Asthma | Imamother

patriot

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 10:12 am

I am not a dr, but my brother is asthmatic, and my dd was also just diagnosed, so ill tell you what I know. its a broad term. my brother got attacks that sometimes landed him in the hospital. my dd just wheezes very often. dr told me, ok, you could call her asthmatic...
there is no cure for asthma, its something you learn to live with. at this point we are not doing anything with my dd. when she wheezes, we put her on the nebulizer. some people do take medication every day. some people carry medication with them in case of an attack ch'v. depending on how old your dd is, some people do outgrow athsma.

montrealmommy

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 10:35 am

Both my kids have asthma and #3 is being watched (he already had a bout of wheezing). I presume your dd is over 1 year old b/c <1yr it's called bronchilitis and asthma as a diagnosis doens't happen until a child is over 1 year old and usually has 2 or more episodes (or ch'v'sh 1 very severe one).

If asthma is not in your family then the chanes of your dd outgrowing it are higher than if it was in the family.

AS for recognizing it, it can be anything from labored breathing and lethargy (associated with decreased O2) to full attacks which include coughing and an inability to catch one's breath.

Trust your doctor and get your child properly tested (Pulmonary funciton testing) for an accurate diagnosis which will also allow for the best possible treatment.

Hatzlacha

Mrs.K

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 10:49 am

2 of my children have had infant/juvenile asthma. They would get coughs very very often, like more days, weeks, and months of the year with it then without it, and right away their breathing would decline horribly. Most of the time a nebulizer with medication for a few days-a week was enough. Many times we were instructed by our doctor that the nebulizer had to be on shabbos clock for shabbos if we didn't want to go to the hospital.

Obviously you need to have everything confirmed by your doctor but just some points...
1. Asthma is often hereditary. Does it run in your or your husband's family?
2. We used to get the nebulizer machine from a local Bikur Cholim whenever we needed it, but quickly realized this was ridiculous. In my opinion, it pays to invest in the machine once you know you will be needing it often. Especially since no one wants to run to borrow a machine at 3am.
3. There is a difference between asthma and infant or juvenile asthma. It is very possible that this is something your child can outgrow. Ask your doctor about it.

Refuah Shelaima to all.

montrealmommy

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 10:54 am

Also check with your doctor if this is "stand alone asthma" or is asthma a symptom of something else (like allergies or a cold; which can often trigger asthma-like symptoms). For example, dd and I have full blown nothing instigating asthma; I can have an attack while sitting and reading a book. On the other hand, dh and ds will have increased episodes and wheezing when sick, overtired, during allergy season, etc... becuase of that we are on different meds and dosages to best help each of us.

patriot

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 10:56 am

mrs k-- thats exactly how it is with my daughter. I just want to mention that there is a non machine spray tunnel with a face mask that we use on shabbos. and insurance paid for that, and the machine.

Mrs.K

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 11:06 am

patriot wrote:

We have the spray tunnel as well but unfortunately, for some reason, the spray tunnel was just barely effective on my children.

I would definitely recommend it though. It is quick and painless, and if it works for your children you don't have to deal with the worst part of the nebulizer which is getting them to sit still without screaming/choking/crying for a good 15 minutes or more.

Ima'la

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 12:40 pm

While it is true that there is not a cure, it can often be kept well under control with medication. It is very worthwhile to take low doses of medication on a regular basis in order to avoid full-blown attacks, which will end up requiring much more meds to get the breathing back under control. Also, medications/dosages may have to be adjusted periodically - especially in a child.

Refuah shelaima & hatzlacha!

Henya

Thu, Mar 05 2009, 4:57 pm

Ima'la wrote:

I had asthma, so did my brother & sister. My mother took us to a homeopath. Within one year, we were all cleared of it. My daughter had her first asthma attack 2 years ago. I took her to a Homeopath. All it took was one visit & she's B"H been cleared of it.