Anyone with Asthma?

[avman]

Well I'm pretty sure my 9 year old son has asthma. I'm taking him to see a doctor about it tomorrow. Being an overly concerned parent (I can't help it), I'm trying to learn as much about this as possible so I ask the right questions tomorrow.

 

For anyone who has asthma, can you tell me when you knew you had it? How have you coped with it? What kinds of things should I be asking the doctor about? This is a disease that I'm pretty ignorant about so I'm on a crash course to come up to speed.

[Deckman33]

Dear avman, I have suffered some 5 years ago a form of asthma, that is my lungs get really rapidly tired when I go through an exhaustive sporting activity. I used to begin to hiss while I breath heavily, so this led me to search a bit about asthma as I thought this was it in the beginning.

Now after a doctor's diagnostic, I was given a Ventolin inhaler, and it helped me alot, and now it's practically disappeared after 3 years, but I am still sensible to smoke and such.

I would advise you to check this website out, I hope it has all the information you need.

 

link removed

 

And I hope everything works out well with your son.

Cheers

[CarterJonas]

Asthma runs in my family although I don't have it at the moment.

 

What makes you think that your son has asthma? Is there a history of it running in your and your girlfriend/wife's family?

 

I know that sometimes it can be mistaken for allergies, although your doctor is the best person to advice.

[avman]

No, no history of it. But he has been complaining more and more of not being able to keep up with his friends (running around and such). Sometimes at night he'll start wheezing a bit. But the worst is when he gets a cold, he'll wheeze severely and the past few times he's complained about being short of breath, he looks pale, and he coughs like crazy.

[sisterlynch]

I have a feeling that these types of diseases will be more common in the future. I have had it for several years, but it came on about six months after the death of my dad. So it is a psychosomatic illness for me. I am not sure if it is for everyone. It is better to treat it than to let it go, he will become more self conscious of it over time if you don't treat it.

[DBL]

I have had asthma since I was 3 years old. Been to the hospital a couple of times for it. When I was younger it was more of a bigger deal, there weren't inhalers and medications that work quickly like they do today. It has to be the worst thing I have ever experienced. There are different degrees of asthma...from just some simple wheezing here and there to having to have machines on hand. As a child I fell more toward the machine part. As I became older my asthma has become better.

 

I was 14 when I had my first inhaler, after that I never regretted having asthma. I learned to cope with it to the point that I forget I even have it. Today asthma is more treatable. I have had one friend die of it when she was 19, and my fathers cousin died of it a couple of years back. Basically they went into commas and that was it. Not trying to scare you. My friend had is severely and my fathers cousin was in her 70's

 

Some tips...Working out has helped my asthma A LOT. Getting the lungs expanded etc. They say swimming is also good for asthma, don't know how true that is, but that is something that was said when I was a child.

 

There are also certain triggers like certain foods, the winter cold, heat and humidity, exterting one self, etc. Anything can trigger it. During allergy season asthma becomes worse. The last couple of years I been taking 2-3mg of vit c and working out and I survived the allergy season just like it was any other season. Two times a year I can expect to go through hell...that is spring and fall.

 

Anyway you learn to deal with it, today they have a lot of stuff to help it. There is no cure for it. I never thought of it as a disease though, I just look as it as a spasm of the broncial tubes. I hope the best for your son. I would not worry too much with everything available.

 

If you want an idea of what it feels like to have an asthma attack. Cup your hand over your nose and mouth. Leave a little crack between your fingers so that it is hard to pull air into your lungs, do that for an hour and see how much your lungs hurt. Your literally trying to pull the air into your lungs as hard as you can during a good attack. If I had to start over in life I would like to bypass the time when I had no inhaler. I thought I was going to die every night as a kid.

 

Also during attacks it is sometimes easier to breath through your nose instead of your mouth.

 

Good Luck, feel free to ask me anything you want on it.

DBL

[tea]

I had asthma since I was 5... and I got rushed to the hospital a couple of times. I didn't think I was going to die, but I did have to sleep standing up right with my head on my piano so I can breathe. (Didn't want to wake anyone up.)

 

Sports help a lot with asthma, but I can't do too much of them. I have breathing problems after 10 min of any sport, and I tried running 2 miles once, almost died.

 

What I know that helped me a lot was allergy shots. I had 1 shot a week for 2 years since I was allergic to 36 different things. After the shots my asthma almost completely went away. Now I just have small attacks when seasons change or when we're cleaning the room....or when I decided that I should run for a bit.

 

Don't be too concerned, asthma's so common now. Did you find out what caused your son's asthma?

 

Mine was caused by allergies, and now I still have some because some attacks that happened when I was younger damanged my lungs a bit, but it's not a big deal.

 

Inhalers do help you, but if your son's attached to those he might need bigger and bigger doses as he grows older.

 

I use my inhaler as needed. If I'm not going to wheeze for more than 2 hours I don't touch it, and now I haven't used it for 2 years.

[Bobo]

lol. For the first time ever on this forum, i feel like one of the superiors in knowledge in this field! Right, I've had asthma all my life. I was born with it, and a bundle of other allergies and 'diseases', like eczema etc.

 

Ok, my parents have had one expensive child! Theyve spent a fortune on all kinds of stuff, mainly for my eczema. But luckily, being on the crappy NHS in Britain, most of my asthma care was 'free'. In case you dont know, asthma from birth usually goes hand in hand with eczema. 'Proper' full asthma is more than just getting wheezy due to physical activity, though that is one of the main symptoms. Average asthma is mainly caused by an allergy to dustmites and such things. The allergy causes a swelling, or tightening of the chest, making it harder to breathe as a result. Depending on the serousness of the asthma, the 'patient', as I do, may have to take a preventative inhaler morening/evening, just to up the 'immunity' a bit. There are many different types of preventative. I myslef, am onto a more 'advanced' one, Flixotide, as Ive built up to it over the years. I think it may be less powerful or something! As previously mentioned a blue Ventolin inhaler is required to ease such problems. If a times the asthma is really bad, and the Ventolin inhaler isnt sufficeint, 'steroid' tablets (forgotten what theyre called!!!) can be disolved in water and consumed for pretty immediate effect. In really bad situations, such as an asthma attack, a nebuliser may be used. I luckily have only had to use this a couple of times. Basically, you inhale vapourised medicine in a mist, through a machine, which works wonders!.

 

But im getting ahead of myself here. Chances are, your child doesnt have that serious a case of asthma, or you would have really know about it by now! So most of the stuff above is irellivant, but at least you know a bit about it now!

 

But anyway, Ive all but grown out of asthma. I still use the preventative, but rarely have to use anything else, and it doesnt bother me in anyway at all, now! (ive conviniently left out the whole combo of my allergies and stuff, which gets nasty, cos i dont want to worry you over nothing!)

[DBL]

Tea,

 

I still sleep partially sitting up. It became a habit of sleeping that way when I was younger. Since invoking a conservative diet, supplements and exercise program, one inhaler last me several months now. I took allergy shots from 3-14 every week. The doctors used to joke about my arms having more holes then a pin cushion. For a few years I had to get two shots every week. Finally one day the doctor just said...if you haven't gotten better by now, these shots are not going to help you anymore.

 

Bobo,

 

I developed the ecezma too. The ecezma went away when I was bout 14 after a trip to Florida, but it resurfaced about a year ago, but not as bad as it used to be while growing up.

 

DBL

DBL

[tea]

Bleh, I love my body compared to your's DBL. Asthma's so annoying. Glad to say mine is almost completely gone.

 

Have you tried those Chinese herbal medicines? I'm not sure if those help, but I took a lot of those when I was younger too... like, 24 pills a day? Well, since there's no official cure for this, you should try out everything people suspect will help you right?

[avman]

Thanks gang. At this point I don't know what caused the asthma. I'm assuming the doctor will help figure that out. And its not serious yet, but its been getting worse. So I don't want to wait around until he requires a trip to the emergency room.

[DBL]

I don't know what triggered mine. At 3 years old my family lost everything and we had to move into a small apartment. I remember one night I could not breathe and my parents took me to the hospital. That is when I found out I had asthma and allergies. They found out I was allergic to a feather pillow. The catch here is, we I lived on a chicken farm(which is what we lost) and I was around ducks, chickens, dogs, and cats all the time. Within months of moving is when I developed all this. Maybe trauma can trigger it? I'm not sure. I never really ever thought about how I eneded up with it.

 

DBL

[xbox_modding_freak]

I used to have it but it helps if you stay off fizzy drinks and stuff...I used to have attacks in thenight if i drank too much coke when i was younger

 

My friend had it so bad he was in hospital for 2 weeks...

 

Make sure your son keeps an inhaler where ever he goes you never know when Astma can strike

 

 

-XmF

[Bobo]

Its probably the amount of crap in the atmosphere today. Otherwise, it may be genetic, like mine.

 

BTW, Ive had eczema all my life too, another genetic thing. Ive tried just about everything. Its getting better. I found some cool stuff in Canada called Rocky Mountain Body Butter, and that really helps dry skin etc.

 

Yes, Ive tried the herbal medicine, several times actually. As a very young child, it really helped, though, apparently could have killed me! I had to go to London to have a blood test once a month just to check it wasnt! But, yes, it worked wonders but tastes like crap. I tried it again a couple of years ago. It worked well for a while, but then it did nothing so I stopped again.

 

But out of all the creams and medicine and stuff, this natural Body Butter stuff is the only thing that I can say nearly cured my eczema. As I live in England, I cant say that it wont cure it, as Ive run out of my small supply, that I got in Canada (only available there). It rejuvinates the skin, bringing back the elasticity which my skin has always lacked. Thats the difference between my 'from birth' eczema, and that that you develop: my hands have always been wrinkley, and Ive been teased about it by numbskulls for ages, but I ignore the idiots. Anyway, for those with similar skin conditions, go to Canada! (Cool shop in Banff, sells loadsa good stuff!)

[avman]

Thanks everybody. The doctors checked him out today and did diagnose him with asthma. So now we are working on a treatment plan and medications to take so it gets under control.

[tea]

Make sure you force him to exercise. It's really easy for everyone to be soft on people with asthma when it comes to exercising, but exercising really does help with Asthma.

 

(I know you can get out of exercise easily because I ran a total of 2 miles in class my entire life. I did a bit of running on the side... but not much. All my swim coaches, kendo sensei, PE teachers are always concerned with my asthma. All of them just let me off easily. Eventhough all the students in all my PE classes wondered why I only have to sit out with a book during class, or why I'm the only person with absolutely no mile times... I was never forced into moving.) (I get very pale, very breathy, sometimes I stop breathing and I gag for air... so they all get worried. It really is no big deal though, everyone will just have to know their own limits. I'd say my lungs are so undertrained because I was always let off easily. So many atheles have asthma, they're still training just like everyone else.... ugh, I trailed off. Point is, force him to exercise as much as he can.)

[CtinaDitty]

I got diagnoses with asthma last year after having it for about 2-3 years but not having a clue what was up. I had already had a bunch of small asthma attacks and one really serious one before I was diagnosed.

 

The reason we came to the conclusion that I might have asthma was during my HS soccer season. When I breathed it hurt in my chest and lungs. It was a sharp pain and it was hard to breathe in. It was hard to catch a breath. And I knew something was wrong then, because we'd been conditioning all season so there was NO reason for me not to be in shape. Then during my State Championship game last year, it was extrememly hot, and I'd been drinking a LOT of water. I'd go out on the field for 2 minutes not be able to breathe, almost pass out... Not a good time, let me tell you...

 

Anyway, that's how we figured I had asthma. We went to the doctor's and they confirmed it. I use an Advair inhalor, and albuterol rescue inhalor, and the pill Singular.

 

Hope this helped! and Good Luck with your son!!

[Tigris]

Swimming is good for asthma. Also playing a musical instrument that has to be blown is good too. I used to play the cornet in a brass band.

 

My asthma wasn't the main problem. That was caused by Cholenergic Urticaria. The easiest way to describe it is that it's like an allergy to the heat and the cold. This was triggered off by doing sport at school. When the inside of my body was a different temperature to the outside an allergic reaction developed covering me in measle type spots and nettle rash. When this happened it started the asthma off.

 

In winter time when I was playing Christmas Carols on my cornet outside the cold air would affect my lungs and cause asthma.

 

When I started to take anti-histamine tablets the symptoms were greatly reduced but not totally gone. It's very rarely I get asthma attacks now. I carry a blue inhaler just in case there's an emergency.

 

To find out what caused my asthma/allergies I was given patch tests at the hospital. These included dust and pet hairs.