Reactive Airway Disease

Question:
Thank you for responding. I was thrown for a loop yesterday when the doctor told me. I had never heard of it. My daughter has had quite a few colds in a row this winter. The Dr. thinks that is what brought this on. I’m hoping that this will be the only time we have to deal with this. I hope your son enjoys continued good health. Kristen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My son developed this at age 2.5 (he is now almost 11). He used an inhaler for a few years off and on, had a few rough winters, it sort of edged into asthma but he never required the constant daily meds… just Albuterol when he had an episode (which he then had to continue taking for at least 2 weeks), and a few courses of steroids. His trigger was catching cold; if he came down with any kind of respiratory illness it made his lungs “twitchy” and he had to go on meds. We had him tested for allergies at about 7 years old and started on allergy shots. He is now down to shots once a month and hasn’t required any kind of asthma meds in the last three years. It was frustrating and scary and difficult to get into the “flow” of managing his problem, and in fact it took about a year and a half before we really felt like we understood his illness at all. One of the things that he was susceptible to was sinus infections; one bout led to two cat scans and about four months of antibiotics before it finally resolved. He had some lingering speech problems because for much of his early life he simply couldn’t hear correctly because of his soggy sinuses. Talk about mommy guilt. But now he’s perfectly fine, you’d never know anything was ever amiss. My advice (take it for what it’s worth) is to find a pediatrician who specializes in childhood asthma (we were very fortunate that ours already did), and find a good allergist. The scratch test will leave you both in tears but it certainly helped us, and started my son on the road to recovery. Good luck! –Welmoed IT Development and Technology Assessment Visit the Fire Breathing Dragon!! http://www.sissonfamily.com

See also Asthma and Allergies

Response:
My 3 y/o was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease yesterday. I have found a lot of information on the internet, but would like to here from parents whose children have it. She is using Abuterol with an inhaler. The Doctor also gave us a liquid version. I’m interested in any expirences you’ve had when using this medicine. Did your child have it for a short or extended time? Was it reoccuring after a cold? Did it progress into asthma? Any information is appreciated. Kristen

Response:
My son developed this at age 2.5 (he is now almost 11). He used an inhaler for a few years off and on, had a few rough winters, it sort of edged into asthma but he never required the constant daily meds… just Albuterol when he had an episode (which he then had to continue taking for at least 2 weeks), and a few courses of steroids. His trigger was catching cold; if he came down with any kind of respiratory illness it made his lungs “twitchy” and he had to go on meds. We had him tested for allergies at about 7 years old and started on allergy shots. He is now down to shots once a month and hasn’t required any kind of asthma meds in the last three years. It was frustrating and scary and difficult to get into the “flow” of managing his problem, and in fact it took about a year and a half before we really felt like we understood his illness at all. One of the things that he was susceptible to was sinus infections; one bout led to two cat scans and about four months of antibiotics before it finally resolved. He had some lingering speech problems because for much of his early life he simply couldn’t hear correctly because of his soggy sinuses. Talk about mommy guilt. But now he’s perfectly fine, you’d never know anything was ever amiss. My advice (take it for what it’s worth) is to find a pediatrician who specializes in childhood asthma (we were very fortunate that ours already did), and find a good allergist. The scratch test will leave you both in tears but it certainly helped us, and started my son on the road to recovery. Good luck! –Welmoed My 3 y/o was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease yesterday. I have found a lot of information on the internet, but would like to here from parents whose children have it. She is using Abuterol with an inhaler. The Doctor also gave us a liquid version. I’m interested in any expirences you’ve had when using this medicine. Did your child have it for a short or extended time? Was it reoccuring after a cold? Did it progress into asthma? Any information is appreciated. Kristen