Our kids with Sensory Issues and Asthma.

[susiestar]

I know a lot of us have kids with sensory issues, whether diagnosis'd or not. And some of those kids also have asthma. I find this to be a pretty scary combo, personally.

thank you and Wiz BOTH have these problems. Wiz has outgrown a lot of the asthma, and adjusted to a lot of the sensory stuff. thank you is learnning to cope with both.

One thing that I found really really helped my boys was when I realized they couldn't actually identify when they were having asthma problems. Neither one ever wheezed much, but both get that horrible asthma cough that sometimes leads to puking. But they really didn't realize the early symptoms of chest tightening or whatever because the sensory issues.

What they did realize was that something was wrong. They really COULDN'T tell us where it was, or what was wrong for many years. I learned to identify that certain quality of franticness to their actions and speech, sometimes a certain breathlessness when talking. I did realize it earlier with thank you, but that was merely a function of having an older bro with similar problems.

What I do with them is to have them stop and concentrate on how they are feeling, breathing, etc... BEFORE I give them the albuterol. Then I have them focus on how htey are feeling, breathing AFTER the albuterol. It slowly gets to the point they can identify an asthma attack far earlier than they ever could AND they realize that the medicine really does help. They also worked with me to learn to calm themselves down, which seems to help them breathe better.

I guess it hit home to me when last year the school got a finger thingy to measure oxygen levels in kids who were having asthma problems. At first thank you was getting down to 80% (seconds from a 911 call!) and then was really responding to the medicine. He was able to SEE how much it helped, and from then was able to work on the problems.

Just yesterday he told me he hadn't gone to use his inhaler because he "just didn't ever get time, even though I was coughing a lot." in his words. I spoke with him about NEEDING to STOP EVERYTHING to go get his medicine. And about how much better he feels when he does get his medicine.

Anyway, it is the time of year when my kids start to have more problems, and I thought maybe this would help someone else work with their kids who have asthma.

 

[Nancy423]

your school has a pulse ox??? cool. My daughter has asthma too, and i think some sensory issues but we don't have the diagnosis. She frequently tells me that she needs her albut. and I make her to a peak flow first. I think some of her panic or anxiety makes her feel like she's SOB cuz even with- a stethoscope I can't hear any wheezing or rales.
Oh and her sx's were basically coughing too!!

 

[ML]

Thanks Susiestar! This was a hig issue when he was younger. Manster has terrible allergies and asthma. We went through a rough patch early fall but I think it's under control for the moment: Thanks to singulair, qvar and flonase. Too much medication!

 

[tiredmommy]

Maybe this should be titled: Is Cough-Variant Asthma coupled with sensory issues a possible underlying cause to anxiety and/or ODD?

The most ironic part of Duckie's sensory issues is that I've helped her to learn relaxation techniques, including deep breathing...

 

[susiestar]

what is qvar? I haven't heard of that. thank you is on singulair, advair (which I HATE), and albuterol. doctor keeps INSISTING advair is the "best" but it carries more risk than I like, long term use risks.

And we never see a lot of difference in his peak flow. But there can be a substantial pulse ox difference even with-o a peak flow change. I gave up on the peak flow meters when he was getting the same reading in the hospital one day and his pulse ox had dropped below 80 and the docs were really getting nervous and pumping him full of stuff.

I was thrilled when our school got the pulse ox. We have one little girl in k or pre-k who is so severely asthmatic that she has to have that available. So they trained the teachers and the school secretary and assistant secretary to use it. Now if they have a question they just pop that on there. It is wonderful, and so not-scary to the kids.

I am aware of what wheezing it, but not rales. what is that? I only know that thank you gets coughs, but no wheezing until this year. And that for him the peak flow meter doesn;t measure when he needs the medications. I tend to base giving him his albuterol on the coughing and the frantic look in his eye. It is not the "I'm upset" look, and he is just htis year aware of when he starts to feel that way.

I wish ALL schools had pulse ox machines.

 

[ML]

Qvar is a steroidal based inhaler that you take daily as a preventative treatment. I need the pulse ox. We have the same issue with the peak flow device.

 

[susiestar]

Here is a search on pulse oximeters - apparently some are just around $50. That is quite affordable for this kind of thing. I was expecting much more!

http://www.google.com/search?source...F-8&rlz=1T4ADBS_enUS278US278&q=pulse+oximeter

 

[Nancy423]

rales is just another lung sound
Qvar is similar to Flovent

 

[gcvmom]

difficult child 1 has asthma, sensory issues, AND anxiety. He takes after my dad in many, many ways. His anxiety is both the ruminative and the panic type. It doesn't seem to play a very large part in his asthma, which tends to be allergy/irritation related.

He takes Singulair daily and Advair almost daily, except summer when his symptoms are usually at their best. We've seen a significant difference in his peak flow numbers on and off the Advair, so that's why I try a little harder now to remember to have him take it. He only has problems a few times a year that require albuterol. And I haven't had to take him to the ER for asthma since he was in preschool, so things are being managed fairly well at home.

It IS very interesting that there is a high coincidence of kids with this triad of issues. Perhaps it boils down to their natural stress response -- they tend to be on high-alert all the time and their system is just hypersensitive because of that.

 

[klmno]

I don't think my son has sensory issues, but he has allergies and had asthmatic wheezing as a young child. As a side note- the bipolar issue and subsequent treatment required was compared to treating his ashmatic wheezing, which I found interesting. Anyway, although I know a lot disagree, a few of us believe that the treatment for asthma and allergies might contribute to mood lability. As a result, my son only now takes a specific type of nasal inhaler for allergies. This can only happen because he hasn't wheezed in a long time. I won't giver him steroids anymore unless he's unable to breathe at all. I read the fine print of things- it says if steroids/allergy medications (it listed specific ones) are causing mood lability, then give the kid mood stabilizers. Yes, well, you see where we are.

Anyway, my son would not be able to tell if he was wheezing, but I can't tell if I am either. I know when I'm congested and my chest hurts. Sometimes it's mere congestion, sometimes it's bronchitis and sometimes wheezing. I always need a dr to tell me. When difficult child was little and had this repetitively and seasonly, the dr's told me to look for certain signs while he was breathing and I would be able to tell.