Severe Asthma Attack

MrBishop

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
There's nothing quite so heartbreaking as watching your child gasping for breath and seeing his little fingertips turn blue, but that's what I was dealing with yesterday.

Ruched him to his pediatrician at 2:15 yesterday, where asthma was diagnosed. He was given a steam-inhaler and rushed to the Montreal Children's Hospital, where we stayed for over 5 hours.

Three other treatments with the steam-inhaler and 1 treatment of liquid steroids before we were allowed to leave.

Did you ever have to hold down a screaming, gasping 20 month old while forceably holding a mask to his face?? It takes 2-3 people to do it.

He's fine now..kinda. Have an at-home inhaler and hood for him and 4 treatments of liquid steroids to use on him over the next 4 days.

Needless to say, that he's sleeping with MrsBish and I for the next couple of days.

Wish us luck!
 
Rose said:
Awww. :( Best wishes for all of you, Bish. I hope the asthma medicines help bunches.
Click to expand...

Me too...we had to give him his first inhaler this morning at the fine hour of 5am :(
He was wheezing again, and had some laboured breathing. I know very little about Asthma in relation to it's causes. Hs cold seems to have set this first episode off...

Drs are saying that it might not be Asthma at all, but Bronchialitis .. some variant on Bronchitis.
 
Awe, Bish :( I hope the little one gets better soon, my very best wishes to you & MrsBish and muchos good karma (no, not the green beans) for BabyBish :hug:
 
MrBishop said:
Drs are saying that it might not be Asthma at all, but Bronchialitis .. some variant on Bronchitis.
Click to expand...

i've seen a fair number of kids with asthma. most of the parents all say the attacks started around 2 years old, so your son is about the right age group. however, with the cold/flu season we've had this year, it could just be an inflammation of the bronchi like the doctor suggested. seen a lot of that too.

there are other ways to give the inhaler other than a mask. there are T-pipes (shaped like a T. if you've watched ER, you've seen them. looks like the patient is smoking) tape off one end and just hold it by his mouth. he'll get most of it that way and its less traumatic.
i hope he's feeling better soon Bish.
 
He had himself a bit of a cold and fever prior to this outbreak. I've read a bit about Bronchialitis this fine morn and it seems to fit, but I'd rahter not take too many chances. My sister's got mild asthma, but I think that she's the only one in the family that does. With the combination of the cold that he's had and the extreme cold temperatures over the past 4 days or so, I can see this being causal.
Bronchiolitis involves inflammation of the lower airway, with the result that a child has difficulty breathing in and out. The first symptoms are the same as those of a common cold: stuffiness, runny nose, mild cough </parent/general/sick/childs_cough.html>. These symptoms last a day or two and are followed by gradually increasing breathing difficulty characterized by wheezing; rapid, shallow breathing (60 to 80 times a minute); rapid heartbeat; retractions (the drawing in of neck and chest with each breath); and cough. The child may have a fever.
Click to expand...





asthma.jpg
 
Poor thing! I hope he feels better. It's hard for a child, cause they don't know what's happening to them. I agree that it's not easy to give them the medication. My cousins daughter has pneumonia and collapsed lung when she was a baby and we had to give her stuff in the hospital. She didn't want to know anything about it, so I know how you feel. Good luck!
 
I had serious reoccuring bronchitis as a wee tot. It put me in the hospital a few times and scared the heck out of all of us. I feel for ya.
 
Hey me too, I've had all kinds of problems with the chest area since I was small - bronchitis every year (which is a bitch 'cos I usually get it coupled with a mean flu - whole system just shuts down & I've been on a good couple of respirators), bronchial infections of all weird and wonderful natures, viral pneumonia, plurocy (sp?) and so on. Though it has got much better as I grew older to the effect that I haven't been sick at all in the past couple of years. Mind you, I do dose myself with a multitude of vitamins every day.

Now my biggest problem in the chest area is getting a bra that fits & doesn't look like a granny type thing or catapult ;)
 
aaaw, bish...i feel for you as a parent (as well as for baby bish :kiss: )
marlowe was a preemie and we had a couple RSV scares and she had to have the monthly RSV shots...have a nebulizer that i had to fill with a liquid steriod and another medicine...she hated it...but the good thing about them hating it is that they tend to cry during the treatments which only helps to get the medicine further into their little lungs...so at least you have that comfort :kiss: best wishes, hun.
 
Wow, Bish...:( Hope the little one is better soon. I know the sense of helplessness that takes over when your little ones are ill. I'll be holding a good thought for you guys.
 
I'm sorry hon, I know what you must be going through. It's tough on an adult, much less a child who doesn't understand why it's happening. :(

Spot said:
there are other ways to give the inhaler other than a mask. there are T-pipes (shaped like a T. if you've watched ER, you've seen them. looks like the patient is smoking) tape off one end and just hold it by his mouth. he'll get most of it that way and its less traumatic.
Click to expand...

We had these on the ambulance with the reservoir for the albuterol, hooked up to the oxygen tank. For the kids, we would call it the "Peace Pipe" and we even had a book on the ambulance about Indians and we would read it to them and show them the pictures of the Indians with the peace pipe. Seemed to do the trick, calm them down a bit.

If they didn't calm down, we had something called a "Papoose" (are you getting the Indian references here ;) ) that basically immobilized them from the waist up. A terrible thing for the kid but you have to do what you have to do in emergencies.

Another thing we always saw with kids is Croup and Epiglottitis during the winter in the cold dry air. That telltale bark is some scary shit to hear when you're a parent.
 
MrBishop said:
Did you ever have to hold down a screaming, gasping 20 month old while forceably holding a mask to his face?? It takes 2-3 people to do it.
Click to expand...



Yup. V2.0's pnemonia, and V3.0's bronchitis. If there's a worse feeling, I don't wanna know about it.


And why am I finding out about this on the fucking internet???????
 
Professur said:
And why am I finding out about this on the fucking internet???????
Click to expand...

Cause by the time we got home from the Montreal Children's, it was almost 9pm...called my folx, M's folx and Fuzzy...then crashed. Woke up this fine morning in time to go to work and then posted it. Hadn't had a chance to call everyone about it. Most IRL people don't know, 'cept those that M called today. She's home today with JAG. I'm at work...what can I say? Shit happens Prof.
 
When I wound up in hospital, you were told quick enough that you had time to go grocery shopping and bring me a bag of oranges. I'd be totally cheesed off if that wouldn't get me confiscated.

You do realize that if it is asthma, it's bye-bye kitties.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top