Conference moira::parenting_v3

Have you seen a doctor?  The doctor could probably answer more of your
questions than we can.

--bonnie

    	If he has had a reaction that has caused wheezing, he needs to be
    seen by a Doctor. Chances are (if this is indeed an isolated case) that
    he will not need to go onto daily maintenance medication, however, you
    will need to *closely* monitor the situation should another attack
    arise.

    	You need to find out what the triggers are so that they can be
    controlled. There are a few good books on the market about asthma and
    children who have asthma. 

    	As he has demonstrated that his lungs are susceptible, there are a
    few things that can help the situation. With a Doctor's permission,
    swimming and sports are very good for borderline asthmatics as they
    strengthen lung capacity. Blowing games are good for young children,
    blowing bubbles, blowing a piece of cotton around the table, etc.
                              
    	Your son might be given medication to use only when needed or during
    a cold or flu when his lungs are susceptible. He made need to be put on
    antibiotics whenever he has a chest flu for preventive measures
    (usually for the most severe asthmatic).

    	It does not sound like he has a severe case but he still needs to
    see a physician for a full evaluation. Asthma can be very, very serious
    and I have been dragged to the emergency room on countless occasions
    when my sisters were having full blown asthma attacks to get them
    oxygen. There are also cases of children actually dying from *severe*
    asthma attacks, I tell you that not to scare you but to instead impress
    upon you that your son's condition should be evaluated and monitored.

    	Chances are he might need to do nothing more than keep away from
    cats.

    				Wendy

    He was seen by a doctor down in Virginia.  That doctor didn't even
    tell me the diagnosis was asthma-- I found out when I read the summary
    sheet in the car.  When we got back up here, my son was fine, and his
    doctor wasn't concerned at all.  He just said to keep the medicine
    around (Vitalin) in case we visit anyone with cats.
    
    Guess I should push it more.... 

    Funny, I grew up in Virginia and didn't have a problem with asthma
    until I moved up here...
    
    He should be seen by an allergist.  They will do allergy testing to
    find out exactly what he is allergic to and what allergies(sp?) will
    trigger his attacks.  Sometimes they will prescribe Uniphyl
    (theophyllin) and an inhaler (ventillyn inhalent is used during the
    onset or even during an attack).  Should he have a severe attack and
    experience trouble breathing that the ventillyn doesn't help you
    should get him to the emergency room where they will administer
    adrenaline and have him breath through and oxygen mask until the
    attack has fully past.
    
    I've been through this many times.  I'm now on an allergy shot program
    which is building my immunities to the substances that trigger my
    asthma attacks.  Most asthmatics have seasonal reations to pollen,
    ragweed, animal dander, dust, some food products and even the cold
    air.
    
    It's not pleasent but once diagnosed and on the proper treatment
    schedule its controlable.
    
    Good luck and take care,
    

    Forgot to mention that most children who suffer from asthma outgrow
    it during or around puberty.  Those of us who develope asthma after
    puberty are basically stuck with it for life.
    
    

    My father has asthma that only seems to be triggered by cats. He
    is sick so very rarely, and generally has no other allergies except
    cats. (However, this allergy is SO acute that if he has a guest in
    the house, he can tell if the guest has been in contact with a
    cat for the last 10 hours or so).
    
    I agree with previous notes; best thing is to have the allergy tests
    with an allergist (hope your son isn't afraid of needles). Not only
    does asthma often go away as the child grows but during that time
    many allergies in general will change character -- as a matter of
    fact they seem to change throughout one's life. But again, get
    the scoop on this from an allergist. 
    
     Monica

    
    I had asthma when I was little and I outgrew it. I think the last major
    attack was around 15. I am basically allergic to everything, dust,
    animals, plants, perfume, smoke, etc. It helps to find out what your
    son is allergic to, so you can help to prevent the attacks. I never had
    any shots since I am a big chicken. Exercise helps a lot to strengthen
    my lungs and to rid the airway of mucous.
    
    
    Eva 
    

    I don't recall how old your son is, but you might want to know that
    Vitalin can make kids jittery and wakeful. We were given it last year
    for bronchitis and I gave it to Ryan in half doses and only during the
    daytime, so we wouldn't end up with the nighttime
    bounce-off-the-wall-boy.
    

    I had the same experience one summer on ventolin. I'd take it and
    my hands would shake for about an hour afterwards. Various physicans I
    have discussed this with seem to wave this away as a known side effect.
    
    Monica
    

HI..I've had asthma all my life and like the other say, he should be seen by
an allergist..   

Also, be very careful what a non-allergist gives to your child..  I can only
take certain type of medication, i.e. no generic medication, or I will have a
violent attack..  I'm not trying to scare you just trying to give you more
info..  

I do am allergic to cats..  very severe..  but I have to take medication each 
and it did not go away when I reached puberty..  Unfortunately, sometimes that
happens..

Please bring your child to an allergist..  If you live near the lowell/chelmsford
area, I can recommend my doctor..  He's a sweetheart..  


you can contact me offline if you want to talk more about it..  I know alot
about it...


/penny

hi,
please take your child to a very good doctor!

My daughter complained of asthma symptoms so we took her to her 
pediatrician (in Nashua) to check it out. He said to ignore it and it would
go away!  Well, it didn't. One night she had a terrible time while sleeping
overnight at a friends house who had a litter of new kittens (yes, she is 
allergic), and we had to take her to the emergency ward to get her
breathing again.

So (this might seem like an overreaction) we took her to Bostons Childrens
Hospital, and those doctors were so thorough and knowledgable that we were 
stunned. They explained that while they are young and wheezing a little now
and then, that if not treated with easily obtainable medicines, that their
lungs will suffer and over time they will get much worse. Think to the time
they are 60 years old - and can't breath without help! The doctor was Dr. 
Karash.

I know it seems hard to believe that we had to resort to Children's, but we are
glad we did it. They are the best - at least in this area of the country. Now,
she has medicine in pill form, and also in Inhaler form for emergencies. 

Please see a doctor!

    You might want to contact 'The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
    America'  they have a program called ACT - Asthma Care Training for
    Kids.  It says in the pamplet that "ACT helps asthmatic children take
    charge of their disease while provideing parents the information and
    support essential to direct the child's increasing role in self-care.
    The overall goal of ACT is to reduce the number and severity of
    asthmatic attacks as well as unnecessary restrictions on the child's 
    daily activities.  ACT functions as a supplement to adequate medical
    management under a physician's care.
      AAFA also disseminates information about and coordinates the
    Cooperative Care in the Schools Program.  This educational program
    promotes patient compliance, teacher awareness, and good communiation
    between all parties involved in the care of an asthmatic child while in
    school.  The program includes a video and supplemental "how to"
    material for parents and school personnel."
      There is also yet another program through AAFA called CALM: Childhood
    Asthma: Learning to Manage.  It says " this program, produced in kit
    form for three distinct age groups, is designed to help control and
    manage asthma through the use of a peak flow meter.  The kits contain
    material for the parent and the child that provide the tools to plan a
    cooperative asthma management program."
    
      For more info contact The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
    at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Suite 305
       Washington, D.C. 20036 or you can call them at (800)-7-ASTHMA
    

    My daughter is 5 now, since she is 1.5 years old, she is diagnosed
    having asthma and that was the time when we moved to Nashua 4 years
    ago.  We saw allergist and did have a test when she was 3 (before then,
    the doctor didn't recommand simply she was too young).  She has been
    taking medicine "slophiline-80 syrup" which is supposed to have the
    same effect as Ventilin but won't make kids too hyper.  She
    occasionally whizzed, the most obvious sympton was coughing, she almost
    coughed every night badly.  In the daytime, if she exercised too
    vigorously, she coughed.  If she breathed too-cold air (like the winter
    time), she coughed.  When she got attack by any flu, cold, she coughed!
    She is allergic almost to everything according to the test.  However,
    based on our own observation, she is only allergic to some iterms
    badly, cat is one of them.  
    
    Before we left Nashua at past Oct., we were told she may outgrow it, at
    the same time, keeping her on medicine; watch for what she ate. There
    are lots of triggers for allergy/asthma, and everyone has different
    one,   the weather may be one of them.
    It has been more than 3 months since moved down here Houston, she is quite
    well, she barely coughs!  The obvious difference is the weather.  Right
    now, houston's weather is very lovely, not frozen, not hot, right
    humidity.    I guessed the biggest trigger is the weather in her case.
    I don't know if we get a good doctor like previous notes said and the 
    situation might be different.  In our case, the weather makes the biggest 
    change.  And the moving out of New England becomes worthwhile!
    
    good lucks,
    
    wendy            

    I just heard an interesting report on the news. Researchers now believe
    that an inflamation of the airways is the trigger of an asthma attack
    and that the bronchial spasms are the result (or something like that).
    This being the case the new view on treatment is to give the patient
    daily doses of an anti-inflamation drug and the patient is to monitor
    their lung capacity and adjust the dosage daily. This treatment is
    supposed to have a better success rate at preventing emergency room
    visits.

    I agree with the others, if you develop Asthma as a small child you
    will tend to outgrow it, usually by 7 or so.  This was the case for my
    husband who wheezed terribly as a small child, but has no problem with
    it currently.  His brother on the other hand, developed it in
    elementary school, and still has difficulty visiting us, he's deathly
    allergic to animals, and although he's in the Navy was denied submarine
    duty due to the possibility he might have an attack under water, making
    it impossible to transfer him to an acute care hospital.
    
    AJ, who just turned 4, has been wheezing almost since birth.  After
    three bouts with "bronchiolitis" they pronounced him asthmatic.  This I
    was told was the criteria used for differentiating asthma from
    bronicial attacks; 3 attacks within a year.  For him we keep a
    nebulizer machine handy at all times.  He gets ventolin and chromilin
    mixed in his inhaler, and prednisone by mouth when he's having an
    severe attack.  We try to keep the ventolin by mouth only as a last,
    desporate effort since as others have mentioned, he becomes an
    uncontrollable hyper monster with meds by mouth (or IV if
    hospitalization becomes necessary)  He is seeing a pedi-pulmonary
    specialist at Umass Medical who also works with and reasearches in
    Cystic Fibrosis, who is one of about 200 in the country
    with this specialty.  I'd be glad to give recommedations off line.
    
    Lyn

    Forgot to mention, AJ asthma has become increasingly better as he gets
    older, which might back up the thinking that you *can* outgrow it.
    
    Also when he's having a crisis, which usually comes about the spring
    bud time, and usually kicks in when he's got a cold, we do the
    nebulizer treatment between every 2 to 4 hours, which will usually help
    to break a severe attack and prevent a hospital admission.  
    
    Bottom line with asthmatic kids, you've got to have lots of time to
    dedicate to break the spasms.  But you feel so much better when you
    have!  And bear in mind that in most cases they can outgrow the
    disease.
    
    Lyn 
    (again!)

    Could my son's diagnosis of asthma be wrong?
    
    I took him to the doctor last week because I was convinced he had
    pinworm or ringworm. The school sent home a note saying that one
    of the kids in his Kindergarten had pinworm. My son had a strange 
    looking rash around the anal area, he was run-down and losing weight.
    (I should add that he had his ruptured appendix out only 3 weeks before.)
    
    So, I rushed him to the doctor. The doctor gave him a full checkup and
    said he didn't have pinworm or roundworm, but he did have asthma. I was
    shocked. I was so taken back I didn't ask many questions. He gave us a
    prescription for amoxicillin and ventolin (sp?) and sent us on our
    merry way.
    
    I will call the doctor when I get a chance, but until then, I have a
    few questions. He doesn't wheeze loud enough for me to hear, 
    never had an attack, has no known allergies. He does cough a lot though
    - whenever he gets a cold he coughs all night long it seems - but then
    again, I'm very susceptible to coughing when I get a cold.
    
    Could it be that we should just finish up the medicine and forget about
    it? Or, should I take him to an allergist. I HATE to think about taking
    him someplace where he'll  have to have shots. He had so many shots and
    blood tests when he had his appendix removed.
    
    Gale

    I can't imagine *any* relation or similarity between pinworm,
    ringworm, and asthma.
    
    Pinworm is an intestinal parasite, which can cause anal irritation.
    I can't believe that you can check for it with a physical exam --
    normally, you need a stool sample to check for the worms, although
    there are other ways of catching them.  I've never heard of pinworm
    causing a child to be run down -- I believe that the worms live in
    the large intestine, where they wouldn't have the opportunity to
    deprive the child of nourishment.  It's mostly a nasty-sounding
    problem; I've never heard of it causing anything worse than
    discomfort.  (And the treatment is unbelievably trivial.)
    
    Ringworm is a fungal skin infection.  I believe that it's usually
    diagnosed when someone notices the distinctive rash, and once again
    I haven't heard of it causing someone to be run down.
    
    Amoxicillin ??!!
    
    	-Neil
                                                             

    I have heard of diagnosing pinworm during an exam ....
    The child is told to lay very still in just their underpants, on the
    exam table, for 'a while'.  The pinworms are then 'tricked' into
    believing the child is asleep, which is when they will come out (gross,
    I know!).  At that point, a physical exam is usually enough....
    
    Patty

I'm also rather baffled.  At a minimum, I'd want to know how he
diagnosed the asthma, and what his diagnosis was for the rash.  The
most common means of diagnosing asthma is by a machine into which
the patient exhales as much as possible, takes a whiff of a
brochodilator (that opens up the bronchial passages), and then
exhales again.  

Asthma can be induced by a number of different things, the
principal ones being allergies, exercise, irritation to the
bronchial tubes (for example by coughing) by coughing, and secodary
infections.  Of these, only allergies MIGHT require shots.  The
fact that the doctor prescribed ventolin and amoxicillin would lead
me to believe that the doctor diagnosed asthma, induced by a
secondary infection.  A very common order of events in both me and
my son, is a cold, which causes a cough, which irritates the
bronchial passages, which becomes an asthmatic cough, which
persists far longer than the other cold symptoms; cough syrups have
no effect on the cough.  The asthma is typically treated with a
ventolin inhaler (or syrup, sometimes kids have trouble using
inhalers).

If your son has recently had a cold, and has coughed a lot at
night, it CAN account for being rundown, and even losing weight,
but, quite franky, I am still baffled.  I've had asthma off an on
for better than thirty years, and I've never had a rash on my anal
area.

If you believe that the diagnosis was incorrect, you may wish to
see a asthma specialist.  Often, they are also allergists, but that 
does NOT mean that if a person has asthma, that they also have
allergies; also, if a person has allergies, it doesn not
necessarily mean that they will get shots, other than perhaps
scratch tests.

And you also still need an answer to your question about the rash. 
Call him, and don't get off the phone until he explains the rash
to you, or refers you to someone who can.

Clay

That was roundworm ... not ringworm ...

Roundworm again is a intestinal parisite like pinworm but they look like c's
rather than the nominally straight pin-worm.

I have known many problems as a result of worm infestations ...

. loss of appetite
. loss of weight
. lethargy (usually caused by not eating enough)

BUT there are lots of other problems that can cause these symptoms.  The
rash around the anus could be caused by itching, or by acidic stools.  With
surgery recently, it is also possible to have picked up an intestinal
infection, and hence the amoxil ... this would also be consistent with
acidic stools and the other symptoms.

So, I'd go the course on the amoxil and see how things go ... but, keep an
eye on your child and if things get worse, go back to the doctor, or if you
are still uncomfortable, go back to the doctor and get some clarification.
It sounds like your doctor didn't explain his thinking to you.

I can see how a school could easily jump to the parasite infection idea ...
they are extremely common amongst school kids and itchy bottom is a definite
symptom ...

The best way to confirm worms is that the itch gets far worse when the bottom
gets hot ... typically about half an hour after going to bed.  Take a
flashlight, spread the cheeks of the bottom to see the anal opening and
spread it slightly.  If there are worms ... you are very likely to see 'em.
(this is not for the weak of stomach).

Stuart

    Oops ... I did forget to say that I cannot see the any connection
    between asthma and the other symptoms.
    
    Maybe the doctor heard some type of brochial infection.
    
    It really sounds like the doctor created more questions than he
    provided in answers!

    HUH???
    
    I've been subjected to a couple misdiagnosis, but this seems to be the
    farthest off-base diagnosis ever experienced!  
    
    I do second the advice to finish the amoxicillin, but my gut feeling is
    if you're not totally sure it's really asthma forget the ventilin.  In
    fact I'd almost feel it should have been prednisone not ventilin.  The
    pred will help dimish inflamation, whether its in the lungs, rectum or
    surface of the skin. 
    
    AJ has had some pretty nasty asthma attacks, and personally I find the
    prednisone helps better than the ventolin and other asthma drugs given
    by mouth.  He does do well however with ventolin in an nebulizer, which
    he inhales as a mist.
    
    I would definitely question the doctor's diagnosis, and if necessary
    find either a pedi allergy or pedi-pulmonary specialist for further
    testing.
    
    Lyn
    

    Moderator caution: remember we're not doctors here, and we're not
    dispensing medical advice.  We can tell what we'd do in the same
    situation, but that's about it.
    
    Now, speaking as myself:
    
    Yes, call your doctor to get your questions answered.  Seek a
    second opinion if you think you need one.  I wouldn't recommend
    not following the doctor's advice about the medication and such
    until I got those answers or opinions, however.  
    
    All I can say about your doctor's diagnosis is that it's the same
    treatment that my neighbor's daughter's pediatrician prescribed. 
    Caroline has had a couple of bouts of secondary asthma in
    conjunction with ear infections that wouldn't go away; I don't
    remember noticing any symptoms other than coughing when she played
    with Steven.  She was on ventilin, and I'm pretty sure she was on
    antibiotics for the underlying infection.  
    
    One possible chain of events would be surgery --> fatigue and loss
    of weight (a ruptured appendix is serious surgery, and three weeks
    isn't that long --> infection taking advantage of reduced immune
    system --> secondary asthma.
    
    The most common cause of anal rash and itching in a kid this age
    is inadequate hygiene, so the rash might not be related at all. 
    
    So, I'll repeat:  get your doctor to explain to your satisfaction,
    or seek a second opinion, if that will make you feel better, but
    no, I don't think this is necessarily a misdiagnosis.  More likely
    a bad explanation.
    
    --bonnie
    

    ... that's an allergy:
    
    >> I don't remember noticing any symptoms other than
    >> coughing when she played with Steven.
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    
    					..... to Steven!
    
    Leslie

re: .23

I'm not suprised that the doctor didn't prescribe Predisone. 
Prednisone is not a good drug to take if there is an infection, as
the prescribing of amoxicillin would indicate.  Prednisone has a
number of side effects, one of which is that it tends to interfere
with the normal workings of the immune system -- the last thing
that you'd want if there is an infection present.    


Clay

    The test for pinworm? How we had people do it in the lab was to have
    them take a piece of clear tape and *press* it to their anal area in
    the morning (they come out at night). This would "catch' the worms and
    then we could look at the tape under the microscope for worms and eggs.

    NOTE: use clear tape not frosted tape and press the tape on the anal
    area NOT into the anus. We had lots of repeat tests because people did
    their collections wrong.
    
    	If there are worms you can usually see them with your eye, they
    look like fine pieces of short white hairs, almost clear. Sometimes,
    though, the diagnosis is made on the eggs that are seen *under the
    microscope* and there may be no actual worms present.

    	As someone said earlier, pinworm is really nothing to worry too
    much about, it is very easily treated and leaves no permanent damage
    (except mortification in older patients).

    	Although pinworm is nothing to worry too much about asthma is most
    definitely something to worry about. NEVER, NEVER, second guess a
    physician when the diagnosis is asthma. I'm sure that you've heard
    stories of what asthma can do to children (we were a family of severe
    asthmatics). Please do not withhold any medication until you talk with
    your Doctor or see another Doctor for an evaluation. Ventolin for a few
    days is not going to cause any ill effects (except a little hperness)
    if it is truly not needed. 

    				Wendy

    I'm curious.....what testing did this doctor do to come up with the
    diagnosis of asthma?  My son was suspected of having asthma and had to
    have pulmonary tests before a diagnosis could be made.  Turned out
    he didn't have asthma.  Before the tests were done the doctor asked if
    we'd like to try treating him for asthma "just incase".  I'm glad I
    opted to wait for an actual diagnosis.
    

    Wow, that was unfair of me to put that note in and then go on a
    business trip! All these responses! Let me explain.
    
    What my doctor said was that my son most likely did not have pinworm
    and didn't feel it was necessary to test for pinworm. He didn't know
    what the rash was, but was quite sure it was not pinworm - and was
    nothing to get excited about. By the way, the rash did go away in a few
    days. I think it was from not wiping efficiently.
    
    The doctor made no connection between the rash and the asthma. It was
    just a coincidence that I brought him in thinking one thing, and the
    doctor discovered another - totally unrelated.
    
    My doctor only diagnosed the asthma by listening to my son's chest. He
    does want me to bring him back into the office to listen again. At that
    point he'll make the determination as to what to do next.
    
    My question to the parenting community was, can asthma be
    mis-diagnosed? Is it possible that my doctor misinterpreted what he
    heard when he listened to my son's chest? And now, does my son get the
    asthmatic label for life? It just seems so bizarre to me cause I never
    heard him wheeze before.
    
    G

	> My question to the parenting community was, can asthma be
	> mis-diagnosed? Is it possible that my doctor misinterpreted
	> what he heard when he listened to my son's chest? 
	
	Yes, I'm sure that it can me mis-diagnosed, and that's why I'm
	suprised that the doctor didn't either do a more sophisticated
	test, or refer you to a specialist.  In any case, I doubt that
	your son was particularly harmed by a few unneeded whiffs of
	Ventolin.  This is not to say that you should let the matter
	drop.  Asthma is a serious condition, and I would want to be
	sure of the diagnosis.
	
	>And now, does my son get the asthmatic label for life? 
	
	Not sure what you're saying there.  I am an asthmatic, and
	have never tried to conceal it.  I've never had to get health
	insurance on my own, but I have gone through an evidence of
	insurability for life insurance.  I did get a draft
	classification of 2A, though.  There are many Olympic caliber
	asthmatic athletes -- the only trouble they have is with that
	some asthma meds are steroids, and show up on drug tests.
	
	>It just seems so bizarre to me cause I never heard him wheeze
	>before.
	
	Not all asthmatics wheeze.  I rarely wheeze.  I tend to cough
	a lot, and I feel as if there is a boa constrictor wrapped
	around my chest.

	Clay

	I'm the diagnosed asthmatic...

	19 weeks pregnant (first child), 34 years old

	Having a stuffy nose and sneezing alot is considered something that
happens to some women during pregnancy.  My OB suggested a vaporizer at the
bedside.  For the past three months I have been the greatest Kleenex consumer
of all times.  

	I thought there was a problem with some Easter candy a few weeks ago.
After eating about two candy coated chocolate malted milk eggs, I noticed that
I was having difficulty breathing.  No big deal right?  Well, last Wednesday
I was eating a chocolate covered Haagen Daz (?sp) ice cream bar and had an
immediate VIOLENT reaction.  After about half of the chocolate covering I
started wheezing and broke out in hives!  Now I'm not a choc-a-holic but
I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to eat it again.  Anyway, I
didn't call the Dr.  I just worried, alot.  Never having had an "asthma
attack" I suspected that this might be what was happening and simply vowed
to not eat chocolate again while I'm pregnant.  Since I have never had
a problem with chocolate until these two incidents I figure it might be
pregnancy induced and will go away after delivery...

	The other night while visiting friends it happened again.  They have
a Golden Retriever that has never bothered me before.  So, my action item for
the next day was to contact my OB.  He explained that I should have gone to
the emergency room and referred me to a Pulmonary specialist for immediate 
treatment.

	Went to the Pulmonary spec. today.  He did not hear any fluid in 
my lungs but based on my description of recent events he thinks I have 
asthma.  He has prescribed a sulfate inhaler "Brethaire" to be used twice
a day.  He also gave me a topical steroid "Nasalide" to be used twice a day
as well (for the stuffed up nose).  

	Bummer.  Here I am half way through my first pregnancy and I 
haven't even taken a Tylenol.  Now I read the prescribing information insert
in the sample:

	"Teratogenic effects: Pregnancy Category C.  As with other cortico-
steroids, flunisolide has been shown to be teratogenic in rabbits and rats
at doses of 40 and 200 mcg/kg/day respectively.  It was also fetotoxic in 
these animal reproductive studies.  There are no adequate and well-controlled
studies in pregnant women.  Flunisolide should be used during pregnancy only
if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus."

	Feeling rather uncomfortable about starting this treatment I called
my OB for some assurance...  He is familiar with both drugs and did not 
seem to be concerned.  He did admit that the potential risk is there but
because asthma can be very dangerous to the fetus he considers it a
justifiable risk.

	I think I can avoid chocolate and animals for the next 5 months...

	Does anybody have any experiene with either of these drugs?  Has
anyone developed asthma while pregnant?  Apparently adult onset asthma,
particularly in women of my age group can be the most severe.  Great, huh?

thanks,
-mel

    Mel,
    
         I wouldn't worry about the Brethaire. Brethaire is 
    terbutaline sulfate, a drug routinely used in obstetrics
    for the management of preterm labor.
    
    	 When I went into labor at 24 weeks, I was put on
    terbutaline every three hours, 'round the clock.  I was
    on terbut like that for three months.  Brethaire is a
    metered-dose oral inhaler which means you will receive
    just enough medication to get you through an asthma attack.
    You will be exposed to a tiny fraction of the medication 
    compared to someone like myself who took it in fairly good
    doses every three hours for several months.
    
    	 Nevertheless, the physical side effects of broncho-
    dialators/antiashmatic agents can be annoying.  I have 
    recently been diagnosed as an asthmatic (since the birth
    of my preterm baby).  I usually experience shakiness and
    sometimes anxiety attacks when I use my inhalers (ventolin,
    proventil).  It's *usually* pretty shortlived, though.
    
         
    Jodi-
    

    I too had adult onset asthma at the age of 23, my experience was very
    different from yours.  I timed my first pregnancy so that I was between
    my worst seasons while I was pregnant.  I continued to to use a
    bronchodilator all through my pregnancy but no other medication.
    
    What I found was that I actually had fewer symptoms while pregnant
    (level of antihistamines increases) and by the time I got pregnant a
    second time (5 years later) my asthma and allergy symptoms had
    disappeared.  That had a lot to do with environmental issues as well.
    
    I will always remember the words of the allergist I went to in my
    early twenties who said get ready of the cats and get pregnant, that
    will solve your problems.  I never returned to him after that statement
    but he may have been right!

I've been diagnosed with Asthma for years.. When I told my Specialist I was
trying to get pregnant, he immediately put me on Brethaire and told me not 
to take my other inhaler, Alupent..  that one does nasty things to fetus's..

My asthma got semi better during my pregnancy but I had noticed that chocolate
and animals, other than my own, did bring on an attack..  

Just remember, that it goes into your lungs..  a little into the bloodstream
but if you dont' have enough oxygen the baby doesn't...  so it's worth the mild
risk...

Andrew was born, very strong and healthy 14 months ago - and I never had to take
any medication thru labor..  my adreline took care of that..


best of luck and if you want to talk off line about asthma, you can contact me..


/Penny

    	I also was diagnosed with asthma as an adult (I ran track in
    college for god's sake, how could I have asthma?). Mine seems to be
    allergy related although cold temperatures can make me wheeze.

    	When I was first diagnosed, my doctor told me to get rid of my two
    cats, I told her that I would rather get rid of my Doctor, she said
    all right, let's try to work this out.

    	I can hold my cats and play with them, but they  no longer sleep
    with me and I notice that I wheeze when I change the litter or vacuum
    their bed.

    	Now I am pregnant and seem to notice an increased sensitivity to
    *everything* I have been using my inhaler on almost a daily basis. (I
    use Ventolin). At one point, I had to go onto Theophylline for a few
    days. Of course I was and still am worried about the effects on my baby
    but I have been assured by many Doctors and Nurses (one just last
    night) that Ventolin is considered safe and will not harm the fetus.

    	I know what  you are saying about the guilt of taking medication
    during pregnancy, some people have reacted to this news as if I were
    some sort of child abuser. I had so wanted to have a granola, drug free
    baby. Now, after having gone through three separate infections and lots
    of asthma (not to mention the vomiting that caused me to lose so much
    weight initially), I just do the best I can one day at a time.

    	As one of the previous notes implies, it is far better to get the
    asthmatic relief and get more oxygen into the body than it is to suffer
    and decrease the oxygen flow to your baby.

    			Wendy

    
    I just had to reply Wendy... 
    
    I got the same reaction from people when I got back from 3 weeks sick
    leave after having Strep and my asthma kicked in...they looked at me
    like I had intensionally committed child abuse for taking Pennicyln
    (sp?) for my Strep, and Theodore for my asthma! (Theodore for maybe 6
    days...)
    
    I had both of these meds okay'd by my OB/GYN after my family doctor 
    prescribed them. And at my last OB visit, he told me they would not
    harm the fetus.  
    
    Everyone is just so programmed these days, without knowing the facts.
    
    Chris
    

    I just wanted to add that during my first pregnancy, almost 6 years
    ago. (She was a stillbirth, but not related to the asthma) I was
    hospitalized for a few days due to my breathing difficulties. 
    Inititally they tried Ventolin and it made me so violently ill that
    they decided it best to try something else, the something else was
    theopyllyn (sp?).  They put a heart monitor on me, and the baby right
    in the emergency room, *before* even attempting to give me a breathing
    treatment.  I felt much more secure with that kind of monitoring, for
    both of us!  I was discharged on a 12 hours time release type of
    slophyllin, which worked quite well, since it was time release I didn't
    get a real big "rush" right after taking it, and it gradually wore off
    so I didn't have a panic for air near the time to take the next pill. 
    The only unpleasant side effect, and it may only be my GI system, was
    it gave me very loose stools.  If there is a good part of this, it was
    the fact that my OB and my interist worked very well together, in a
    cooperative way, weighing both the effects to both my baby and me.
    
    

Thanks for all the encouraging replies!  This conference is great...

I'm still taking the medication (.31) and haven't had a serious attack
in 3+ weeks.  I was even brave enough to take a few bites of a Nestle
Crunch bar with no ill effects (must be certain types of chocolate.)

We had an ultrasound a couple of days ago because my Dr. was concerned
that the baby may have been deprived of oxygen which could cause IUGR
(inter uterean growth retardation.)  Still haven't heard the official
report but the "computer" says the measurements of the fetus match my
expected due date exactly (+/- 1.4 wks) which made us feel better.

Life at 7500+ ft. (Colorado Springs area) is oxygen rare as it is so
asthma is really not desirable...

oh BTW it looks like a little boy (we're calling him "Zeb", at least
until he's born.)

-mel

    Wanting to have a "granola baby!" I love that term! I just want to add
    to the note that mentioned the guilt of having to take meds during
    pregnancy. You can imagine the looks I get when I tell people that the
    wine my doctor prescribed for pre-term labor worked much better than
    the Terbutaline. Every time I see an add for the prevention of Fetal
    Alcohol syndrome I cringe.
    
    Anyway, back to asthma. Remember my note way back about taking my son
    into the doctor's thinking he had pinworm, but the doctor said it
    wasn't pinworm, instead he heard wheezing and diagnosed asthma? Well,
    the saga has gone on and on, and I finally found out what is really
    bothering my son. It could be the asthma too, but they found
    clostridium difficile - a substance secreted by bacteria in the
    intestines. Apparently, when they have my son antibiotics because of
    his ruptured appendix, the antibiotic also killed some natural bacteria
    in the intestines, thus allowing another natural bacteria to overgrow.
    Thus, the clostridium difficile. The symptoms are diahrea, bloody
    stools, weakness, fever, etc. IT has been a he** of a 2 months! At his
    age we'll do nothing but let his own body get back into balance.
    
    So, I wasn't totally crazy when I suspected pinworm - I was in the
    right direction!
    
    G