Hello! My toddler was just diagnosed yesterday with asthma. He prescribed Pulmicort respules for her (.5mg twice per day). Does anyone else use this? Any problems with it? After reading the insert and info on the Internet I feel fairly comfortable using it but don't know anyone else who does.
I didn't really suspect she had asthma. I had brought her in for chronic diarrhea and "failure to thrive". He feels the asthma is causing her poor growth. Anyone else out there with a toddler diagnosed with asthma who also has poor growth?
Doc wants her on it for 6 months to a year. Is it likely she'll grow out of it? She had a blood test for allergies (done by my PCP) and they came back negative (although her pediatrician said they don't typically do testing on children her age; so not sure if it was accurate).
She has never had an "asthma attack" that I'm aware of just a lot of wheezing and coughing. Nothing alarming.
She didn't have x-rays or anything done he diagnosed her based on my answers to his questions; is this typical?
I was wondering also if an adult can suddenly develop asthma. I have had tightness/pressure in my chest with a chronic cough and shortness of breath since November (it's a long story; I had an allergic reaction to Prostin E2 used to induce a miscarriage). It literally feels like my trachea is closing off and I'm breathing through a straw. My doctor did a breathing test (had me blow in a tube, do an albuterol breathing treatment and then blow in the tube again; anyone who knows what this test is called I'd like to know) but it came back normal. He didn't do any further testing or even mention asthma. It's quite bothersome at times but never scary.
Anyway, thank you for anything you can help with!!
Love and Prayers, Kelly
Last edited by ASDGRMama; 04-13-2005 at 07:36 PM.
Reason: misspellings
I go on Pulmicort Respules once in awhile, no problem with them and they work well.
I don't have much experience with toddlers with asthma, but I suppose it makes sense that it could cause low growth, since they are not getting the oxygen they need. Hopefully things will improve when you start the meds.
As far as growing out of it is concerned, unless the problem was due to under-developed lungs, I wouldn't count on it. Most doctors will tell you that people don't grow out of asthma, and everyone knows that there is no cure, but occasionally people can be well controlled for long periods with meds. Sorta like a remission.
My oldest son uses Pulmicort as needed, though he doesn't have asthma. (He has another condition called 'Cronic Croup', and the Pulmicort really helps with that.) He has taken it for a couple of years now, and we've never had a single problem with it. As a matter of fact, I consider it a miracle drug...before the Pulmicort, he had to take all kinds of other stuff that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, and the stuff was oral and tasted like drinking fire (I tried just a tiny taste and it was horrible!). He would scream and cry over having to take it, which only made things worse. The Pulmicort is given through the nebulizer and really doesn't have a taste...certainly not a bad one. Bry doesn't mind taking it at all.
One thing to remember with the Pulmacort is that it's a maintenance medication...it will not stop an asthma attack, it just helps to prevent them from happening. (On a twisted side note, it DOES stop a sudden Cronic Croup attack...funny, huh?) If your daughter ever gets really wheezy, short of breath, or complains of her chest hurting, then you will need to call your doctor right away...they may want you to bring her in so they can give her a different medication to stop those symptoms. I would even ask them if there's not something that you can keep on hand just in case she ever does have a big asthma attack. I don't know what's available for little kids, but they'll know.
I don't know much about childhood asthma, either, except that my best friend has had it since she was a child (diagnosed at age 7) and apparently you don't outgrow it. But she has learned to adapt to it...she instinctively knows what her limitations are by now and avoids (when possible) her triggers. For instance, a big big trigger for her is chlorine bleach, so she doesn't use it when doing laundry. She uses a non-chlorine bleach when needed, and everyone else avoids using it on their clothes if she's over for a visit.
As for adult-onset asthma, yes, it's extremely possible. I was just diagnosed with it a week or so ago myself. And I'm 31, getting ready to turn 32 next month. The breathing test the doctor had you do was a peak flow test, it sounds like. The idea is to test how much air you can move before a breathing treatment, then to do a treatment w/Albuterol, and then see how much air you can move afterwards. They did this with me several times over the course of 3 hours, and thanks to the Albuterol and a couple of other drugs, I went from a peak flow of like 80-100 up to a peak flow of around 400. There are normal peramiters for each age/height category, and as long as you fall fairly close to the right one for your age/height, they don't worry too badly. Now that I have been diagnosed, they gave me a peak flow meter and a chart for me to use to keep track of my rates here at home. Personally, in making the diagnosis with me, they asked questions, took a blood test, and did a chest x-ray. It didn't hurt that I arrived there in a full-blown asthma attack, either. They seemed to know what it was right from the beginning, but did the other stuff just to confirm their diagnosis.
I hope this has helped some! Like I said, I was just diagnosed with it, and this is mostly stuff that I've picked up from talking to my friend, my doctor, searching the internet, and my own (or my son's) experiences.
my 2yr old daughter has been on pulmicort since she was about 10m old. She also has albuterol as a rescue treatment when she gets really bad. She's on it 2x a day as well and so far she seems fine. I've never had any problems with it. She doesn't seem to get any of the side effects. GL ;0)
If your toddler is asthmatic, she may frequently be struggling to get enough oxygen into her lungs, even if she only has a mild case. This struggle is a lot of work for the asthmatic, and can expend a lot of energy. Inappropriate levels of oxygen intake as well as the simple "work" of breathing can use up calories, vitamins, minerals, etc., and may affect your toddler's weight.
Allergies can sometimes be difficult to diagnose at this age, although a negative blood test is a good sign. Other triggers which do not show up on allergy tests include pollutants, chemicals, exercise, cold weather.
Melissa
