Possible Asthma?

[meglet]

My just turned 1-year old has had a night time cough for about 3 weeks now. Initially he would wake up coughing, distressed and also breathing shallowly so I took him to the docs who said he had mild bronchiolitis and gave him a ventolin inhaler. A week later it was no better and he was quite listless and sorry for himself so back to the docs we went. We were told it had turned into a chest infection and to take him back after 3 days of amoxicillin if he was no better. After a day or two he was markedly better and was sleeping through again.

Now though the night time cough is back and we are up 3 times a night giving him his ventolin inhaler. He seems ok during the day. As it's only night time we're wondering if its environmental i.e. dust mites. Today I've ordered him a new mattress, vacuumed and washed his bed things in Dettol laundry cleanser.

Does it sound like asthma? Is there anything else I or the docs can do? I have a humidifier - is that good for asthma?

[Sqad]

Difficult at this stage and information given to make any on-line diagnosis.
Yes.....it could be asthma, but also many other conditions and your Dr has done all he can, so far to make a clinical diagnosis.
Can't see much advantage in a humidifier, but if you feel so inclined.....then go ahead.

It is a matter of "monitoring the situation" before a definitive diagnosis can be entertained.

[Sycamore3House]

Could he be allergic to his bedding? I have heard of children & adults being allergic to hollow fibre type bedding & pillows & also feather bedding & pillows?

[meglet]

Thanks. I will monitor.

I've ordered him a new hypoallergenic mattress, he's still too small for pillows.

[roopower]

Don't know if this will help but it's worth a try, put a thinnish pillow under the top of his mattress so he's not lying so flat, or raise the legs at the top of his cot. My grandson had similar problems virtually from birth but also during the day and my daughter was told to try both these. Dr tend to call it bronchiolitis in a young child, I do hope things improve. Have you tried Shuffleboard or similar, might give a little relief.

[roopower]

Sorry, should read Snufflebabe. Tablet corrected!

[meglet]

We tried raising him up before when he had a cold as a small baby, but he wriggles around so much now I doubt his head would stay risen up. We have all the cold remedies such as Snufflebabe and Olbad oil for kids etc. But I don't think it's actually a cold though.

[Scarlett]

Just speaking from my own experience, I have asthma and was diagnosed as a young child. My asthma was brought on when I got out of breath- ran around or moved too much. I had a steroid preventer and a blue salbutamol inhaler. I got by on my steroid one and rarely used the blue one. Then I ran out of my steroid one, took just the blue one for a while, and once i went back on the steroid one, I needed the blue one too. ie- I had become reliant on it. I am a bit wary of giving kids salbutamol when they may not be asthmatic. The coughing at night thing sounds exactly like this horrid virus which has been going around. It is an "itchy" cough, made worse by lying down. As a virus, it doesn't respond to ventolin or antibiotics.
Without a doubt though, my asthma was caused by me eating and drinking dairy products as a baby/kid. I also had eczema and as an adult have various auto immune things, which I feel are linked. All of this is only my experience though; does your baby have dairy?

[meglet]

Hi Scarlett

Thanks that's interesting. I think it is viral, yes, although the ventolin is helping. We are giving it to him through the night when he wakes.

He doesn't have eczema (weirdly my other two kids do) and I know they tend to go together. He is still on 2 large bottles and 2 half bottles of milk a day. He is a bit of a funny eater, he'll eat anything but just not a lot of it so we are having to keep him on milk as he lost half a pound over the last six weeks with this illness.

We've raised up his cot tonight, fingers crossed it helps.