The Imperfect Community

[honeybee]

That fever he had went away and was replaced with a cold. It wasn't a big deal -- a bit of stuffy nose and a wee cough. But today, after a very short nap, his breathing became very labored and he was struggling to take a breath. We rushed him to the doctor where they gave him a breathing treatment. He still wasn't breathing well afterwards. The doctor says he has asthma, triggered by the cold most likely. We have a Rx for breathing stuff for home and need to give it to him every 4 hours around the clock. Also, he will be taking steroids for awhile to get the inflamation under control. He goes back on Monday to be checked again.

[Princesso]

Poor Owen, I hope he is feeling better soon.

[DietCokeHead]

Is this going to be ongoing asthma or is it just because he has a cold now? How is he feeling today?

[honeybee]

I've suspected he may be asthmatic for awhile. I have asthma, and the way he sounds after being very active was all too familiar -- not wheezy, just...that hollow sound. Also, whenever he is around dogs his breathing would get very heavy. I had mentioned it to the peds before, but they just said they would put a note in his file and be on the lookout for more signs in the future.
So he has had that little cold and the dogs have been here since my parents are out of town. The combination is what most likely triggered the attack. But the attack was so severe, he will be monitored very closely from now on. I'm going to have him seen by a pediatric pulmonologist to make sure that this treatment is the best for him.

It was the most frightening thing I've ever experienced. His breathing was so labored and rapid that he was retracting and his finger tips and lips were turning blue.

[Petulant Pixie]

Asthma--I hope against hope that the doctor didn't write that on the diagnosis! People have a really hard time when their kids get that diagnosis, because you know it follows them, and it can be considered a "pre-existing condition" if you ever want to change insurance plans.

Also, most peds (around here anyway) wouldn't make that diagnosis on a one-time visit (especially a sick visit!). They would watch the kid for a while, chart the patterns and then refer to a pulminologist to do their testing (which I understand is pretty extensive) before making that diagnosis. It sounds like this is what you're doing, but if the ped wrote "asthma" on the diagnosis, I'd run in and try to get it changed before it's proven!

I only know this because I've known three moms who have gone through this in the past couple of years.

Poor little bugger, it does sound awful and hopefully it's just allergies and/or a consequence of the cold and it can be controlled!

[Rebecca_R]

So sorry for the little guy. I am prone to asthma if I get out of control allergies, for example going to El Paso, MAJOR allergy area for me. I end up with asthmatic bronchitis, and breathing treatments. Smelling strong paint....same thing, I can land in the ER with breathing treatments. But it's not something that's constant, or that I even get with a bad cold usually. I hope that's the case for Ethan too, that it's not something which ends up being chronic!

[honeybee]

I hope against hope that the doctor didn't write that on the diagnosis! People have a really hard time when their kids get that diagnosis, because you know it follows them, and it can be considered a "pre-existing condition" if you ever want to change insurance plans.

Yeah, I thought about that afterwards. You know, when I ceased being the hysterical paranoid mom and reverted back to my normally clear-thinking ways. lol That is something I'll ask about on our follow up appointment on Monday. I am worried about that since we will be changing insurers when dh starts the new job.

Also, most peds (around here anyway) wouldn't make that diagnosis on a one-time visit (especially a sick visit!). They would watch the kid for a while, chart the patterns and then refer to a pulminologist to do their testing (which I understand is pretty extensive) before making that diagnosis. It sounds like this is what you're doing, but if the ped wrote "asthma" on the diagnosis, I'd run in and try to get it changed before it's proven!

I don't have a lot of faith in the peds here. It's a big clinic, they see tons of kids. I don't know how much experience they can have with respiratory ailments though, since everyone I know who has kids with asthma and RAD go to the asthma care centers that are around. I don't know of anyone who sees their regular ped for this stuff.

Poor little bugger, it does sound awful and hopefully it's just allergies and/or a consequence of the cold and it can be controlled!
I hope so, too. I just have this nagging worry that this is just the beginning though. There have been so many times when Owen has reacted to things that made me suspect he may have problems -- and these were times when he was perfectly healthy, no colds, and yet gasping for breath just from running up and down the hallway or bouncing on the couch. Just a totally different thing than what I know to be normal from Ethan. He has frequently been short of breath for things that shouldn't be a big deal -- just like me. But if it is allergy triggered (mine is), I hope moving out of this area will help. This is an awful place for someone with allergies and asthma to be living.

[Scout]

Poor baby! I had a similar incident with Joshua a few weeks ago and had to take him to a minor med center because it was later on a Saturday. He had a cold, and as the day went on I noticed he was grunting each time he took a breath. When he fell asleep briefly, he was panting. When I took him in I wrote "difficulty breathing" on the form, and the nurse came out and took us straight back. As I was talking to the doctor, he was very concerned and put the breathing treatment on right away. He said he was surprised Joshua was not asthmatic based on the way he sounded, and said it made him suspect pneumonia and ordered chest Xrays. I told him I thought a little bit of the grunting was probably caused by Joshua reacting to the weird feeling of being so congested, and apparently I was right because the Xrays were clear except for minor congestion, and the breathing treatment helped immensely (he was sending us to the hospital if it didn't!). He sent us home with an inhaler attached to a chamber, which we used a few times in the next few days, but other than that he's been fine. hopefully whatever it is with Owen will pass quickly and not be anything on-going.