Asthma?

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My dd is 7 and we are starting to wonder if she has asthma. The thing that is throwing us off, is that there is no wheezing. Isn't that a major part of asthma?
Typically, every night she goes into coughing spells after settling down for the night. It sounds like a "bark cough". She frequently complains about her chest hurting, but not during the coughing. Just at random times.
She gets the coughing spells sometimes at dance class, when she is really active. Also, when she is laughing really hard, she will start to cough.
I guess I need to call the doctors office and see if I can take her in. There is no school this week on Thursday, so maybe she can go in then.
Just wondering if anyone else is dealing with something similar? Anyones kids have asthma?
I worry that if she does have asthma, that she will feel limited in her activities, and feel "different" than all of the other kids.

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 11:04 am:

Sounds to me like you should certainly have her checked for asthma. Asthma doesn't always cause wheezing, but if she starts coughing with certain kinds of activity, it should be checked out.

Scott had/has asthma and most of the time it gave him no problems at all. When he hit his teen years he did have to medicate for a while, but other than that the only real problem was (1) when he decided smoking pot was OK (which had us in the ER several times until I got wise to what was going on) and (2) if he gets a really bad cold that settles in his chest, he usually needs antibiotics or he will get pneumonia. But I would say that in the 20 years since he realized he couldn't smoke pot, he has only had asthma related problems 4-6 times.

I think parents of younger kids may relate that their kids have more episodes of active asthma, but that is also controllable and I think is usually pretty much outgrown.

But please, get it checked out. You and your dd do need to know what brings on the coughing during specific kinds of events/activities, and what to do about it.

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 11:13 am:

Asthma is a strong possibility. Both my kids (8 & 10) have it, but rarely wheeze. That barky cough is their biggest asthma symptom. Asthma and allergies often go hand-in-hand. Both kids have gone through allergy testing to pinpoint their asthma triggers. This has been very helpful! DS is allergic to cats and his asthma tends to flare when he's sick. DD is allergic to dogs and tree pollen. They're both on Claritin, asthma maintenance meds and albuterol inhalers as needed. Our Asthma/Allergy specialist set up Asthma Action plans for each of them. This requires them to take and chart peak flow readings daily. According to the peak flow numbers and asthma symptoms, the Asthma Action Plan has step by step directions on what meds to administer, how much, and when to call the doctor. Since using these we have been able to nip asthma flares in the bud.

Unfortunately asthma is fairly common these days. My kids lead normal lives. They occasionally mention feeling sad about having asthma, but it's usually not an issue. We explain that everyone has challenges in life in some form, be it glasses, hearing loss, food allergies, asthma, diabetes, learning disabilities, special needs, etc..

Things you can do that might help before seeing a doctor - allergy pillow and mattress covers, HEPA air cleaner in your DD's bedroom. Claritin is OTC now.

By Debbie on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 11:23 am:

Ditto, Trina. Both my dks have asthma, but only my oldest gets the rattling/wheezing. My youngest gets the barky cough. Since we found the right medication, my oldest has not had a flare up in over a year. He plays sports and is very active.

Now, as far as my youngest, he also has reflux, and they aggrivate each other. So, if he has reflux issues, it triggers the asthma. If he has asthma issues, it triggers the reflux. He had been doing really well, until we moved this summer. I don't know if it is the change in climate or what. We are also now doing some food allergy testing to see if that could be the problem. He still plays sports, and is active. I just have to make sure we always have his rescue inhaler. Hopefully, we can find out what is going on with him, and get it back under control.

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 11:24 am:

Forgot to mention... Before DS was diagnosed with asthma, our ped. thought he was prone to croup. During that time he was sick often with ear infections, pneumonia, and repeated bouts of croup. One day he had an attack so severe it landed him in the hospital for 3 days. The doctors at the hospital were surprised he had not already been diagnosed with asthma because that's definitely what it was. They advised allergy testing and to be seen by an Asthma/Allergy specialist.

Fortunately with DD, from experience with DS, I noticed the symptoms much sooner and was able to get her diagnosed long before it became serious.

By Amecmom on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 12:22 pm:

I, like Debbie, was thinking Reflux. My son has reflux that has mimicked asthma symptoms. I have also had relux that I thought was excercise induced asthma or reactive airway. It was just reflux. Once my son started the reflux meds daily again and I started reflux meds we've had no more of those symptoms. Neither pf us had any wheezing, either.
Get it checked, but don't overlook the possiblity of reflux. Good luck.
Ame

By Breann on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 03:30 pm:

I was kind of hoping that I would come and read that it probably isn't asthma, but something else Well, I guess I'll go ahead and put that call in to her doctor and see if we can get her checked out on Thursday. Either way, she needs to be checked for that cough anyway. I'll also keep the reflux in mind.
If she does have asthma, I'm sure I'll be posting again for extra info/ideas to help with it.
We live in a rural area, so hay and dust and pets and everything are all a part of her everyday life. Those probably all trigger asthma problem.
Thanks for all of your responses.

By Rayelle on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 04:30 pm:

I have asthma. I found out I had it when I was in middle school and it was primarily exercise induced, so I had to take an inhaler before gym and cheerleading practice. They said I might outgrow it and I thought I did. The past few weeks I had some problems and thought it might be asthma related. The dr confirmed it. I don't wheeze, it feels like something is squeezing my lungs. Sometimes it is more uncomfortable than others. I don't have it on a serious level and it has never interfered with anything. Let us know what you find out.

By Imamommyx4 on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 - 07:20 pm:

Dd is 6 and has asthma. Hers never presents as wheezing. It is always a nonstoppable croupy cough. As much as you don't want to know that it is asthma, once you know what it is, then you know how to help and manage it. It tore me up when the dr told me dd had asthma at 18 months. I cried. But now it's just something we deal with and I now try to head it off before it gets started. When I spot the signs that lead to her episodes, I start with things to stop it before it starts. And if she starts coughing anyway, the albuterol inhaler or nebulizer treatment will stop it so beautifully. Best wishes.