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Queston#2 Why can't hear my 2 yr old wheeze ever, yet he has bad asthma?

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Posted 5/1/2013 12:43 PM (GMT 0)

Hello all, I posted a question a couple weeks ago and with all of the informative feedback I got, I took more steps to figure out this situation with my son. After seeing ENT and our pediatrician, they have officially ruled that he has asthma and will NEED to be on steroids. This breaks my heart as he is only 2 1/2 and this started one year ago.  I will be seeing a  pulmonoligist in San Diego but there is just one factor that makes me question this whole situation. He can go into imeediate attacks with like little to no warning (and albuterol immediately helps), but here's the thing, he does not wheeze. I might of heard him wheeze maybe 3 times in the past year. Everyone I've talked to that has BAD asthma always wheezes and it just makes me wonder if we are chasing the wrong thing here. Does anyone know why he doesn't wheeze if he's so bad, or could there be something else going on,???

Thank you :)

Post Edited (Mommylife) : 5/1/2013 7:16:07 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/1/2013 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
Some people with asthma don't wheeze. I don't wheeze. I have "cough variant" asthma.
Posted 5/1/2013 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
It's common for children not to have audible wheezing. In fact, it's more common for early childhood asthma to be manifested by a cough. Like Kazbern, this is also the type of asthma I have.

Also, it isn't always possible to hear wheezing without a stethiscope. If your child is coughing and seems anxious, you can be assured it's asthma.
Posted 5/2/2013 4:25 AM (GMT 0)
I cough most of the time with my asthma. Sometimes I hear a faint wheeze but most of the time I cough.
Posted 5/2/2013 6:44 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, the doctor is the only one who can hear me wheeze (through a stethoscope)...otherwise, I just cough and cough and cough (with every breath) when I have an Asthma attack...
Posted 5/2/2013 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
wow, thank you everyone, I had no idea this many people didn't wheeze with asthma!
Posted 5/9/2013 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
The last thing you want to do is wait until you hear your child start wheezing because at that time your child is in a full blown asthma attack and that could be deadly. Once you notice your child is tight and is having a hard time breathing you must act ASAP and get some medications on board. Children are the worst when it comes to pulmonary problems especially asthma. They can go from being OK to being in serious condition in minutes and don't wait for the wheezing to start because that may be the last thing you hear..

I was a Respiratory Therapist for 15yr's and mostly worked with pediatric ICU patients  

Good Luck and hope this helps...Randy

Posted 5/15/2013 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
I agree... you definintely don't want to wait until you hear wheezing... never a good sign. For me, my doctors determined that my airways were simply too constricted to allow for wheezing, breath sounds, or any sort of noise to escape. That might be another reason as to why he isn't wheezing audibly. As said above... some people don't really wheeze with asthma. At this point, he is too young to tell you when breathing is difficult for him... just make sure to stay on top of his medications (even after his attacks seem to dissipate).

Hope things start to help soon! I was diagnosed as an infant with asthma and spent all of my childhood on steroids (inhaled and systemic), nebulizers, and inhalers... Now, I'm just on Albuterol PRN and high doses of Qvar daily (currently, am on Prednisone b/c I was bad and stopped taking my Qvar - now, I'm back in the vicious cycle of getting pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma attacks). It does get 'easier' to control over-time. That is to say that you gain more knowledge as time passes and experience with what his triggers are and such will definitely aid in the process.

Jade
Posted 6/17/2013 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hi--

I'm sorry you're going through this. My son had asthma that would present with a serious asthma attack every time he got cold.

I'd like to suggest to you that you consider food allergies. Try removing dairy, egg, gluten (wheat), corn and soy for two weeks and see if that resolves the wheezing. For Jackson, once we removed these things, he stopped having asthma attacks. I'm so grateful we had an incredible pediatrician to help because it was causing so much anxiety and stress in my life.

Good luck to you!
Posted 6/18/2013 6:49 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the suggestions and information!
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