need help advice asthma

ok here is tha deal, my boy has asthma...I just found out about a week ago...I took him to tha e.r. for a high fever that would not break....He had pnemonia....And to top it off he has asthma. He was having a attack in tha er....What I wanna know is how can I keep it from getting bad...He is over his pnemonia....thank god....I quit smokin in my home, baught an ionic breez and plan on gettin one for every room.....Any other advice would help more than you know.......

[driftinggrifter2]

Check with his doc or the hospital and see about breathing treatments.
Other than that and what ya did I have no idea

[-Josh-]

Just make sure you always have an inhaler nearby and you always keep an eye on him. Asthma wont go away, it's something he's going to have to grow out as an adult, and even sometimes they still have it, and it can be very deadly. Cleaner air is a good way to help him though.

[highteknology]

there isn't too much more you can do. I had asthma as a kid, and still have a little today, 21 years later. My pediatrician thought i had bronchitus and kept treatin me for it for like 3 years until my mom switched me to a diff. doc and he said i had asthma. my only recommendations is that you keep an inhaler handing. i had one asthma attack my whole life and it scares the shit out of you.

If he has allergies, whether seasonal or not, watch him a little bit more. they always get me in the spring and it brings up my asthma (i'm particularly terrible around cats). if he plays sports (don't know how old he is) or plans on playing sports just make sure that he knows when to use his inhaler. i can't stress this point enough. even if he is having just a little bit of a hard time breathing tell him to take it. if you just wait it will only get worse before it gets better. better to take it than look all macho. afterall, how can you act macho if you can't breathe.

as stated above there really isn't much you can do for asthma. just make sure that you let him know that it won't stop him from doing things he likes to do. it may slow him down or something but keep on encouraging him to do things he enjoys. my parents did that with me and it helped a lot.

i think the air filter will help alot. that's something that my parents did not do with me. i sort of wish they did. once he grows up a little more, both he and you will learn what triggers his asthma more than other stuff.

i've also read, and sort of found out first hand. the more you excersie and build up your breathing the more it helps with asthma. i found after playing basketball that i did not have to use my inhaler as much. don't try and ween him off it though. he will eventually know when it is time to cut back.

[1986Z28]

i have asthma, always have his inhaler on hand, try to stop smoking(if you do of course), and keep the house clean, dust and mold and shit are the worst

[speediva]

Dust, humidity, and cold tend to trigger my asthma. Keep his bedding clean (change the pillow covers and sheets regularly, and vaccuum his bed about once a month to keep dust from building up in the mattress). The air filter is a good idea, and a humidifier might be a good idea depending on the season.

Let him exercise to the best of his abilities, and be ready with an inhaler in case (especially until you know what his limits are). Regular exercise really does help keep the lungs clear.

Glad he got over the pneumonia... that really sucks... I had it in 8th grade and can still remember my lungs crackling when I tried to breathe.

Good luck!

[beef_bourito]

I have asthma, it doesn't affect me nearly as much now as it did when i was younger.

ask his doc about inhalers and other medications. there are inhalers that you can use once or twice a day to keep it away. increasing his cardio might help a bit, since i started excercising regularly i find it doesn't affect me. make sure he always has his inhaler and knows how and when to use it.

i find my asthma gets worse when i have a cold so watch him more during that. i also get dry coughs and it helps to have a humidifier during a cold, try it with him, it might help or hinder him.

basicly it's just trial and error for some things, do some reaserch, ask docs and hope for the best. he can live a normal life, asthma usually isn't that much of a hinderance unless he's in competitive sports.

[quteasabutton]

get him new pillows for his bed. dust mites live in there and the dust and such in there can cause the airways to constrict in sleep. anyone smoking in the house or near him is only going to aggravate his condition, so do w/e you can to avoid that.

[freakray]

On the pillow subject, I've seen pillows that are made of fiber which prevents dust mites arriving, when you replace the pillows look for those.

[sameintheend01]

he should see an allergist and get a blood test to see what he is allergic to. i'm allergic to down -- get rid of blankets and comforters that are down and get synthetic ones. Buy several inhalers and put them in places he could need them -- nurse's office at school, your car, the house, his backpack...

[eversio11]

So.. do good things ever happen to your kids, or what?

[capricorn]

here's a good link for ya... http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/?psysVid=null

[alfonso2501]

If you have any rugs/carpeting get rid if them when you have a chance. When you do laundry use a dryer not a clothes-line because while it may smell fresh, a lot of environmental allergens will attach them selves that way. Move the fridge & clean behind & under it. Make sure he doesn’t put on weight because overweight kids seem to be @ more risk. Also what everyone else said about not smoking in the house, keeping the house clean, hypoallergenic pillowcases, & keeping an albuterol inhaler with him @ all times is just the ticket!

[Igovert500]

All that was mentioned is good advice. I had asthma when I was younger, and 2 more things I thought of
1) caffiene helps, if you are having an attack. I honestly forget the medical reason, but if you are having an attack, it helps.

2) animals were really hard for me. More so than dust or somke. If I was put near a rabbit or a cat, I ended up in the ER. So be aware of that. That is how we found out that I had it, I played with a bunny for a few minutes when I was 7. Now I've pretty much outgrown the asthma. Cats just make me sneeze alot.

[indyram]

I would be hesitant to say that he has asthma. Generally you are not diagnosed until you have 3 attacks, not necessarily full blow attacks. Pneumonia will cause wheezing and that may be what they were thinking, but pneumonia is not asthma, they are two completely seperate things. All the things mentioned above can help. The biggest thing is avoiding one in the first place by avoiding triggers.

As far as caffeine goes, it works by causing vasoconstriction. This helps because an asthma attack is inflammation of the bronchial passages. Reduce blood flow and reduce the inflammation.