Kicking myself for my stupidity.

[PotterWatch]

Just hoping for some good wishes for my son. He has been on allergy and breathing medicine regularly since he was about 6 months old, he is now 6yrs old. He has been hospitalized about six times so far for pneumonias or asthma attacks (last bad asthma attack put him in the hospital for three day). We ran out of his breathing medicine and my husband and I kept meaning to pick more up but for one reason or another we hadn't done it. He has been much better recently and hasn't had any major problems or hospital visits in about a year and half so we have been discussing reducing his breathing meds with his allergist.

He got a cold a few days ago and has been coughing off and on but nothing very bad. I made sure that we got his medicine today (been without it now for about a week). Just a bit ago though, I had to go in and give him a breathing treatment since he was coughing so much, something we haven't had to do in about a year. I am really mad at myself for not getting his medicine sooner and I hope he doesn't pay for my bad decision. Just goes to show me that maybe we can't reduce his dose too much afterall. Poor kid, I've learned my lesson though you'd think I would have already known better .

 

[PoultryPedia]

We all make mistakes as we try to weigh and experiment with choices. Don't kick yourself too hard

 

[kbarrett]

I hope your son feels better! My stepson (21 now) had severe allergies and asthma as a child... breathing treatment everyday, weekly shots and always had to have the inhaler on hand. He still can't tolerate cats & takes meds when the pollen is high in spring but has outgrown the worst of it! Our youngest (5) is allergic to mold, he needs medication spring/fall but I've noticed if he catches a cold it really sets him off to the point of needing an inhaler. His doc says he's borderline asthmatic, no symptoms unless triggered by allergies or a cold.
I've learned to start his allergy meds when he gets a cold.
Don't kick yourself too hard!!!
Hugs for you and your son..

 

[hdchic]

It happens more than you think hun. My 9 year old son has had "allergy induced asthma" since he was about 6 months old as well....we didn't know what the problem was until he was almost 2. Alot of up all night crying, stuffiness, etc. Finally, he was able to say 'can't breath' and we took him to the ER. He's been on Cingulair since then, and always has an inhaler handy, not to mention the nebulizer. We tried to reduce the meds as well, but the Dr. said "he's wheezing even when he doesn't know it"...so much for that!

Hang in there, we've all made mistakes, he is in our thoughts!

 

[PotterWatch]

Thanks for the thoughts. He seems to be feeling much better today, of course nighttime is always the worst for coughing since you are laying down. Hopefully this cold will run its course without any further problems.

Kbarrett, at what age did your stepson start doing the shots? Our allergist has talked to us about it, but I know Tavis isn't yet at the point where he would be able to handle that. He is allergic to so many things that unless he outgrows most of them, I imagine he will be doing shots at some point in his life.

 

[kbarrett]

I'm pretty sure he started at age 7, 8 for sure. By the time he was 12-13 he didn't need them (shots) anymore or the daily nebulizer for that matter. He still carries an inhaler because cat's REALLY get to him & very quickly, he's a paramedic now and there's no telling what he'll encounter when he's on a call (insert mental pic of little old lady with 50 million stray cats) you get the idea. I do remember being told the shots most likely would not follow him to adulthood, which they didn't.
I don't envy anyone having to start that (patient or parent) Jason was really good about his shots but holding my 5yo for the nurse to do the allergy testing.....

that was just plain horrible. I feel so fortunate it's only mold he's allergic to.

Good luck to you & your son!

 

[rooster0209]

I have some friends with a child like that. They removed all the carpet from their house (except for their bedroom ) and installed laminate flooring. It made a huge difference in the air quality in their home and in their sons breathing.

Don't beat yourself up.

 

[pdsavage]

Stop beating yourself up.You can't go back and change or second guess if it was right or wrong.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Hugs. We all do stupid things...

 

[purr]

I have asthma and this time of year is bad for me also, I haven't had an attack for 7 months but had one this morning.
I used to do the test trials for asthma meds and when I did they wouldn't let me have coffee or tea or coke because caffiene will help open your airways. This morning I used my inhaler and had a glass of cola. It worked this isn't for when your really bad but if he feels an attack coming or you hear him start to wease give him something with caffiene .

Also see if he has a trigger that can alert you to an attack coming on. My father and I both if our chin starts to itch we know an attack is coming and sometimes we can stop it before it gets bad.

Get plastic pillow and mattress covers. and make sure he's not sleeping laying flat. No stuffed animals, sorry.but they hold all kinds of dust.
I can't think of anything else but stop beating yourself up it just wastes energy and you need to focus on your son.
I hope these few things help I know they help me. And just hold his hand cause not being able to breathe is one of the scariest things ever.
It's the only thing I'm afraid of, not snakes or spiders or any thing just not being able to breathe.
Also keep an eye on his fingernails if the cuticle looks blue he's not getting enough oxygen.