or flu, I immediately call my DR and he prescribes me other medications and I know to begin using my nebulizer 3x a day.

My DR told me that asthma is more prevalent than previously thought. However, he also said that it is being over diagnosed and mis-diagnosed at alarming rates. A person with a cold will often wheeze - not unusual at all.

'True' Asthma should not be diagnosed while a person has a cold. The symptoms of wheezing and tightness in the chest should definitely be treated (often in the same manner as an asthma attack) but in order to be diagnosed with asthma a person would suffer from the same symptoms without the presence of a cold.

It used to be that when a person had a cold and developed asthmatic-like symptoms, it was called simple bronchitis and was treated similarly. Often, asthma is diagnosed when a person exercises too much or out in the cold weather. That is 'exercise induced asthma' and is very common these days, especially with the increase in air pollution. The asthma that develops with a cold or flu is often caused by an allergic reaction to the infection in the lungs.

I would most definitely seek out another opinion by either a pulmonologist or Allergist/Immunologist. Incidentally, there are a lot of natural methods that work for people with mild asthma - you should look into them before having her placed on any long term preventive medications. Good luck~
 

pepperidge

New Member
My son basically only gets asthma when he is sick. There is some fancy name for it. Bacially the vocal chords get inflamed. Then he gets these coughs which go on unless he uses an inhaler. While he does have some allergies, most notably to dust mites, it doesn't seem to trigger his asthma. If we are going to be someplace where he is likely to encounter a heavy load, I give him a Zyrtec.

Sometimes heavy exercise will bring it on too. But he only has a few episodes a year. the doctor gave him Nasonex spray but he hates spraying anything in his nose.
 
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