, Re: Asthma or Croup/Airway Constriction?

May 7, 2006

,

No problem with printing out my message. I remember what the sleep

deprivation was like from waking up at night when the kids were sick

and am pleased if I can help at all.

One other thing I learned in the process. The specialists all told me

that the equipment that general practioners use to measure lung

function is cheap and not very reliable. The doctors on the front

lines don't seem to know this. The specialists have the good

equipment but it takes months where I live to get to see a specialist.

Regards

J

> >

> > Okay, I have been trying to figure out what is happening with my 3

> year old NT son for a few months now. He isn't vaccinated but is a

> Rhogam/dental work baby. Every few weeks he gets this mostly dry

> cough that is pretty bad. It sounds almost like croup but not quite,

> it is that loud and racking though. He will cough up very little and

> the cough is rather spasmatic. He will cough anywhere from a little

> to a lot during the day and then wake up hardly breathing at night,

> really grasping for breath. I can usually calm him down and he will

> be okay. He might do this just once or maybe twice a night when this

> is happening. Within a couple days it is over and gone. Yesterday he

> started with the cough again except it was really all day long and

> often. It has been getting progressively worse each time he has this.

> His behavior, mood, appetite all were fine yesterday...nothing to

> indicate he was even catching anything. The coughing would be enough

> to make his nose run just

> > a touch when he coughed but we are all experiencing allergies it

> seems. There are also a couple fires burning very close to the house.

> >

> > Anyway at about 12:30 last night/this morning he woke up again

> and really could hardly breathe. He calmed down a little but you

> could see he was having a lot of difficulty getting a breath in. He

> wasn't really wheezing though. He was making a lot of noise though as

> if his airway was constricted. I put him where he could inhale the

> cold air from the freezer and that helped a touch. After a couple

> minutes and especially remembering he will sometimes do this twice in

> a night I took him to the ER. He was just not getting enough air.

> >

> > The cool air helped but he was still coughing and laboring some

> when we got there. Since he was getting over it his pulse oxygen was

> just fine so they didn't think he was having an asthma attack. They

> said his cough was croup and that his windpipe is likely too small

> thus making him at risk for spasmatic episodes. The DR said he could

> react to allergies or a virus. They wanted to give him steroid shots

> but talked him into oral. He didn't think I could get it into him, he

> just didn't know how much experience I have getting food and

> supplements into a boy who sometimes seems like he has 8 arms! They

> haven't really helped though, not in any great way. He was still

> raspy when we left. He was breathing better though. He is still

> coughing though so I am worried about tonight. I am giving him

> antivirals/immune boosters in case this is a virus he is working with.

> >

> > I was talking to a friend of mine who has three asthmatic sons

> recently. She says that you can have asthma and it not progress to

> the life threatening attacks but it be more cough related. I

> obviously don't want anything wrong with my son or want a diagnosis on

> him that isn't accurate but if really does have asthma I want to make

> sure we do treat it appropriately. I really don't like these middle

> of the night episodes with him not breathing much.

> >

> > Thanks so much for any advice. I am most appreciative!!!

> >

> > " If you think you are too small to be effective, you've never been

> in bed with a mosquito! " –Betty Reese

> >

> > " Uneducated people believe what they are told…Educated people

> question what they are told. " –Helen Keller

> >

>

> " If you think you are too small to be effective, you've never been

in bed with a mosquito! " –Betty Reese

>

> " Uneducated people believe what they are told…Educated people

question what they are told. " –Helen Keller

>

May 7, 2006

Definitely good to know. I am going to call around tomorrow and see who I can

get seen by. Him not having vaccines does limit our choices so we will see what

happens. I need to get a good diagnosis though to be able to get meds to treat

him here at the house. I really don't like the idea of heading to the ER

everytime this happens. It takes too long and I hate that he is so upset and

frantic that he can't get a good breath in. I also don't do well with no sleep!

I was up with him Friday night and up with my daughter all last night so I am

just about a zoombie right now. I can't wait for the fires to be out and the

smoke to clear. All three of mine are not well and I think the smoke has just

put too much on their immune systems. The fires are too big and mostly in

forest areas so they don't actually fight to put them out. They protect the

houses and contain them to keep them from threatening houses.

Oh well! Your post did help a lot, it really fit what I have been dealing

with. Thanks so much!!!

indajaytee <lindajaytee@...> wrote: