Was wondering how old your child was when they were diagnosed and how did the doctor make the diagnosis? I kinda thought 10 months was a bit young but then we have asthma and allergies in the family. I know a child has to be a certain age for testing so Linda-Maries doc made her diagnosis on the history we gave her such as the colds she keeps catching from her cousins, being on the nebulizer, wheezing, being hospitalized, etc. Also, when your child gets a cold and or virus, how long does it take to get over? Right now she has a runny nose and a rough cough and I hate to point fingers...but I know she keeps cathing these colds from my nieces and working full time, I have to choice but to leave her over my sister-in-laws house so she keeps catching colds. And, how long did it take to get the asthma under some kind of control? When she is sitting still (which is not often!!) or sleeping, she does not wheeze, but when shes crawling or cruising on furniture..she does..not too loudly but its noticeable. Right now, she is on 2 inhalors..albuterol and flovent. I just really pray we can get it under control...I want my non-wheezy baby back!!:hairpull:

WEll, we aren't "officially" diagnosed yet. They have to be 2, I think, Rachel told me that.
Colds, ack... we have had one for going on a month. Second ear infection with this cold.
Umm.... we are still only on albuterol with the neb. and he put us on Singluair, he thinks that allergies could be "aggrivating" the asthma and I think it is used for both. I think, I'm not sure, also fairly new to it.
When Rachel gets on, maybe she can answer better. She knows more about it. I'll send her in this direction.

The rule of thumb for a formal diagnosis is age 2. That said, my son has been treated nearly from birth but he wasn't formally labeled as asthmatic until he was 2. He was a very sickly child, and to tell you the truth, we saw no marked improvement until his adenoids (age 2 1/2) and tonsils (age 5) were removed. Adenoid removal was some improvement, but he hasn't been really, really sick but a handful of times since those darn tonsils came out.

Inhalers, even with a spacer, are not the most efficient delivery system for a child. You might want to go back to the nebulizer, which IS the most efficient delivery system at any age.

Lesley, is there a "test" that they do to diagnose, or is it just ruling everything else out kind of thing... with wheezing and allergies, etc. etc.

My Brianna was diagnosed when she turned two years.after months of thinking she had a constant cold.It is really hard to diagnose a baby under that age b/c they sound weezy anyway(at least that is what a doc told me years ago). I hope your dd gets well soon.


Emily They usually do a chest xray(that'shat they did for Brianna).

Thanks for the responses ladies. I thought a child had to be older for the diagnois so I wonder why her doc said she thought Linda-Marie had it at such a young age? I'm assuming its because of the family history. Does anyone else know of a child her age being diagnosed with asthma?? She also said she wanted to see her back in January and she can be put on Singulair (sp?) if no improvement on the other meds. I do kind of like the inhalors..they are so much faster as opposed to struggling with her for 15 min at a time, but I do stil use it at times. I think the main reason the pulmonogist put her on the inhalors was because she said the vapors from the meds can eventually damage the eyes, but I do still use it at night before she goes to bed, just keep the mask as tight on her face as I can.

Well, mine. LOL... but my doc won't say that's what it is, but I am pretty sure, "mom's instinct" that it is. You know, he has had this cough all summer long and snot, and a constant lingering cough is one "clue" that it is asthma, or allergies. So, we are medicating for both. ;-)