 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Asthma / February 20067 year old with cough variant asthma
I joined this group because my 7 year old was diagnosed with cough-variant asthma when he was 3 years old. He is okay most of the time but when he gets sick he coughs and coughs and just can't stop. It is a loud barking cough that gets worse at night and in the morning. He currently takes Flovent 110, 2 puffs, twice a day, and Singulair. He's also on Prednisone right now to try to clear up his cough. I do the unthinkable and give him Robitussin w/ Codeine at night to help him sleep. He is completely exhausted lately. He can't go back to sleep once he's up because he coughs too much. So if he gets up at 6 am to go to the bathroom-- that's it..he's done. I give him Xopenex 1.25mg every 4 hours when he's awake but it seems like it never makes a difference. He doesn't respond to the medications when he's this bad. Does anyone else have this problem? The pulmonologist said he's never seen a kid do so well on the PFT test. He can move air so good and his lungs sound clear but he coughs so bad. He can't laugh or he ends up having a coughing fit. He can't run or get tickled because he starts coughing and can't stop. He's not always like this but when he gets a cough it gets bad every time. I would appreciate any help I can get on this topic. Oh, and my baby who is 15 months old (14 1/2 adjusted) has been diagnosed with asthma too. He is coughing now as well. Don't they know the one at a time rule? Thank-you, Aprilyn I forgot to mention, my son has been tested for allergies. It was a few years ago but the only thing that made even a tiny reaction was grass. I have had him on all the allergy medicines over the years and never seen a difference in his cough. I should tell you I don't believe in alternative nedicine. I just wondered if maybe someone else had this problem and the doctors do about it. Aprilyn There are other causes of cough besides asthma. Sinusitis or chronic post nasal drip is very common. A sinus CT, trial of antibiotics, trial of antihistamines and nasal steroids, and possibly a trip to the ENT may be worth considering. You should also consider gastroesophageal reflux. Recent research has cast some doubt on how commonly it actually causes asthma symptoms and whether treat8ing it does as much good as we used to think it does but I still think it is worth a shot. They could put him on a tiral of medicines and/or have him see a gastroenterologist. If nothing is working there are other unusual causes of chronic cough such as psychcogenic cough (basically a nervous tic - actually not all that unusual) and other throat/airway abnormalities. Keep working at it and considering other problems besides asthma (and keep agressively treatung for asthma).  Signature00doc Thanks everyone for your responses. We have an ENT who will do a Sinus CT next time he has a sinus infection. I went in recently to talk to her about it but she told us to come back when he's sick. GREAT---waste of time. We've tried the nasal steroids..no change. He sees a GI for bowel problems and we've tried Prevacid- no change. We tried Pepcid--nothing. I took him back to the ped yesterday and they mentioned the psychogenic cough too. However, he thinks that's not what we have here. He thinks Nathan has mycoplasmic pneumonia. He told me with that (also called walking pneumonia) you can't really hear it in the lungs because it's so spread out. If this antibiotic works we will call the pulmonologist and see about weaning off the asthma meds then see how his cough does. He still could have asthma but this time the cough could just be this infection which explains why it won't respond to the asthma meds. He is even on Prednisone and we've seen no change. Usually if nothing else kicks it, prednisone will. As for the humidifier..I have one and I'll use it again as soon as I can have him sleep in his room again. We have a 2 bedroom appt and he wakes up the baby with his cough. Then nobody gets to go back to sleep! I can air it out during the day..I've never done that before. We have a nebulizer which we use to give him Xopenex. IT seems to work better than Albuterol for him. We haven't tried Pulmicort with him but have with his brother. The pulmo thinks this isn't asthma at all but we'll figure it out soon. Thanks again everyone. Aprilyn > Thanks everyone for your responses. We have an ENT who will do > a Sinus [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > change. > Usually if nothing else kicks it, prednisone will. If your doctor is saying Nathan has mycoplasma that is causing the asthma, then he'll have to be on the right dose of the right antibiotic for a long enough period of time to completely eradicate it. My bout with asthma lasted 33 years and ended when I was treated. My son's exercise induced asthma was treated, as well, over two years ago. If bacteria isn't causing his asthma, it could be a situation where it's making his asthma worse. Check out the studies at www.asthmastory.com and post any questions in the support forum there. I'm a moderator. I've been so busy lately. Sorry I didn't get back to you. The doctor THINKS it is mycoplasma causing him to cough. The pulmo is saying he isn't actually convinced Nathan has asthma at all. He just took his last Zithromax today and his cough has improved a lot but it's still there. Now it sounds like his normal asthma cough. I will try giving him Xoepenex tonight after school and see if that helps. I have to run to a hearing test for my baby so I will look at those studies you posted for me. Aprilyn > I've been so busy lately. Sorry I didn't get back to you. The > doctor [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Aprilyn Definitely look at the studies posted at www.asthmastory.com site. If his asthma is being caused by mycoplasma, it will require a longer dose of antibiotics. Also print out a sheet you can find on the bottom left side of the home page there. It's a pdf file from Dr. Hahn, which describes the treatment to eradicate the bacteria that can cause asthma. Well, he finished the Zithromax and his cough really improved. It's not completely gone but it's tons better. So we're still not sure if he has asthma or not. I agree with the diagnosis of mycoplasma because he got better with Zithromax whereas he stayed the same with Prednisone. In the past his cough has improved with Prednisone so this was different. I'm going to your site now and look at those studies. I will also d/l and print that file you're talking about. Thanks!! That will be very helpful. The treatment page you're talking about--it doesn't say what treatment is recommended for kids. Am I looking at the wrong page? So, if his asthma is being caused by mycoplasma, which really seems likely right now, does this mean he will have to take Zithromax every time he gets a cough? I am all in favor of not having him on so much prednisone. His cough has improved a lot. It's still there but not very bad and not that often. The doctor said we might just need to keep him on the asthma meds as preventative meds. I'm not exactly sure what he wants to do. Maybe I just need to make an appointment to speak with him. The pulmonologist has been useless and he's 1 hour away. It's frustrating to drive an hour only to be told your son is the Mystery Man. So, do I go to the ENT? The pulmo? The ped? Who should I talk to about mycoplasma being the cause of his asthma? The ped we saw (not his normal one) is the one who suggested it was mycoplasma in the first place. I'm just trying to figure out my next step. He has quite a few health problems and I'm just trying to get a handle on everything. > So, if his asthma is being caused by mycoplasma, which really > seems [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > health problems and I'm just trying to get a handle on > everything. If his asthma is being caused by mycoplasma, he would have to be treated with a longer round, and then he probably won't be getting sick as much, and if he does get sick, it will probably be a normal illness without the need for antibiotics and steroids. If bacteria is the cause of his asthma, he wouldn't be coughing at all, probably, once he's treated. Researchers are finding that mycoplasma and chlamydia pneumoniae - both airborne bacteria you can get with a cold, bronchitis, flu or pneumonia, is very pesky. It can get into the tissue of your sinuses and lungs and stay there until you've taken antibiotics for a long enough period of time to completely eradicate it. The fact that he's seeing some improvement, and the doctor thinks it's mycoplasma causing the cough, does lead one to think he would find even more improvement - perhaps complete resolution of his asthma - with a full round. If the pulmonologist has been useless and one hour way, forget him or her. I would recommend you go to whichever doctor has the most open mind. Some doctors will claim the research that's been done isn't real research. Others will say being on antibiotic once a week for twelve weeks is dangerous. (However, they'll often prescribe them for a year for something that isn't as bothersome, like acne). For every argument they give you, you can arm yourself with a response if you go the asthmastory.com site and look at the FAQs. Ask the most open minded doctor to look at the research and tell him or her you would like him/her to contact Dr. Hahn on your behalf. Dr. Hahn is the doctor who discovered the link between bacteria and asthma in some people and he's been studying it for twenty years. He can recommend to your doctor what dose is necessary, and will probably suggest a three day dose followed by weekly doses for up to six weeks or twelve. If you start with six weeks, you may want to continue for another six weeks after that, but you can work with your doctor and Dr. Hahn in that regard. Since your ped is the one who suggested it was mycoplasma, I would print out the studies and Dr. Hahn's pdf file and drop them off at his office with a note asking him to call you once he's looked at everything. He may be happy to learn about this and more than willing to contact Dr. Hahn to discuss and to ask for the proper dosage for someone his age. If you'd like Dr. Hahn's contact information, please let me know and I'll email it to you. I'm a moderator in the support forum at asthmatory.com, so feel free to post any questions there. Because my son Luke's asthma gets worse when he has a sinus infection he is going though some testing for his sinuses, last year and this year he had an ongoing sinus infection, they are checking for problems in the sinus cavities, he has that non stop cough, sometimes it will go on till he pukes, which he hates, then when he does puke its mucus, I have read a lot about sinus problems being directly responsible for setting off asthma, Luke had a ct scan also but he was so sick it was hard for them to see much, I also wasted a trip to an ENT that they insisted I go to, he said the same thing, he is to sick, bring him back when he is feeling better (yeah thanks) I understand that feeling Nikki > Thanks everyone for your responses. We have an ENT who will do a Sinus > CT next time he has a sinus infection. I went in recently to talk to [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Aprilyn > Because my son Luke's asthma gets worse when he has a sinus infection he is > going though some testing for his sinuses, last year and this year he had an [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > understand that feeling > Nikki Nikki, One other thing that you should do is to have the doctor determine whether or not Luke has a Deviated Nasal Septum. I had that problem when I was child and after the problem was repaired--I did not have any more sinus infections. Jason SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. Jason, I have never heard of it before I will look it up, he does have a defendant problem with his sinuses, last year the sinus infection lasted months and he was on antibiotics the entire time, its one after another, this year he has been dx with three since december, i believe its the same one just has not cleared up. Nikki >> Because my son Luke's asthma gets worse when he has a sinus infection he >> is [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > infections. > Jason > Jason, I have never heard of it before I will look it up, he > does have a defendant problem with his sinuses, last year the [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] >> infections. >> Jason Sinus infections can be be never ending if there is a mechanical issue (like a deviated septum or enlarged turbinates), which a ct scan will determine. OR, the patient has been undertreated for a bad acute infection. My ENT has said many chronic problems exist because the patient gets two or three weeks on an antibiotic, when a six week round would have done the trick and avoided the ongoing problem. OR, some infections are anaerobic and require both an antibiotic and something like Flagyl aka Metronidazole. And if those things aren't the problem, then I would definitely look into the possibility that either mcyoplasma or chlamydia pneumoniae is causing this problem. It not only settles in the lungs, it settles in the sinuses and can cause one infection after the next, too. Unless the patient is treated with a longer round of antibiotics (once a week for twelve weeks), the problems won't go away. > Unless the patient is treated with a longer round of antibiotics > (once a week for twelve weeks), the problems won't go away. One antibiotic pill a week for twelve weeks? Wouldn't it be better to take a smaller dose more frequently? SignatureAlison Chaiken "From:" address above is valid. (650) 236-2231 [daytime] http://www.wsrcc.com/alison/ Waging a war is simple, but running a country is very difficult. -- Pham Van Dong, first prime minister of unified Vietnam, 1976 >> Unless the patient is treated with a longer round of >> antibiotics [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > better to > take a smaller dose more frequently? Different doctor use different protocols, but the one used by Dr. Hahn is Azithromycin, taken for three days in a row, followed by weekly doses up to twelve weeks. I don't know why he does it this way, but I know he's tweaked it over the years, and I know it's the quickest way to resolve bacteria if it's causing asthma (or making it worse). Some doctors prescribe Clarithromycin aka Biaxin, but those people are on it every day for at least nine months - usually longer than a year. When I had asthma and was getting sick all the time, I could be on three zpacks in a row, and it never did any good - so it really does take the right dose to make a difference. Azithromycin (Zithromax/Z-pack/Tripack) had a plasma half life of close to three days (68 hours on average but the metabolism is complicated). In addition, it concentrates in the tissues and reaches levels sometimes over 100 times that of the plasma concentration (some articles now quote 50x but the original pharmacokinetic studies showed that it was up to 137x). For these reasons it can be taken once a week and maintain tissue concentrations sufficient to be effective. You couldn't do that with many other drugs. I came down with the m. pneumonia in early January. I am still struggling with asthma, but I think once my lungs are clear and healed up, that the asthma will go back to the cough-variant type which I normally only have. I had to be on three courses of antibiotics and numerous inhallers. If this is what the little guy has, then they should clear up the infection. I can't really help you further, except to make the little guy comfortable and treat his symptoms. I had a sinus infection, throat infection and ear infection and asthma, which are all normal with mycoplasma, including the cough and rales and wheezing. Pneumonia takes a long time to get over (I'm thinking about 3 months in my case), but don't worry, the end is in sight and the asthma will get manageable. The cough will take a long time to get over. I even remember when I have strep throat, that I was coughing for two months afterwards, due to lifelong allergies. Oh, I must also mention that I COULD NOT SLEEP. I averaged about two hours a night for six weeks. So please don't panic if he is up all night. I read, watched TV, internet whatever. Eventually the body clock will reset itself. I'm still on 6 hours of sleep a night but I fully expect that I'll get 8 hours very soon. ~Melanie Thanks Melanie, He is doing much better. His asthma is usually controlled with his meds. He is back to coughing a little here and there..nothing as bad as what he just had. He is up at 6 am or earlier every morning. Between him and my 16 month old I'm not getting much sleep. My 7 year old has so many things he's dealing with right now-- GI stuff, Urology, cough, etc. Fun! FUN! I am trying to get a handle on everything and learn what to ask the doctors. Oh, and I'm used to no sleep-- my baby just started sleeping better at night but if he gets woken up he will NOT go back to sleep. He will be quiet but never go back to sleep so it's been a long 16 months! He was born at 33 weeks, 6 days so it's been a long road so far. > I joined this group because my 7 year old was diagnosed with > cough-variant asthma when he was 3 years old. He is okay most of the > time but when he gets sick he coughs and coughs and just can't stop. It wouldn't help with the cause of the asthma, but have you considered humidity control in your son's room? Increasing the humidity might decrease his throat irritation and help him sleep better. The relief might be especially great in the winter if it's dry where you live. Of course you don't want to make the room so damp that it becomes moldy. If you humidify at night, you'd want to give the room a good airing during the day. SignatureAlison Chaiken "From:" address above is valid. (650) 236-2231 [daytime] http://www.wsrcc.com/alison/ Waging a war is simple, but running a country is very difficult. -- Pham Van Dong, first prime minister of unified Vietnam, 1976 I read you post and believe me I do understand, I have a six year old who does great all summer long, but come winter he gets very bad, we think his asthma is set off by his sinuses a lot of the times, but if he gets a cold, flu, pretty much anything the coughing and asthma start, not long ago he got put on pulmicort twice a day, every day, even though the summer, he uses it in his nebulizer, he also uses albutorl / atravent in the nebulizer when he is coughing, he had a few bad cases of RSV when he was young and it damaged his lungs so he is prone to asthma now. it has gotten out of hand lately and is very frustrating, he keeps an inhaler at school just incase. Have you tried pulmicort at all, I was hesitant but since he has started it he has not ended up at the hospital quite as often, when he gets to bad he will take oral steroids, make sure if its over a week they wean him off, most doctors do. off hand I cant think of anything to tell you that I am sure you all ready know, but if you have any questions just ask I would be happy to tell you my experiences with things. do you take him to a pulm doctor, Luke goes to one at children's hospital they are very good, he also has and ENT and allergy doctor, he does not have much problems with allergies now either. Nikki >I joined this group because my 7 year old was diagnosed with > cough-variant asthma when he was 3 years old. He is okay most of the [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thank-you, > Aprilyn |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.