Is It Asthma? - Los Angeles,CA

Hi C.-

This is a very stressful nad worrisome situation, I know. I have a 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. My son was a very healthy child and didn't even have a cold until he was 11-months. After he turned 2, everything went downhill, he was in the emergency room 3 times in 6 months. It was a very scary time for us. The first time he had the flu so bad that he couldn't even keep down 1/2 ounce of water. He got dehydrated and needed an IV in the ER. The second time was during the summer. He had a cronic cough and finally we took him to the doctor. He had pnuemonia. He ended up in the ER that night because he couldn't stop coughing and catch his breath. The 3rd time he had croup and again he couldn't stop coughing and catch his breath. Just recently, he started with a little cough on Tuesday and we took him to the doctor on Friday and he had bronchitis. We have since seen an allergist. Now he is on 3 meds daily, Advair, Singulair and Nasonex. Even though, I don't like that he is on so many medications, I am releived that he is being treated and he can run around and be normal. I have peace of mind knowing that I know what to do if he has an attack. Now, he can go on walks with me and can walk a mile without having any attacks. It's just a relief. I hope that this helps.

Hi! I went through the same thing with my son. He kept getting cold after cold and ear infection after ear infection. I kept having to take him to the ER because he would just cough and cough and not catch his breath. He was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 8 months old. Winter season is just HELL for us. I have asthma as well. It can be challenging. Just try to keep her out of the cold and cold air. Try to avoid moving her from warm to cold rooms as much as possible. Have your child sleep in her carseat sitting up. Keep a humidifier in the house. Turn on the warm hot shower and sit with her in the bathroom. These are all things that work for me even now. I have two children that have asthma. One is seasonal and the other has it all the time. He is on a rescue inhaler and takes a preventative inhaler as well. You just want to be careful about colds because they can turn into bronchitis and that can turn into pneumonia or RSV. Ask your doctor if a nebulizer in the home would help. I know that it has for me. Good luck!

Both of my children were diagnosed with asthma as babies. My son is 8 and has officially outgrown it. My daughter is 3.5 and has symptoms only when she gets a virus. My daughter has a nebulizer. It's a machine with a tube where she can inhale the med to open up her lungs. She was on maintenance (daily) drugs while she was 1 and 2. Now, she just needs meds as needed (1-3 times a year) Your doctor probably doesn't want to officially diagnose her because so many babies outgrow asthma symptoms. Her meds are helping her to breath and there are no other effective and efficient ways to open up her airways. The nebulizer brings us peace of mind. It is a relief to be able to have it on hand to help our daughter breath. Do you have one? Good luck.

I have a 3 year old son who was diagnosed with asthma induced colds at age 2. The most important advice I can give is to monitor your daugher's breathing closely when she is sick and have a nebulizer at home. My son has been hospitalized twice with breathing problems, one time in which we had to call an ambulance. He was wheezing quite a bit and struggled to get a breath. He also had retractions (abnormal depressions in the rib area when trying to breath showing a struggle to get air). He is not officially diagnosed with asthma as his symptoms only appear with colds, however, he is on medication including albuterol inhaler (nebulizer works better for babies), singulair daily, and a humidifier at night. Asthma sometimes is an indicator that your daughter could have other allergies. You should see a pediatric allergist in addition to your primary doctor, and make sure you get the nebulizer. We found out the hard way that breathing problems can go from bad to worse very quickly. Any time you see wheezing of any sort, your daughter should go to the doctor. The second hospitalization was actually the result of a Dr. appointment where the Dr. could not get the wheezing under control. Other than the challenges I have mentioned above, my son is a very happy, adventurous and curious little guy - He loves playing with firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, and riding his scooter and bike outside. His favorite place in the world is Legoland. We anticipate he will outgrow the asthma as he gets older.