Experience with a Child that Has Asthma

I have a son who just turned twelve. He had been diagnosed with asthma when he was three years old. I had taken him into the doctor because he had a cough that just didn't seem to go away. I had no clue that I would be coming home to tell my husband that he had asthma. I figured they would tell me to give him some cough syrup and that he should drink plenty of fluids.

The doctor had prescribed for him to have a nebulizer. He was too young to be able to effectively take Albuterol in the hand held inhaler form. A nebulizer changes the liquid form of Albuterol into a mist to be inhaled through a mask when asthma symptoms are apparent. Albuterol is used for quick relief of asthma attacks.

His asthma symptoms only seemed to worsen after that. He was frequently winded and wound up staying in the house most of the time. I hated the fact that he wasn't able to play outside like all the other children were able to. I still feel to this day that he missed out on being able to enjoy his early childhood. I see this the most when he seems only interested in doing things that require hardly any physical activity.

We had frequent visits to the emergency room. He has had to stay in the hospital overnight a total of three times. The worst was when he was ten years old. We had to call an ambulance and he ended up staying at the hospital for a whole week. Intensive care for three of those days. This is the most terrifying thing for a parent. Children should be healthy and active and not fighting for their lives. Unfortunately this is not how real life is.

He is doing considerably better now. This was accomplished by working with Asthma/Allergy Specialists and gaining knowledge as to what we were fighting.
Knowledge is so important! I have learned so much since we first found out he had asthma.

First we needed to know what it is he is allergic to. Most asthma symptoms are caused by an allergy. In Drew's case the culprits are dust mites and cats. He was originally allergic to dust mites and mold but that had changed after 4-5 years. This was another thing I had learned. I did not know that what you're allergic to can change so much. It is important to be checked every few years. Never know what may change!

Drew is currently on preventive medications to help control his asthma.
He is on:
"Advair" It is inhaled and used to control inflammation and constriction.
"Pulmicort" This is also inhaled and used to control asthma flareups.
"Nasonex" Aids in relief of nasal allergies.
"Singulair" Comes in pill form and is used to prevent allergy and asthma symptoms.

We are finally in control of his asthma. It took a lot of heartache to make it this far. I am hoping that he will grow out of his asthma like some children do.

I highly suggest going to a specialist like we did versus seeing your family physician. They will decide what the best measures are to take for your child. There are many different preventive medications that they may prescribe for your child. Also be sure to do a test to find out what your child is allergic to.

There are simple things you can do at home to lessen your child's exposure to the allergen. We invested in mattress covers, an air purifier, and a top of the line vacuum cleaner. Keeping on top of dusting and vacuuming becomes a priority when you have a child allergic to dust mites.

There are many resources on the internet for learning more about asthma and the medications I referenced above.