Asthma/weather/school question...what Would You Do?

CPS was called on my sister b/c she kept her son out of school on days like that due to his asthma ... they understood and left her alone but really do you want to deal with this or teach you daughter how to deal with her condition?

I had this problem. I still have to be put on nebulizer sometimes and when I had my first daughter, it got worse. I would keep her home (in my opinion) you can always call the school and get her work so she can do it at home with you.

My son has asthma, and is the same age. It would never dawn on me to take him out of school because of the weather...and we are currently braving -30 below zero!!! At 6, my son knows when he is having an attack (as should your daughter) and will use his inhaler. Asthma is common and treatable, and your child is going to have the rest of her life to deal with it (possibly), so teach her what she needs and give her some responsibility for her health and treating her conidition.

Asthma and the weather can have some correlations but your child is going to spend the rest of her life with the "what ifs" if you start playing that game - "what if it is humid today and she has an attack," or "what if they play soccer in gym and it bothers her," even "what if they are mowing the lawn at the school and...". Send her to school and make sure she, her teacher, the nurse and others are aware of her condition and she has access to her medicines. My son has an inhaler in his classroom and one in his bookbag just in case he needs it on the bus (even our busdriver is aware of my son's asthma) and all is fine.

My 10 yo granddaughter has had asthma since she was a baby. At six she could recognize symptoms and ask for help. The school nurse was a big help in teaching her to recognize symptoms and when to ask for help. She had a rescue inhaler in the nurses office along with a parent signed permission slip for an adult to administer it. Sometimes the inhaler did not clear up the wheezing and the school would call me to come over. Often a second or third treatment administered by me allowed her to stay in school. Now she's old enough and experienced enough that I haven't been called to the school thus far this year.

When her asthma was not well controlled her pediatrician referred her to a pediatric allergist. If you haven't taken her to a specialist, I urge you to do so. There are a variety of different forms for prevention and treatment of attacks. My granddaughter has been using a prevention inhaler daily for several years now.

Do not expect the teacher to recognize an attack. Teach your daughter to recognize it. My granddaughter, in Kindergarten could recognize when an attack was going to happen. Her chest would feel congested before she actually started noticeably wheezing. At first the adult would question her assessment but they learned that she was accurate in her predictions and began giving her her inhaler when she asked.

Once her teachers were aware that she had asthma they would be on the lookout for symptoms. The nurse taught them what to be on the lookout for and when to send her to the office. But be aware that a teacher is involved with as many as 28 students and cannot always be close enough to your daughter to recognize symptoms. Teach your daughter to recognize them and ask for help.

I imagine the teacher will be better at looking out for your daughter since she's had this unfortunate experience but I still suggest that your daughter needs to be able to recognize her own symptoms.

They would always call me when they gave her the inhaler. Over a few months the adults in charge of her learned to trust her and to be more aware themselves. Eventually, this year she's in the 5th grade, they also learned to trust her and do not call me if she's able to stop the attack with the inhaler and rest.

For this situation, I'd keep her home since you don't trust the school. However, I'd begin finding out how the school can be more involved. My granddaughter's school has a nurse there one day/week and this helped a lot. I spent a fair amount of time with the nurse learning how the school could be involved and how I could help my granddaughter be aware and ask for treatment. I did the same thing with her after school care staff. Education is the key to consistent good care.

Again, because you said her asthma is not controlled, I urge you to make an appointment with a specialist. When my granddaughter's asthma is not under good control she takes cortisone and increases her use of a maintenance inhaler. We are in touch with the allergist who changes medications and gives advice on activities. She has a nebulizer which she has to use when her asthma is not under control. If she's had to use her nebulizer during the night she usually does stay home until she's not had an attack for 24 hours. It really helps us feel more safe having this close contact with the allergist and knowing from experience that there is a way to get the asthma back in control.

After your ps: I suggest that she see a counselor, one who can help her with her fear and anxiety which in themselves can be causing the severity of her attacks.

Hi B.,

My 11 y/o daughter had the same thing. Good news: it gets less worrisome as they get older. She will be able to know when it is coming, when to take the albuterol, etc. My daughter has had a great year, and in past years we had some bad times, including calling 911...

That being said, if you feel the teacher IS NOT EVEN NOTICING (???!!!) I would keep her home. Unbelievable as it seems, there are many educators who have had no experience or training with dealing with an asthma attack. I'm not suggesting keeping her home Nov-Mar, but you need a workable plan which puts your mind at ease AND helps your daughter know what to do.

I would first make sure that she's in a class with a teacher or teacher's aide who knows how to spot an attack before it becomes serious. At the very least, have a meeting with the school nurse and your daughter's teacher about how to respond. Next, I would do a little role-playing with my daughter about how she feels when an attack comes on and what she can do about it (is she allowed to keep her inhaler with her? I broke school rules and told mine to keep hers with her at all times)...how to alert the teacher or a friend (it was a friend at soccer who helped save my kid's life). Lastly, I would tell her that crummy as it is, asthma is just something you have to deal with right now. It's scary but you--Mom--have a handle on it and together you two will manage it.

Sorry this is so long but I just had to reply. I have seen my dad, my sister, and now my own child in an ambulance because of asthma. They are all well, thank God, but getting to a place where I wasn't always afraid was a long road...take care, and have a great holiday with your little girl!

buy her a ski mask that covers her mouth and nose and throat. doing this warms the air before she breathes and it helps me alot. asthma will makeher very tired anyway so might as well keep her home. giving her a warm bath as warm as she can stand it will also open her airways so will giving her something hot to drink hot chocolate or coffee I suggest decaf. if she is old enough to swalllow pills why cant they give her pred pills or pred liquid instead of a shot. I have never recieved a shot to open airways. get her to an allergy doc for test to find out her triggers and eliminate them.

tell her she has to tell you to get meds right so she wont have to get anymore shots. if she is coughing alot she is having an attack. if she is sleeping alot she is probably having an attack. she will probablyget real pale also. thats the start of becoming serious.

I've read the other answers.
I've read the "What happened?"
I'm writing anyway.

I'm surprised at how many moms talked about DD recognizing an attack.
It seems to me that B. said her DD DOES recognize an attack.
That she CHOOSES not to tell anyone because she's more afraid
of what will happen to her as a result of people knowing about the attack
than she is of the attack itself.
(I apologize if "attack" is no longer the appropriate word.
The word "flare" isn't adequate, imo, when I remember what this feels like.)

So the education needs to be, somehow, to redirect her awareness
and her choice-making so that she is willing to ask for help
rather than suffer in silence.

I'm not sure how one can do this with a 6-year-old
who has been traumatized by past medical experiences.

It may be unrealistic to expect a teacher to recognize asthma symptoms
if the child is unwilling to let anyone know.

I wonder if mom's anxiety about this has added to DD's fear
of letting people know. I wonder if perhaps a therapist can work with DD
to teach her how to be more proactive regarding getting help
when she needs it.

I'm not criticizing mom here.
I used to have asthma and I know how scary it can be.

I hope B. will let us know how things proceed,
especially regarding DD learning how to take better care of herself.
===============================
ALSO, and this is probably a little premature . . .
once the asthma is better controlled,
I'd like B. to consider getting DD into some kind of class.
In particular, a class that will help her learn to straighten up,
carry her body more smoothly, gracefully.
DD has probably learned to spend most of her time bent forward,
with her shoulders rounded, something people with asthma do
when they can't breathe fully.

Tai chi? Freeform dance? Yoga? Ooohhh . . . . YOGA!

With the understanding that the teacher knows
that DD needs to start at a very careful slow level . . . very gently.
It could be a wonderful addition to her medical treatments.

You could keep her home, but check with her pediatrician. I suspect that in most of the country asthmatic kids go to school in those conditions - otherwise here they would miss from Dec through early March every year :(

So does she have inhalers/medications with her or the health room at school or in her class???

CALL her Pediatrician...and ask him/her what to do....

I have Asthma... and I know, how worrisome this is. Cold weather/air/physical activity, makes it worse... I know that. Too well.

Does her Teacher... KNOW what to look for IF your daughter is ailing???
An asthma attack can come on suddenly.... and ambulance would need to be called, ASAP etc.

AND if your daughter catches any colds, also makes Asthma worse... but you know that.

I would really consult with your Pediatrician...
But I would, keep my Daughter home, if that were my child... THAT way "I" can monitor her.... better.....

all the best,
Susan

To be honest, you are the only person with that gut instinct with your child. If you feel that it is too big of a risk, don't send her. I don't know anything about asthma but I do know it is a very serious disease and I have heard horror stories on the news here in Va about children dying due to asthma and the activities they do in school. You could take her to school yourself and tell the school she is not allowed outside. Unfortunately it is going to be like this almost all winter. Even you in Florida are going to feel the unusual cold weather. Farmer's Almanac say it is going to be a very bitter cold this winter. Everyone is going to have to be extra careful. I don't know if this helps but I added my opinion anyway :)

Diet, diet, diet. No sugar, Adele Davis's books will help you, and your daughter.
best, k

If the cold causes her to flare then most definitely keep her home. Not worth it. And you should find another doc who can get this under control. Have you tried a pediatric allergist?

Oh my! That sound like a rough time for both of you. You know what is in her best interest. If it were my child, I would keep her home and talk to the school to send you any work that needs to be accomplished, keep her from going outdoors and reassure her that this too shall pass. Soon you will find the right treatment and she can feel comfortable telling you how things are improving because you are always there to help her. Speak to the school nurse or director and find a plan of action that allows her to call you directly in case of an emergency or a secret code between you two that allows you to know how severe the symptoms are. I'm not sure if you are up for other educational options, but home schooling is always an option or a home tutor, etc. At least until the situation has improved. Ambulances, hospital, injections, can all be overwhelming for a little 6yr old. Avoid more fear and let her know the more we know about how she feels, the better she will get...sooner. Good luck!
Have you tested for allergies? Perhaps there is something in the school that increases her chances for an asthma attack and certain dietary restrictions might help control it.

That's not an easy situation... you can have the school staff made aware of her situation so they can spot an issue even if she doesn't speak up. You may want to also find some complementary/alternative health care providers that are able to help heal asthma... there are underlying factors that cause asthma which regular medical doctors don't treat, so you can't rely on regular doctors and insurance to provide the best care. I know a chiropractor here in Miami who had her asthma as a child cured by a chiropractor, which inspired her to pursue that profession.

Have you ever tried just taking her off all dairy products for 3 weeks to see if things improve?

You must get her off ALL dairy and ALL sugar products, that includes maple syrup, agave, high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, cane syrup, brown sugar, etc. That also includes NOT giving her any artificial sweeteners. I strongly suggest eliminating flour products too as they also promote mucus. Diet is key to optimum health, especially with asthma.
sorry you have these issues with her, one good thing is hopefully you'll get her on the path to better health.