Thursday, June 21, 2007

Asthma

After 4 vials of blood, it seems that Tot is not allergic to dog dander, cat dander and a whole host of other pollens and the like. He still has asthma. Since I wanted to be more aware of what could set off an attack... I have seen it happen when he is sick. When I got carried away with the Febreeze and once when he was running around like crazy for hours. Now I have found a couple of places that make me see that I am not insane and those things really could have sparked an attack...

From Asthma and Children I found:

What are asthma triggers?

Asthma triggers are factors that start asthma symptoms or an asthma attack by irritating the airways or worsening the inflammation in the airways. These triggers can provoke attacks in individuals who already have a tendency to asthma, but they are not necessarily part of the cause of that tendency. The following triggers can cause asthma symptoms or start an asthma attack:

* infections, usually those caused by a virus (e.g. colds or flu)
* allergens, most commonly from house dust mites, pets or pollen
* play and exercise, especially in cold weather
* emotions, such as excitement, fear or anger
* irritants, such as air pollution
* smoking ? the parents of asthmatic children should avoid smoking
* changes in the weather (e.g. a cold spell)
* food allergens, such as peanuts (sensitised or allergic children can have a very severe allergic reaction); more rarely, food additives such as tartrazine (an artificial food colouring) may also act as triggers.
* certain medications ? some children may be allergic to some drugs (e.g. aspirin).


I liked the one about "emotions, such as excitement, fear or anger"... my son that has the temper tantrums.

From the University of Maryland I found more on what are the triggers that can cause an asthma attack. Nice table layout that I can't get to work in this post. Go check it out at the link above.

Seems I am going to have an interesting couple of years. i know that colds can bring it on... and that if I use a lot of Febreeze, it will happen. Only once has it happened from too much exercise. It won't happen again.

Always entertaining at my household.

8 comments:

Bobby said...

Tot Honey,

You smoking cigars again?

oddybobo said...

As someone who has always lived with asthma, and it has changed in me since I was Tot's age, it is a long arduous road. Some things will trigger once and never again, others, will never trigger then all of the sudden Whammo! I never had an attack from a temper tantrum but I've had issues after massive crying jags. . . Hmmm.

armywifetoddlermom said...

darn it.....

Matthew M. F. Miller said...

I'm so glad Tot's OK with dogs.

You know, I get bronchitis multiple times every year due to allergies (asthma), and one of the best things I do is sniff this herbal allergy spray. It really clears my nasal and bronchial passages. Might be worth a try.

Marie said...

That is a drag -- for Tot and for you!

My husband has asthma. Oftentimes going out to eat is no treat for him (particularly at chain restaurants), because he ends up with an asthma attack later in the evening. Dang additives & preservatives.

Contagion said...

I was diagnosed with Asthma when I was 25 years old. I had a really bad case of bronchitis the previous year and apparently it was the catalyst for me. Mine is usually triggered when there is a hug atmospheric temperature change. If I'm outside over any period of time and the temp drops by more then 20 degrees, I'll have an asthma attack. This is real fun when on a re-enactment and I forgot my inhaler again.

Anonymous said...

I was diagnosed with Asthma when I was 25 years old. I had a really bad case of bronchitis the previous year and apparently it was the catalyst for me. Mine is usually triggered when there is a hug atmospheric temperature change. If I'm outside over any period of time and the temp drops by more then 20 degrees, I'll have an asthma attack. This is real fun when on a re-enactment and I forgot my inhaler again.

Teresa said...

One of the things you can work on is the food part. Because allergens are additive, if you can control even one thing, it can help mightily with the others. For instance, I found that food additives increase the amount of mucus your body creates. This is something that someone with asthma just doesn't need!

Also, dairy is a big culprit here too. (just as dairy is a known trigger for ear infections in some kids). The problem is that growing kids need calcium - so you'd have to find good substitutes, but I would highly recommend either greatly decreasing or totally eliminating dairy.

It takes time and tweaking, but if you can figure out a good diet for him, that will definitely help with the asthma and the severe colds.

Best of luck sweetie.