[honeycustard]

Hi everyone. I know i have not posted in a while, but its been a little hectic. We are all doing well.

My daughter is now almost 10 months old. She has had this chronic cough/cold for the past 2 months.

I took Jennifer so many times to my pediatrican and said her lungs were clear, and said its only a drip.

Finally i took her to a polmonary doctor (polmonologist). She said that she heard wheezing in her and she should be on the nebulizer twice a day and will see what happens in two weeks.

They call this Restricted Airway Disease.

She can outgrow this, or it can lead to asthma. But she is doing great with the nebulizer, as long there is a tape on, she does the treatment.

I promise to update the picture in a few days. Take care.

[2boyz1girl]

Hello, my daughter has what they have classified as Restrictive Airway Disease. They really don't know what the problem is though. She was sick a LOT during her first year, diagnosed with Bronchiolitis three times, and her pediatrician also told me that she sounded fine at several visits. Then I had her evaluated by Early Intervention and their ped picked up on the crackle in her lungs. She's been seeing a Pulmonary Specialist since May of last year, and has been on daily breathing treatments since June. She takes Pulmicort now, but has had to take Albuterol and an oral steroid at times. This past winter has been much better than her first, and her Dr. is hopefully going to take her off the treatments later this month. However, she continues to have the crackle in her lungs. She had him completely stumped, he suspects that it may be due to the fact that her bmother exposed her to alcohol, marijauna, and tobacco while pregnant. He talked to another specialist who told him that he has seen a few of these cases and they do tend to get better (rather than worse) over time. Dd has to watch one of her favorite videos to sit through her treatments too.

[mattecook]

Yae the Doc didn't call it that but said that she had what he thought was the beginning of Asthma. Placed her on singulair and the nebulizer 3X a day. We have with docs permission taken her off both since she is doing well now but for about 3 months after we brought her home I was in the docs office at least 2 to 4 times a month. I have severe asthma myself so I knew the symptoms and didn't want to take any chances. I don't know what they have you putting in her nebulizer but I am very thrilled with a medication that we put in Emmas when she needs it. It is named Xopenex the big difference between this and say albuteral is that it isn't suppose to cause the jitters and racing heart and so far I haven't seen those symptoms in Emma and there have been a few times that we have had to do back to back treatments. As an asthmatic I can tell you that being unable to breathe fully can be sometimes scarry but it can be compounded when those around you begin to panic. You have my number if you want to talk or want more info on what the docs have told us I would be more than happy to talk. Kiss your little one for me and I hope that she gets better.

Ami

[uramos]

I had wondered if asthma was common in children adopted from Guatemala because I hear that Guatemala City is so polluted and pollution is one of the risk factors for developing asthma. Are upper respiratory illnesses common among Guatemalan children?
Ursula

[foxl]

Ursula, I have thought the same thing. My son has only allergic rhinitis, but it seems between here and the Big List I read a lot about respiratory probs and asthma.
Linda

[amorriso]

my MD has told us the same about bronchilitis and the fact that Zach's lungs are now clear. but he still coughs a good bit and sneezes. i am a nurse and he sounds clear to me also, but i guess he could have RAD. i have a nebulizer and the meds for it that i haven't used since he quit wheezing. our MD said that he would cough for several weeks and that he would probably have this or something like it every year. sounds to me like it could be asthma or something.
amorriso

[Shoshana]

I haven't read that prenatal exposure to pollution contributes to asthma - but our kids have more than prenatal exposure. I have read studies that link the development of asthma in children to maternal stress/hormones during pregnancy. Along time ago, people used to suppose that adopted kids had higher rates of asthma because of the psychological issues involved with being adopted. I haven't read anything recent about rates of asthma in adoptees but I'm glad the psychosomatic explanations are no longer used. Stress during pregnancy would make a lot more sense.

Xiomara has one respiratory infection after another this winter and was prescribed a nebulizer. Hopefully, it is not something that will continue.

[mac308]

Our daughter has been diagnosed with "cold induced asthma". Her doctor actually diagnosed her with it after only the second bout (when she was about 10 months old). I thought they didn't like to diagnose "asthma" until 2 or so. Anyway, we've had plenty of episodes and done plenty of nebulizer treatments and oral steroids. She is much better now, and has actually had a couple of colds that didn't turn into anything. She did have RSV when she was about 8 or 9 months old, and the start of pneumonia around 2 years old. She is now three. The last time she had an asthma bout I asked if we could put her on Sinulair (sp?). The doctor wanted to wait until the treatments didn't help, or the episode came right back. I have a neice and nephew with asthma as well (they have pretty much outgrown it). I think it's more common to kids born in the U.S. as well, although I was wondering if being born in Guatemala had anything to do with my daughters. Good luck with the treatments. Our daughter is excited to do them at first, and then quickly becomes tired of them. Ug. Hopefully they will all outgrow it
Megan

[surfmama]

I have an agopted 6 year old who came to us at age 3 1/2. She had chronic asthma, reoccuring bouts of pneumonia, lung damage from infancy RSV and was on daily nebs of Pulmicort, with prn nebs of Albuteral.

I read a study somewhere that said swimming increased lung capacity.

We have done lots of swimming (daily in the summer) and she hasn't had pneumonia for over a year and is off all her daily nebs. Just prn now and that has spaced out to every 3-4 months. Just an idea, but I think it helped her immensely, it helps that she loves to swim.

The number one cause of asthma in little ones is cockroach droppings. So, if they are exposed to them early in life, this can be a problem! Thankfully, most can get better once in a good enviroment.

[mary594]

Thankyou so much for posting this,. Juliet has had a chronic cough for a few months now. Her pediatrician said everything was clear, she does not have any cold symptoms except for a cough. She coughs at night when she sleeps, during the day. He said it was either post nasal drip or else he is blaming it on reflux.

After reading your post I think I will bring her to a pulmonologist. Juliet is also 10 months old.

Thanks again

[Kimberj71]

Our oldest bio son has asthma. His first episode was when he was 21 months old. But he showed lots of signs before then...coughing after crawling really hard or fast, colds that lasted FOREVER, he had mild RSV when he was 3 months old. That coupled with the fact that his dad has had asthma since he was little and the fact that we live at a high altitude in Colorado, makes asthma all the more likely.

I know we have high rates for childhood asthma in Colorado. I'm not sure that they know why, though. Restricted Airway Disease, from what I understand, is simply asthma that is triggered by cold viruses. Asthma can be triggered by all sorts of things. Learning the triggers is the first step in improving the condition for your little one.

My son is on Singular regularly. When he gets a cold, we immediately start his steriod inhaler and if the cold has a lot of coughing we use his albueterol inhaler to open his airways. If we know we are going to be around some of his triggers...cats or dust, mainly...we give him an antihistamine. I am amazed at how awesome he is doing on this regime. And although it sounds like lots of medicine, in reality, the number and length of his colds has decreased immensly and he is doing great all around.

It's great that you saw a specialist. I know there are asthma docs up here who specialize just in the treatment of asthma and even pediatric asthma specialists.

Good luck with her treatments. I hope she's better soon!

Kim

Oops..I also wanted to add that it wouldn't surprise me if Jeremy ends up with asthma. He catches colds extremely easily and they last forever. He also just got over a bout of RSV where his oxygen level dropped, but didn't have to be hospitalized. Londy, on the other hand, seems to have the immune system of steel and rarely gets sick and it's usually very mild. I wish they could figure out the cause of asthma...the next step would be a cure and that would be awesome!

[honeycustard]

Thank You Everyone Who Responded To Me.

I Know My Regular Pediatrician Said Everything Was Clear, And This Was Going On For About 2 Months, Then I Decided To Go On My Own To A Pediatric Polmonary Doctor. So I Will Keep You All Informed.

Take Care.

Eve