I received an email from a concerned reader reminding us that flu season is upon us and it is so important for Asthma sufferers to get flu shots. One web site said that the flu could be fatal to kids suffering from Asthma.

“Atlanta, GA -- Children with asthma aren't getting the flu shots US officials say they should. The flu can be fatal to children with the chronic lung problem that's marked by wheezing, coughing and labored breathing. They face flu complications such as pneumonia and acute respiratory disease. Officials... more

Apparently God hasn’t allowed me to learn enough patience as yet, so I needed another course in it. That’s what I get for complaining about being up all night with the baby with Asthma. Now it has been three weeks since I’ve slept more than a few hours in a night. I have two children on antibiotics for ear infections. I have four children with wheezing that require breathing treatments every three to four hours and I only have one nebulizer so I have them get in line. I have a child with Epstein Bar (reactivated Mono) that keeps... more

I guess it’s that time of year. It seems like everyone in town and at our house has a cold. Our little Ami is no exception and as you well know having a cold wreaks havoc on the little ones with asthma. So at this point I’m totally exhausted. Last night I had to get up with her twice, at 2 am and 5am to give her breathing treatments. She woke me up both times with that pitiful, I can’t breathe, whine and I could plainly hear her wheezing from across the room. Then, of course, she needed a diaper change and a bottle each time since she... more

1. Take it seriously, but don’t freak out. You can do this; get the support you need from family, friends, doctors, blogs, support groups and school or daycare staff. What ever you’re going through, someone else has gone through it too, and that person wants to help you. Don’t be afraid to ask, there are no stupid questions. You are not alone.

2. Create an asthma action plan, write it out and be sure to include: • “Your child’s asthma triggers. • Instructions for asthma medicines. • What to do if your child has an asthma attack. • When to call your doctor. • Emergency telephone numbers. Use this Asthma Action Plan at home, school, and... more

Well it’s that time of year when you you’ve got the house closed up as tight as possible. You’re trying to keep the chill out and that expensive heat in, which means there isn’t any fresh air exchange going on. To top it off, school is in session so everyone is coming down with a cold.

You decide to scrub the house from top to bottom, disinfecting everything to try to kill off all those nasty germs, and restore your family to health. Ironically, if anyone is predisposed to asthma in your home, you may have just caused an asthma episode. So what’s a good parent to do? For those of us without enough hours in the day to keep our houses spotless and the children out of trouble,... more

While searching the internet for Asthma related articles I came across an article for a new treatment for sporadic, recurring asthma that just came out today. How convenient since I had just written an article about my teenage son who suffers from sports or exercise related asthma. I’ve posted an excerpt below.

“Drug Reduces Unscheduled Trips to Doctor for Childhood Asthma Attacks

Science Daily — Young children with attacks of sporadic, recurring asthma who were treated with the prescription drug Montelukast by their parents had fewer unscheduled trips to the doctor, missed less days from school or childcare, and caused their parents to take fewer days off work for their... more

My teenage son has always played floor hockey and soccer. A few years ago he started complaining about chest pains, especially after playing hard. The pediatrician had him where a chest harness for 24 hours to check his heart, and the results came back normal. Then the doctor scheduled an EKG, those results were also normal. So the doctor thought he might be having panic attacks and put him on Luvox, to see if that would help. He tried the medication for several months but continued to struggle with periodic chest pains. We thought that maybe it could even be growing pains.

Please don’t think that I’m completely unsympathetic, but I waited many months to take him back to the... more

Is it just me, or do any of you take your baby’s nebulizer along to Hockey practices and games? When you have several children, all going in different directions everyday, sometimes everyone has to go along for the ride. Usually wherever mom goes, baby goes. It just seems natural to me that if I’m at a game or practice and the baby starts wheezing to find the nearest electrical outlet and plug the nebulizer in.

Well, a couple of weeks ago this happened at a hockey practice. Several parents and siblings of young hockey players were sitting in the gym bleachers of a local elementary school watching practice. The baby had a cold and I had been giving her breathing treatments every... more