[Calm]

My daughter 2y8m, had eczema as a baby, and this can be a precurser to hayfever and asthma. I haven't thought much of it, other than the occasional thought when she won't run around much. Which is often. And when she does run around, she runs out of breath and it sounds like wheezing. This has been happening for about a year. Now I don't know if she is playing "wheezies" or is actually wheezing. Dh thinks she is playing sometimes, as she walks around doing it for no reason, but it sounds like wheezing, especially after rough housing or a lot of laughter.

The doctor checked her chest a number of months ago and couldn't hear anything, but she was calm at the time. I was just wondering if anyone else has had wheezing and coughing from their children that isn't asthma and if it is normal from exertion. It is becoming more frequent and from less exertion. I have no medicine if she had an attack because the doc didn't hear anything. Is there anything I can get over the counter just in case she has an attack. I am not panicked or anything, but I do like to be prepared for any scenarios.

My mother has asthma (severe) and I have had one attack and I also get hayfever. So we have a puffer spray, but it is for adults. Is there anything else i should know since i seem to be without a doc's help here?

Thanks.

 

[fiddledebi]

Have you considered taking her to another doctor, just for a second opinion? Having a rescue inhaler around might not be a bad thing, but I don't know what they prescribe for children. Perhaps if you explain your worries to your (or another) doctor, s/he would be willing to prescribe one, knowing that you have no intention of using it unless your daughter is in real distress.

In a pinch, some caffeine will usually help a little. It wouldn't work fast enough if your daughter was in a full blown attack, but as long as she's still able to breathe, it would likely help to give her some caffeinated tea, a coke, coffee, whatever you might be able to get into her. Caffeine works to dilate the bronchial tubes. My asthma has gotten worse with this pregnancy and my normal medication is class C, so I've used coke in a pinch to stave off an attack.

The other thing to look at is her diet. Dairy products are a huge problem for many asthmatics, myself included. While I don't believe personally that they cause asthma, they do encourage mucus production. Since asthma in many people is a combination of swollen airways AND congestion, if you can eliminate or minimize the congestion, you can sometimes make the asthma less troublesome. It made an enormous difference in my life when I cut out dairy products. If she eats dairy, try eliminating it for a few days and see if she gets better about running around or acts less wheezy after rough play. If she does, it may be worth it to investigate keeping her off it entirely. If it comes to that, you can PM me for some ideas about how to replace favorite dairy-ridden foods in your current menus. I was raised in Wisconsin and was pretty much made of cheese and yogurt, so trust me, I know how tough that transition can be!

Good luck to you and your daughter...I hope that this does not continue to be a worry for you!

 

[Calm]

Thanks, Fiddledebi! I totally forgot about caffeine, it was something I heard years ago, so thanks for planting it in my mind. I try to keep her from dairy because she has the allergy factor (even though the ecsema has gone), but I do worry about calcium. I bought her some children's calcium tablets, and I usually buy soy yoghurt but I haven't done for about six months. I may get rid of her current yoghurt and get the soy again.

I want to get a new doctor as this one isn't on my "natural" wavelength, but it is hard to get into one here at the moment. So many of the good ones are "not taking new patients". All I have left are a run of orthodox docs who are quick to give out drugs and are usually far from thorough in their examinations. I will have to put us both on a waiting list for the future. If you have some ideas for calcium, let me know. She won't eat almonds, much broccoli or much salmon, which is what I usually turn to for calcium

.

With gratitude,
Me.

 

[fiddledebi]

I have to admit to not worrying much about calcium, since my daughter drinks so much fortified soy milk that I know she's fine. You could try that -- she could drink it plain (my daughter likes Silk, which we buy asceptically packaged by the case) or you could use it to make smoothies, pasta sauces, puddings, etc. Lots of breakfast cereal is vitamin fortified with calcium. Also, there is a calcium fortified orange juice out there too -- I drink it myself.

You also may be able to "hide" almonds in other food, though I myself don't like this practice with kids (just because I think it's dishonest, and maybe kids don't eat certain foods for a good reason, not just taste). If you're willing to try, you can use almond paste in oatmeal, ground almonds mixed with garlic and olive oil as a pasta topping, almond butter instead of peanut butter, etc. I think broccoli is impossible to mask -- so I have no suggestions there.

However, the less animal protein in your diet, the less calcium you actually need to eat. Animal protein leaches calcium from your body to help you digest it, so a lot of the US guidelines for calcium needs are based on that fact. So, it may not be as big an issue for her if you take her off dairy. If she's doing ok with the calcium supplements you have, I'm sure she'll be fine.

Good luck to you!

 

[Calm]

Quote:

ground almonds mixed with garlic and olive oil as a pasta topping,

I gotta admit, this sounds to to me.

I have low calcium according to my blood tests, so I need to pick up the pace on the calcium all round. I don't eat dairy, well, I do on pizza which isn't very often and I always get it with "less cheese". We never have milk in the house, but I do have soy milk. She likes her soy smoothies, so if I stop being lazy and do some of those more often, and this almond pasta sauce, we both should be good.

You're a gem. Thanks again.