allergies or leftover RSV ?

My little Bell had RSV and Pneumonia in December, spent a week in the Childrens Hospital on oxygen. Since then the Peds have said she has a "reactive" airway, meaning I guess that any illness she gets makes her have airway problems. He seems to think that she may develop asthma.

Well all three kiddos have started having some congestion/drainage over the last week and last night Bell started wheezing and breathing fast again. After I gave her a breathing treatment, her breathing rate slowed back down and she was able to go to sleep. I have called the Peds office this morning, but haven't had a return call yet.

SO, my question is this: I'm wondering since it's springtime in Kentucky and everyone I know has allergies, If I should ask the ped about getting her tested for allergies and possibly set up for shots (if needed). I hate to put her thru that, but allergy season is just getting under way and I don't want her sick the entire spring!

Has anyone here had their little ones tested for allergies? What about Asthma? Should I ask to have her sent to a specialist instead of just giving her breathing treatments on my own when she "flairs" up?

Am I just paranoid because the hospital stay is still too fresh on my mind? Probably! I don't want to have to do that again anytime soon!

Thanks for any imput!

 

I don't have any advice, but just wanted to bump this up for you! If you're concerned, I would call the pediatrician and ask to be seen, it can't hurt!

 

He did finally call me back a little while ago and basically told me to continue with the breathing treatments and to watch for fever and frequency. If it gets worse as in the frequency of treatments or they don't seem to be effective in calming her respirations down and quieting the wheezing, then I need to get her in there. He also wants to see her if she starts getting a fever.

He also said to take her off of the allergy/cold med I have her on right now because the "antihistimine" can thicken bronchial secretions. I didn't know that, he said to stick with a straight decongestant even though we think her congestion is allergy related.

thanks

 

We had RSV/Pneumonia on V-day. We went on vacation and all was fine and on Sunday Grant started coughing and by Sunday night both had runny noses and coughing. I took the boys to the peds office yesterday and both were wheezing so back to breathing treatments for us. I do plan to call their pediatrician to discuss getting tested for allergy/asthma as I believe that it has to be something more that they start wheezing within 48 hours of developing systems.

 

reactive airway basically is another term doctors use for asthma.

 

Hey there...
I haven't posted on here in ages, but I logged on tonight to get some rainy day toddler activities and your post title caught my eye.

My boys had RSV last March when they were 6 mos old. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but we are still doing breathing treatments daily (1-2 times a day) and are also now on Singulair....it's exactly one year later. My boys are 17 mos. My ped doesn't refer to the allergist until 2 years of age, but we'll FOR SURE be at the allergist the day they turn 2. The triggers I've noticed for my boys are viral cold, breathing very cold air, and dust.

Ask your ped about Singulair. It's made a huge difference in my boys.

--JB

 

JB, I will definitely ask him about Singulair when we go in next time. If not before. Do you do the 1-2 times daily as a precaution or are they still symptomatic?

My Ped had us ween the neb treatments once all of the symptoms seemed to go away. Then at the first sign of problems start them back up.

I know of someone else, that was doing one treatment a day just as a precaution, my ped never recommended that so I'm wondering!

He told me the same thing, we can go to an asthma/allergist now, but they won't test and treat until 2yo.

Thanks y'all!

 

Leslie--

Poor Bell! I hope she feels better soon.

You might also ask your pedi about zyrtec for allergy symptoms. My younger son took zyrtec from about two months until about 15 months when he had to start taking another med that he could not take with zyrtec. The zyrtec really helped the allergy symptoms for him while he took it though.

Our pedi also said that after RSV the symptoms can recur for up to a year. My boys ended up having it twice in the first year.

We only do neb. treatments when symptoms start We too are waiting till 2 for testing.

Gook Luck.
O.

 

Omega, How do u get them to take the Zyrtec? My ped actually gave us some last time we were in in December, but that's the only medicine that she will actual spew back at me. It got to the point that she would start crying and fighting it when I came at her with the dropper that she'd end up throwing up, so we quit!

We have an appt on the 29th for their 15 month checkup, so I plan on discussing all of these possibilities with him at that time. That is, as long as things don't get worse and we end up in there before that!

Thanks!

 

It sounds like you all know more about this than I do, but I took Sarah to the ped yesterday with a similar question. So here's my experience, FWIW.

She had RSV at about 3 months old (Feb 06) -- it was never bad enough to be on neb treatments or anything, we just waited it out. Since then, though, every time she gets a cold it goes right to her chest. She seems to have a cough more often than not, and especially this winter (for the past 3 months or so). I take her in every few weeks just so they can tell me she still doesn't have bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. It doesn't seem to really bother her, she still sleeps fine, but her chest just sounds all gunky.

So yesterday the ped agreed it was time to start meds. He recommended the inhaler (with a mask) rather than the nebulizer because she only has to sit still for ~5 breaths rather than 5 minutes. He said to do Flovent 3x/day until she stops coughing, then do it only as needed if she starts to wheeze again. Then we also do albuterol 2x/day until she stops coughing, then 1x/day until May 1, after which (he says) it probably won't be necessary anymore.

He said he doesn't diagnose asthma or allergies in children under 2, not because they can't have it, but because it's just impossible to know and it's much more likely that their issues are caused by viruses. (He also doesn't recommend cold or allergy meds for children under 2, ever.) But if she keeps getting sick after "respiratory virus season" ends in May or so, then we would look into that.

 

Answers to your questions:

-We do Pulmicort in the neb. every morning as precaution. Xopenex if they are presenting symptoms -- usually in the afternoon.
-Singulair every evening as precaution.

We also have Zyrtec -- but I really try NOT to use it unless they seem really bad.

HTH.

--JB

 

I did put my older son through allergy testing at 20 months.
He had recurrent ear infections his first winter and recurrent pneumonia his second (after being exposed to RSV, thrush & chicken pox in 1 week- vacation from ****)
Eventhough the testing was rough, I do not regret it at all. They started us out on a coctail in the nebulizer of albuterol & intol along with rhinocort or flonase and singulair. Once he learned how to use the inhaler with a mask we weaned off the albuterol except when needed and took Flovent. Now he takes Claritin when his allergies are bad (cottonwood gets him in the Spring & the ditch burning gets him in the fall)
If that doesn't do it we add Singulair & albuterol as needed.
I have noticed he tends to need "pre-treatments" of albuterol before basketball & football games, baseball isn't an issue.
It is my understanding that once their airway is "reactive", it's just something you need to be aware of. I remember being a kid & if you had asthma, you didn't play any sports. I do think we have come a long way from there.

 

Leslie--

Owen would never just take the zyrtec from a dropper either. We always put it in a small amount of formula or milk (about 2 oz.), and he would drink it. You might ask your pharmacist or pedi office for their advice. Our pedi nurse suggested this method to us, and said it was okay.

I really would try the zyrtec again to see if Bell will learn to tolerate taking it. I wish that Owen could go back to taking it, but it doesn't help itching, so he has to take another antihistamine that does help his itching.

JB --

Why do you only give zyrtec when symptoms are bad? We took it as a preventative med. daily, and I think it really helped to keep Owen from having more severe symptoms. But then we live in a rural area, and have many allergens practically year round! [Not flaming you or anything, just curious!]

Omega

 

When the Ped prescribed the zyrtec it was meant to be more preventative for us (late dec or early jan), but after a week of trying to get it down her I gave up. I'm going to have a chat with him again and we'll try getting it down her some other way.

I understand the rural areas, we live in Kentucky and we are starting up the allergy season here even as we speak!

thanks!