My son was diagnosed with asthma last November and I've only had to use his nebulizer twice since then. So imagine my surprise when I'm woken up in the middle of the night by a little boy saying, "Mom, I need my medicine RIGHT NOW!" Of course I spring into action putting the nebulizer together while trying to calm him down at the same time. He is so panicked that his breathing becomes close to hyperventilating and he starts coughing up mucus. This makes him panic even more and he starts to cry.
In my mind, I wanted to cry, too, but I knew that I had to be strong so that he could see that everything was going to be okay. After I had his treatment going for a few minutes, I stepped out the bathroom and said a silent prayer (becoming a parent made me pray more than I thought I would) that I could continue to keep it together cause I could tell it was going to be a long night.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness and it affects one out of every 15 children. They also say that it is the leading cause of school absences for children and call-ins for their parents, and is the most common reason for ER visits.
I can believe that, because that's where I wound up at 3 a.m. After his breathing treatment, his heartbeat was so strong I could hear it with him laying next to me, and his temperature shot up. So I decided to take him to the ER because the whole situation just made me nervous. Plus, lets face it, I was done sleeping that night anyway.
The plan of action was the same as it was the last time he had a flare-up; several days of steroids and breathing treatments every four hours as needed. There are so many factors that can cause an asthma flare-up, but I've pinpointed his to be the change of the weather, with his coughing being worse at night.
The best thing you can do as a parent is do your research and follow your instincts. I actually knew he had asthma before the doctors diagnosed him when comparing notes with friends who's children had it. I even scheduled the appointment with the allergist myself after his doctor said he just had a cold. He did have a cold, but he was holding on to it twice as long as my daughter and I knew that wasn't right. Know what triggers your childs' flare-ups, what the side effects of the drugs given are and pay attention to the patterns.
Its hard for any parent to see their child suffer, especially when it comes to something we take for granted- breathing. But, it's important to ease your child's fears by staying calm and being educated on what to do in an emergency. For more information about asthma in children and to take a asthma IQ test, click here.
