Does your baby/child have Asthma or been tested?

Kimberly74

My 7 month old just got out of the hospital after spending 7 days there for respiratory distress of unknown reasons (Other than a "cold").  She was hospitalized last month for 3 days due to respiratory distress related to RSV. 

 This time, when we were getting discharged, the doc mentioned infantile asthma.  It is not her official diagnosis, but she did mention that I should let any DOC treating her know about it. 

 Anyway - if your LO has asthma,

1) when were they Diagnosed?

2) What criteria did they use to diagnose?

3) What symtoms/medical history did they have prior to being diagnosed?

4) What meds were used to treat? 

5) Did treatment change with official diagnosis?

6) Any there any specific questions I should ask  my pedi today?

7) Did / Do you see a pulmonologist?

8) Any other info that might be helpful?

 

jpowell3

Let's get the important stuff out of the way first - OMG your kids are so cute!

When ds was 3 he came down with a cough/wheeze which was made worse when he was active. After some x-rays they couldn't find any diagnosis. They told me that he was too young to diagnose with asthma but they put him on steroids through a nebulizer promising it would help... (Pulmicort & Albuterol) but it never did & I took him off of them after a couple months. He had his tonsils & adnoids removed in November & he has been problem free. Anyways, what I'm getting at is that she may be too young to diagnose with asthma just yet.

Temp970088312507122

We went through a similar situation with my first DD, She only really had problems when she was sick and we always ended up in the ER for things as simple as a cold. 

1) when were they Diagnosed?  DD didn't really get sick until her second winter, so she was around 17 months the first time we saw a problem.

2) What criteria did they use to diagnose?  3) What symtoms/medical history did they have prior to being diagnosed?  Whenever she was sick, she would have this rapid breathing where you could see pulling around her rib cage. The doctors told me if it lasted more than 15 minutes, she needed to be seen. I think they gave her a diagnosis the third time this happened.

4) What meds were used to treat?  Albuterol through a nebulizer in the hospital. The first couple of times they sent us home with albuterol in an inhaler. She would also be on steroids (can't remember which).

5) Did treatment change with official diagnosis?  They gave us a nebulizer. I know that right after an attack, the treatments would be more intense, but for the long-term she was on daily Pulmicort treatments and Albuterol as needed. I think right after an attack, she did Pulmicort twice daily, and Albuterol every 3-4 hours.

6) Any there any specific questions I should ask  my pedi today? Ask for a diagnosis. I was told they don't usually like to diagnose children before age 2 I think unless it's an extreme circumstance. Ask if she'll outgrow it? Ask if she can go on a preventative medication (Pulmicort)?

7) Did / Do you see a pulmonologist? Not for the asthma. She has a peanut allergy so we saw a specialist for that. He gave us some tips for her asthma as well but I mostly rely on her pedi.

8) Any other info that might be helpful?  I'm going to ask at her 3-year appt coming up, but I think she may have outgrown it for the most part. She was sick a couple times this winter and we had no problems with her asthma. Every once in a while she'll need an albuterol treatment. It seems to affect her if she's over-tired and then gets over-excited. For instance, we had a sleepover with a cousin a week ago. She didn't get much sleep, and then was running around all day. By the end of the day,she had her "asthma cough" and was having a tough time getting air. The albuterol cleared that up. I don't think we'll need a nebulizer any more, probably just an inhaler for instances like that.