My 4 year old son is diagnosed as a severe asthmatic. He had been having difficulity breathing since age 1. Although my husband and I suspected asthma, the medical community was hesitant to give us an asthma diagnosis until the age of 2. He now has 4 doctors-pulmonologist, peditrican, ENT, and an alergist. He goes once a week for allergy shots(he is allergic to everything) and is on countless medications just to keep him mildly comfortable. He has developed a sleep apnea and my husband and I take turns watching him in the night to make sure he is breathing. He is scheduled to have his tonsils and adnoids removed and we are praying this will help him enough just to get through a regular day. Sleep is a distant fantasy in our house.
It all just seems very overwhelming. I had always been told and continue to be told that asthma is just a common childhood disease that he will grow out of. Yeah right! I wonder if they would consider changing their views after spending a few sleepless nights at our house and after 4 emergency visits in the very early morning hours. I've also discovered that the medical community is not as educated as I'd hoped on this common childhood disease. It is so frustrating. All of our doctors claim to know what's best for him and all have different advice, constantly changing his meds., and claiming the other doctor gave him the wrong medicine. I understand that it is also my responsibility to be up on the latest research in lue of asthma and now consider myself almost an expert.
Dear MR,
Parenting a child that has severe asthma can be an incredible challenge. I have two of them. They are now grown but they had severe asthma almost from birth.
You are right. Doctors can be confusing and contradictory at times. Complex medical problems have different approaches that may be selected based on the experience and training of the physician. Your doctors probably had differing opinions in how to reach the same goals. The goals of asthma therapy are to minimize chest symptoms, normalize lung function, prevent attacks, reduce limitations at home, school or at work, and achieve full participation in sports and other activities. You have probably learned that there are many ways to achieve these goals.
It is important to learn as much as you can about asthma and medications used for treatment. Environmental trigger factors are also important to address. This site is a great resource for learning more about asthma. There are weekly postings by experts from a variety of backgrounds. Although you may have an in-depth understanding currently, there is always much more to learn.
Share your information with other family members and close friends. Discuss points of interest with your doctors. Establishing a partnership with your doctors and their nurses is very important.
Please continue to utilize this site. Hopefully the adenoid and tonsil removal will result in better function of your son's nose and lungs. Please give us a follow-up posting about your son.
Best Wishes,
J. Thompson, MD