Speedy Help

My daughter was diagnosed with asthma around age 2. Hers only came on after she get a cold. She would start coughing, and it just didn't stop. We have a breathing machine for her that helps. She is now 12 and I don't think she has had an episode in about a year & 1/2, thankfully. Many kids do grow out of it. Goodnight Pediatrics is a good option instead of the ER, there is also a new one around Union Hills & 91st Ave.

I know this is now morning and not such speedy help as you were seeking but... for night time questions or care, look up an urgent care clinic. They are way better than ER's. If you are in the west valley of AZ, there is a "Good Night Pediatric" clinic along I-10 (McDowell in Avondale) that is for children between the hours of 5 pm to 8am. They're great!

I too get colds and have it go straight to my chest. :/ Got bronchitis once, and ever after that, colds always went to my chest. Try putting Vicks or the like on him (sometimes I put it on my upper lip when I go to bed). A steamy shower helps. Right now both my son (6yo) and I are battling a cold/cough & taking decongestants and expectorants to try and keep ourselves as clear as possible. I am hoping to keep this from turning into bronchitis.

I have a 2 year old with asthma. He gets bad when he gets colds or allergies. Just keep up with the albuteral and watch him closly. I have found the er is not a great place. Teh cold air at night seems to help thir breathing. Just make sure you touch base with his pediatrition. There is a place though called after hours pediatrics. the one on Montgomery is open weekdays form 8am to 11pm. they are fantastic. You call and they have always got me in within a couple hours. It is much better then waiting in the ER for 6-10 hours. There is an after hours pediatrics place on golf course that is open on the weekends. They are run by the same group so probally just as good. Good Luck to you and your son.

I know it takes awhile to diagnose and have a few episodes of upper respiratory infections. Some doctors diagnose different like just episodes of bronchitis but my daughter was wheezing with every cold that turned into respiratory infections.
To the mom that puts a humidifier in her childs room please don't do that that can actually make asthma worse and cause attacks. Any pulmonologist will tell you the same thing or any good one. That's why when its rainy season a lot more peoples asthma acts up from the humidity and moisture in the air. I have been told never to do that since my daughter was 1 !

Don't wait. At least call someone. Banner has a 24 hour line, (I don't remember the #, as does Cigna, if you have that insurance. At least call 911 and have them xfr you to someone (usually a paramedic) to answer the question.

As far as the albuterol, My daughter also gets bad bouts that bring on asthma symptoms, although the doctor says she is not an asthmatic. She has both Pulmicort and Albuterol. I THINK the Pulmicort is for prevention - one I only use when she's in danger, and the other I use when she's wheezing - we've also used both at one time, but DON'T do that unless the doctor says to. She's also had to use Prednisone to help open the airways. Call the doctor in the morning to get in - Camelback Pediatrics in Phoenix gets ours in same day if they are sick. We've been with them since our kids' births.

Also, in my little girl's case, she simply kept getting sick, so the Dr. recently did a blood test to see why. While no major reasons came back, as far as serious stuff, her allergy count was way high. It should be about 60 and hers was over 200 (mom's trying really hard to clean deeper, and I have to be careful because even the cleaning agents can cause problems). I imagine it has to do with the histamines her body is putting out. He's referring us to an allergist.

To ease your mind, I'd call 911. I had an issue myself a couple of weeks ago and the paramedic they connected me to was so helpful. In my mind it probably wasn't an emergency, but in theirs it could have been and they wanted to send someone out right away. They made me promise to call them back in 1 hour with an update (I was hemorrhaging and had two little kids with a traveling dad), or they would send someone to my home to check on me. The rule is that if you have an issue breathing, it can be an emergency. I'd be safe over being sorry.

Let us know what you find out. Ask the doctor about getting a cool mist humidifier. I don't find it helps a lot, but it's so dry here, I know my kids would be worse if I didn't use it at times.

By the way, I detest ERs too, and much prefer Urgent Care when really necessary.

Also, put little one in the bathroom and turn on the shower (the smallest bathroom you have, obviously). I used to sit for 20 minutes at a time with my son in a steam filled room to help him. It does help...for awhile.

Hi L.,

My three-year-old got RSV when she was 6 weeks old and was in the hospital for 5 days. Ever since then whenever she gets a cold it goes right to her lungs. She has to have a breathing treatment. We give her Openex ( like Albuterol but for kids. It is supposed to make them less antsy than Albuterol) and a brething treatment with Pulmicort. Usually we only have to give her one treatment and it clears everything up. It seems like magic. We were told that babies that get RSV early in infancy have a higher incidence of asthma and exercised-induced asthma. My daughter has slight exercise-induced asthma but has gotten better as she has gotten older. If you son had a cold early in his infancy, it could be RSV (RSV is a common virus that all of us have had but when caught by infants can be dangerous) and you could have problems with colds going to his lungs each time that he catches something but usually as they get older they grow out of it. Ask your doctor about this. I hope this helps.

When my daughter was 2, she kept getting colds (over and over again) and she was on albuterol. My doctor called it "illness-induced asthma." I'm not sure they would do much more for him in the ER than the albuterol, but you definitely should take him to his pediatrician again. By the way, my daughter was healthy throughout the following summer, and the next year she got only one cold and did not need breathing treatments. She grew out of the problem, and has no breathing problems whatsoever now!

One thing that has helped ease my mind is the purchase of a portable pulse/oxygen meter. It is about 1/2 the size of a deck of cards.
They make them in kids sizes too. You may be able to get from REI, as mountain climbers will sometimes carry them going into high altitude. If the pulse is too racy, or the oxygen below 90...I go to get oxygen. They are not cheap, a few Franklins the last I looked, but the price may have gone down now.They are worth the peace of mind.

I would follow up on the asthma concerns. Infections have been the biggest reason I have had to take my son in.(Look into nasal washes...really reduced my son's incidence of infections) You may want to look at diet and structural problems of posture and the like as well. Food allergies trigger my son and I have had a locked rib before and it made it difficult to breathe. A good massage therapist/rolfer may be able to help. Another area to consider is whether or not there are emotional triggers before symptoms as well.

Take care and good luck!

L.

L. I am a little confused by your post. You say for the last 5 months, but your son is 3 months? Anyway, he may have asthma which is treated with albuterol. Taking him in a warm shower may help. Humidifier definetly will help. DOes the albuterol help? As you know you never want to let a child get short of breath. I took a little girl I Nanny to the doc and her oxygen sats were so low they called the paremedics and she was in the hospital for 5 days. Hope he feels better and it all works out. C.

If he is having trouble breathing, but is still breathing on his own, I would wait to call your pediatrician, but I would call as soon as they open. I would also consider taking him to a pulmonologist...my son has seen Dr. Woodward (maybe it's Woodard...)at Phoenix Children's (we go to the East Valley office). We really liked him a lot. Anyway, it could be the start of asthma or could be really bad allergies. A pulmonologist would be the best person to diagnose it. I know he's probably in bed already...but try putting a vaporizer or humidifier in his room tonight. The moisture might help him. My husband and I both have a hard time breathing when the air is super dry. Good luck!

My son was diagnosed with Asthma at around two years old. It took several documented episodes of what they called bronchulitis.(not bronchitis)Then they finally called it asthma and started him on preventative maintenance for it. If you want to avoid ER do you have an urgent care in your area. Not sure where you are, but here in Phoenix we have Goodnight pediatrics. Just in case you are in AZ too call ###-###-#### and see if one is near you. Good luck!! If his breathing becomes labored you need to take him in.