My son and his asthma

I'm in need of some suggestions about my sons asthma.  I will be honest, I don't really know a whole lot about asthma, just the basics.  Just a little background about my son: he started seasonal asthma when he was 4 and used an inhaler with a spacer for about 2 years.  He then seemed better so the doc had him stop his medication.  He never really had a reoccurance until just recently.  He's now 15 and his main symptom is coughing and pressure in his chest.  I've taken him to the doctor on several occasions because his coughing is not easing.  He was put thru a pulmonary test and found that it's only his small airways that are not opening properly; his large airway is not affected.  He is on Asmanex, Albuterol, Allegra and Singulair but his coughing is still not under control.  Last night he was kept awake from his coughing so he's not getting the rest he needs.

He was tested for allergies in the past and found to be allergic to dust, cats and dogs.  We have dogs and one of them slept in his room until recently so I think that may have contributed to an increase of symptoms so I stopped the dog from going in there.  He spends more time in his room then anywhere else (playing on his computer - of course!).  I'm thinking about getting him an air purifier but I wanted to know if anyone has tried this and if works to help with coughing asthma or any kind of asthma for that matter.  I don't want to go out and spend a fortune on an air purifier if it doesn't help.  Also, has anyone tried otc cough medications to help with the coughing or would this not be a good idea?

Thanks Brandi :) Yes he is on Allegra and Singulair. I've noticed his coughing gets better when he is on allergy meds but not enough to help him stop coughing. He is gone for the weekend hunting with his father so I think I may tackle his room, dust it real good and eliminate all dog hair that is still left in there. I too believe that the dog dander is a major contributer to his increase of symptoms.

Worry is right! I hate seeing my kid or any kid suffer; it just breaks my heart. The doctor did mention that he can start his Asmanex twice daily if his coughing doesn't stop so when he comes back from hunting and he's still coughing like that, I will have him try twice a day. It just scares me to have my child use a steroid based inhaler.

Oh and hugs are always welcome! ;)

No I haven't checked it out yet. Is that the website addy? www.allergybuyersclub.com?

Dear Red34: When your son went through puberty, his growth was probably at a rapid rate (most boys have less attacks during puberty than girls). Before you buy an air purifier, what type of filter on your a/c & heater do you use? You need a filter w/HEPA rating (gets rid of 99.9% of all pollen, dust, etc). If your son has asthma, do not let him be around anyone smoking. If you have a fireplace, use unscented candles & not the fireplace. Someone w/asthma should also avoid eating food cooked on grills that use charcoal/wood (gas grills w/o smoke brickets are fine). Food absorbs the smoke and when ingested, can trigger attack in the airways. When a person has asthma, their airway always stay sensitive to triggers. Being 15 is hard (my son is 19 & has been diagnosed w/asthma since ago 3) ... lots of kids smoke in peer groups. Mine could never do it as he would go into severe attack (had to quit part time job in coffee shop due to smoking). The woods is a huge area for triggers (can be exposed to new types of pollen, etc). Get his MD's permission to step up his tx plan when you know he's going hunting. This will leave his body prepared for a possible attack (similar to exercise induced asthma). Re: your dog: Shampoos are available to control animal dander; leave pet out of sleeping area; some pts are actually sensitive to flea collars, etc. Re: OTC Meds: Avoid any meds which contain aspirin. Certain meds can actually trigger an attack (aspirin is one). Talk to your MD about the ones he would suggest. Having a teen w/asthma can be a challenge as they want to feel always a part of their group and will many times try to hide an attack (such as someone smoking & triggering attacks). If someone is a heavy smoker, this will remain on their clothes & can also trigger an attack.

Hope this info has helped. Contact your local ALA as they have TONS of info. Good luck!

This is meant for educational info only & not as med advise ... seek MD's advise.

Pets really mess with me. You might want to also shapoo his rug and if you have an older funace, get it cleaned. I am new to alot of this so am trying and figureing out what works. A vaporizer with vicks seems to help me some also and cloriseptic throat spray seems to help also. Hot decaf tea with local honey ( watch out if bad allergies)helps me to. The coughing and tight chest can be a real nucence. I hope he feels better. Being a mom, also it is hard to see your kid suffer. Good luck Kris

Having asthma myself along with both of my kids suffering with it, I can say that air purifiers do make a definite difference as long as you keep the filters changed regularly and clean. Talk to your son's doctor about switching to Zyrtec over the Allegra. We had to do that, and it made a difference. Also, don't be afraid to use the Albuterol inhaler. It's there for a reason and will help control the breathing and coughing issues.

Don't be afraid to be on corticosteroids. This are very mild, go directly to the lungs and do not affect any other parts of the body like other steroids.

Hello, I'm new here. My youngest son (6 1/2 years old) was diagnosed with asthma when he was barely two years old. I have lost count of the number of times he's had bronchititis. I was shocked when his pediatrician showed me his chart showing he had had pneumonia 5 times in less than 4 years. That is in addition to the 2 times before we started seeing his current doctor (the last 4 years).

Garon is so used to using his nebulizer that he can set it up completely except for the electrical. He uses it every 4 hours when we are in the Yellow Zone. He's on Singulair and Advair 250/50 every day. Right now, he is also on Flovent & Albuterol (every 8hrs) in the Yellow Zone. He finished his Prednisone and Zithromax (for traechial bronchitis) this morning and finished the Omnicef for the latest hospitalization for pneumonia this past Monday.

He was hospitalized in April for pneumonia. Less than a week after he got out of the hospital, he had an allergic reaction to penicillin. Sooo, we have a limited choice of antibiotics. Since April, he's had a Sinus CT scan, arm allergy testing, CF test, broad spectrum of blood work to check for immunology diseases, more chest x-rays, Cardioligist (innocent heart murmur), and probably more stuff I can't remember. His asthma specialist is reviewing where we need to go from here. His pedi dr is also referring us to an Infectios Disease Specialist to try and figure out why he keeps getting sick. Hmmm, I forgot to mention the approximately 25 cases of croup he has had, numerouse colds, 4 cases of strep throat and 1 case of scarlet fever he had last year, and the 1 case of strep he has had already since school started in August.

When we saw his pedi dr on Mon, I told him that we will just get Garon over this latest bout and I could almost guarantee that he would have problems this week. Our forecast is calling for wqinter weather with temps in the lower 30's tonight and for the next week.

Ok, now that I have vented all that let me suggest doing as much research as you can. I no way know everything there is to know. It helps (and sometimes scares) me when I do research on a particular illness. We have 3 kids. Garon with his asthma, Gareth who has ADHD/Bi-Polar & asthma, and Randi (girl) who has allergies and uses Clarinex.