Information

[GRACEpunches5]

 okay well not "offically", but my husband spent yesterday afternoon with him at the doctors (i had daycare kids and kids in school that would be home on the bus). he is too young to be "offically" dianogsed, but they treated him at the office with a nebulizer and then recommend that we purshase one. thankfully, b/c of the medicaid the kids are on they paid for it all. he can have two - five times a day. we already had to give it to him in the middle of the night b/c he sounded like he couldn't catch his breathe. he abousoulty hates the little mask, but he is so very cute using it. i felt horrible not being able to go to the doctors with them and my hubby had to to take personal time to go, but it was worth it because we actully got some sleep last night. so for all of you moms out there with kids with asthma could i have some pointers? i mean if its bad now will it get worse in the heat of the summer? is the "neeby" something we need to bring to disney with us? i'm very nervous, but thankfull we are getting somewhere with his breathing.

[Queen Mum]

 Well, the GOOD news is that if they are diagnosed young they tend to outgrow it by puberty.

Don't know what it is, but quite often if a big storm was coming my dd would have more problems - must have been the barimetric pressure or something.

Keep down dust and other allergens.

Colds should be fewer and easier with the treatments.

Good luck!

[torysmom]

 Both of my girls have it and  it is WAY worse in the winter when its colder out.  they also tend to have difficulties at the change of seasons..good luck.

[elainehall]

 My sons and my grandson have it.  They did worse in the winter, and when the season changed also.  I had a nebulizer at it saves you so many trips to the ER.  It is a saving grace.  Keep popsicles in the freezer.  When they are wheezing and can't keep food down they can suck on popsicles.  Put the allergy filters on your furnice/airconditioner.  Get a room size air cleaner.  I got mine at Walmart for less that 100.00 and it works great.  And at some point, you might consider the allergy testing.  It really helps to know what causes their reactions so you can avoid when possible.  It's not easy when they are so small.  You feel very helpless when they can't breath.  All of mine grew out of it, though, as the grew older.  They are in their late teens now and don't really have problems at all.

[Smiley-Scrap8]

 My dd started having trouble with asthma when she was 18 months old. For 2 years she had difficulty through out the year. But now that she is almost 6 she only has trouble in the fall. August-November, we treat her with a preventive inhaler everyday and a breathing treatment when she needs it. The doctors think she will grow out of it when she is older.

I've heard that children that have trouble when they are very young can grow out of it.

If you don't want to take the neub. on trip our doc gave us an inhaler with the same meds and a spacer to use it with. It's lighter and easier to carry around but not as affective on the younger ones as the neub. It helped us, on a trip down in La. though.  Ask your doc. about the trip maybe they will have some advice.

[baltoscrapper]

 I would take your neb machine to Disney with you. Nothing worse than having to go to the ER if your little one has a problem breathing.
While my son hasn't been diagnosed with Asthma officially, he was in the hospital recently with a collapsed lung and they treat him with a nebulizer, which we now have a machine and meds at home also, in case he has breathing problems again.
Best of luck to you while you get this all sorted out.

[justred2u]

First off DEFINITELY take the nebulizer with you ... as they said before that is better than ruining part of your vacation with you and your son in ER or hospital for the asthma (and it is much cheaper!!!).  The allergies is another thing to consider too.  My gs is 8 years old, lives in Houston and has been in and out of the er/hospital off and on for asthma since he was 9 months old.  This last fall he just kept having asthma attacks more than normal so dh suggested to dd to take him to an asthma specialist.  Jennifer took him and they sent him to an allergy specialist.  They discovered he was allergic to pet dander (this is a family with 2 dogs and 2 cats), dust mites, milk and  a few other thingss.  Point is, don't wait too long to take him to the allergist also.  Life sure is easier for him now that she knows what sets things off ... ie the milk for a kid who LOVES milk!!  And testing for allergies is so much easier than what it used to be.  Have you tried not putting the elastic strap on his head instead you just hold it a little bit away from his nose and also you put the mask on yourself to show him it is ok.  Logan didn't like it to start with either.  He eventually got used to it.

[Midge]

 I had asthma as a baby. I actually grew out of it and it's only irritated by colds and I do seem to get bronchitis a lot.

Watch dust and allergens like previously mentioned and second-hand smoke (if that's something the baby is around).

I would suggest that you do take the nebulizer with you. Some medicaid programs will not pay for medications/supplies when supplied out of the state or for vacation use.

[asset]

 My dd had a bad cough for about a month- took her in & they treated for bronchitis, didn't help, treated for pneumonia, still bad, treated w/ a nebulizer, took awhile but finally paid off. They called it asthma, but dr said to stop treatment after her cough cleared up & if it came back it would be asthma. Never came back. That was over a year ago & she hasn't used her nebulizer since.
Good luck!

[Kara]

 What do you mean too young? Brad was born with it and diagnosed at 6 months after 3 cases of pneumonia and many asthma attacks...

I hope he gets better.

Please be prepared that the meds in the neb will make him irritable and agitated and usually hungry....

hugs

pm me if I can help with anything!

[Keling]

 Our Jonny has had it since birth, but like you guys, they wouldn't officially diagnose it until he was 2 (before that, it's just CROUP!). Anyway, take the nebulizer with you. FL, like Bermuda, is pretty humid, and that can set off an attack for some kids. We've not done any allergy testing with Jonny (he's 3 now). Fortunately, it's just colds that tend to set him off, otherwise, he's growing out of it, so it seems. My dad had infantile asthma as well (before Ventolin!), and he did outgrow it, but it came back with a vengence in his 30s and he developed tons of allergies.

[GRACEpunches5]

Watch dust and allergens like previously mentioned and second-hand smoke (if that's something the baby is around).

no one smokes around him or at all in the family. we don't even go to resturants or places that people smoke. it's just disgusting!!!! however dust......GUILTY!!!!! i hardly ever 'dust'.....i just don't see the point. we don't have any pets in or out of the house either. the others pets in the extented family are outside, so they don't bother him when we go to other peoples houses. the only dog i let in our house is my brothers dog that is supposed to be allergy free.

[kennabeans]

Poor little guy. I am glad so many have helpful hints for you.

[SusieKing]

 my boys have asthma and have had it since they were almost newborn.   i deal with it big time.  my dad had it too.  it's really difficult to diagnose when they are so young because they can't tell you how bad it is.  is it a cold or is it serious breathing issues.  my son had to sleep in a little bouncy chair or carseat to keep his head higher than the rest of his body or he would choke.  we spent many times in the ER.  one thing to look for if it IS asthma, when they inhale, does their chest concave (suck in) right at the rib cage.  i mean, a bit is normal but if it's asthma when they inhale the lungs compress sometimes instead of expand w/ air.  my ped. taught me that.  it helped.dust is a huge thing!  i had to get a housekeeper to come in twice a month.  if i clean out closets or just dust furniture i am on my breathing machine for a few weeks.  my boys have it mild still but i will break out into a full flown attack around dust.  spring is bad because of all the pollens.  fall can be bad because every "dies out" in nature and all those dry things blow thru the air.  another time is if it is damp....rainy, snowy weather.  cold weather molds thrive.  and mold, even what we can't see, will blow things up for asthma.  after awhile you will know what triggers you have to be careful for.i am allergic to most animals but we do have a shihtzu doggie.  it took me a few months to get used to her pollens but she's 3 now and we are fine.  most course hair animals, shephards, dauchsands, cats, cows, horses, animals with that course hair will send off allergies because they shed more hair and dander than others.

most kids outgrown childhood asthma but some, like my lucky family, have it in the genes and we get to deal with it all the time.  good luck and be careful.

[DisneyInsider]

 My son was diagnosed with RAD/ asthma at 18 months. He was rushed to the emergency room the day that we moved (the dust from boxes set him off) and again when his lips turned blue after a cold.   Once we learned what would set him off, we knew what to avoid and when he needed the nebulizer.  He outgrew most of it (he's now 7) but is more suseptible to chest infections when he gets a cold. 

[-LATE-]

Sorry to hear about the asthma!  Hopefully he will grow out of it.

The kids are on medicaid and you are going to Disney?  I must be doing something wrong...  Disney is a very expensive trip.  Just sayin'.

[debamas]

 I think you are getting some good advice from parents that have been there. My son does not actually have asthma, but does have airway problems and we do take his nebulizer with us. Good luck with this. You are not alone, obviously, but it's a new thing to deal with. You and your family will learn what to do and your little one will be fine. It is very scary when they have an attack, so do learn what to do, how to recongize one coming on. Being prepared will make you feel better for your trip. Do go and have a great time.