Please God, Don't Let My Son Catch A Cold

Please God, Don't Let My Son Catch A Cold

Thursday, November 13, 2008

filed under: kid logic

Guest blogger Dani Klein Modisett: I recently found out my baby has asthma that is triggered by a cold. Now I want to put him in a plastic bubble until he's 18 -- when he hopefully out grows it.

"I'm sorry we can't make it."
"Sorry, we have to go home now."
"Is that a sniffle?"
"Was that a sneeze?
"Did your son just cough?"

Since my toddler was diagnosed with cold-triggered asthma two weeks ago, these are the only thoughts that run through my head every time we are around other children. As a result of a recent hospital stay, I have kept Gideon out of his music class and have also stopped taking him with me to the YMCA where my membership includes an hour and a half of free childcare -- that one is really killing me. But after spending three days in the pediatric ward clearing his lungs so that he could breath in enough oxygen on his own, I'm finding myself terrified of other children.

Even the thought of him catching a runny nose from another germ-carrying kid sends a chill down my spine. My son's asthma is not an allergic reaction to dust or hayfever like mine was when I was young -- his is the end result of catching a cold. It starts innocently enough with some sneezing, but so far, in his short life it always ends the same way -- with me sitting next to his heaving chest counting his breaths with a stop watch. Then, depending on how quickly he is gasping for air, we either head to his doctor or go directly to the hospital.

Unfortunately, they have not yet come up with a "cold" shot, you know, like one you can get at CVS now for the flu. So to cut down on his exposure to these otherwise lightweight illnesses, I am keeping him away from groups of children.

The problem is, even at 16 months, he is turning out to be quite the social butterfly. His entire body lights up when he sees other humans his size. He can't wait to look them in the eyes and touch them and pull them in close to breath all over him. So what's a mother to do? I don't want to cripple him emotionally by raising some kind of social outcast, but I also don't want any more nights in the ER.

Maybe the mother who put her son in a plastic bubble was on to something. Or was that just a 1976 made for TV movie starring John Travolta?

8 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

My son was recently diagnosed with the same thing. Last year he had a cold that turned into pneumonia….we were in the hospital for 3 day over Thanksgiving….it was an awful and horrible experience watching them stick an IV in a 3 year old and then the difficulty he had when he was breathing….So this year, I wanted to do the exact same thing!! Keep him in a bubble!!! But, it is just not possible. So as soon as I heard him getting that ‘scary’ cough, which was as soon as the cold air hit Nebraska,I gave him a neubulizer treatment and his cold was gone as fast as it came. It appeared to work great..and with cough medicines off the market the neubulizer treatment is the best solution. He doen’t have asthma, it is only triggered by the cold air…ask your doctor about it.

- Nikki

Posted 11/13/08 10:13 AM

My daughter has had a similar experience (though not as extreme). She’s 5 now, and starting when she was 3, every time she got a cold it turned into walking pneumonia or bronchitis (this happened four times in a row). Her doctor prescribed Singulair, which she started taking in July, and we believe it’s helped her from getting pneumonia so far this year. She started kindergarden, so we expected all sorts of germs coming our way, and though she’s had two colds (sniffles, really), neither has turned into pneumonia (yay!). Might be worth looking into… I’m not one to like pills, especially for kids, but we’re thankful it’s worked.

- Barb

Posted 11/13/08 11:49 AM

My son’s first ever asthma attack was with a cold… he had very low oxygen saturation levels and had to be admitted to the hospital that very day. He was probably around 3 or 4 at the time. I know how you feel. But it will get better in time. For now, ask the doctor if you can do a daily preventative nebulizer treatment like pulmicort respules. When he is older, he can do a dry-powdered inhaled preventative…my son does pulmicort in a dry powder form now. This has helped tremendously. He only gets an attack a few times a year, usually associated with running during PE or recess. He used to get sick with every cold, and we’d have to nebulize him with albuterol every two hours, just to keep him OK enough to be able to stay at home and avoid a hospitalization. This was around the clock nebulizing with albuterol, by the way… but again, with age, and time, and his preventive medicine, now, he can get a cold and get through it just fine. So hang in there. Also, I read some recent research that found that the timing of the DTAP shot was associated with increased risk of asthma, and so that is something to consider…in the future, he may not need his booster shot for DTAP— you can ask that the doctor run a “titer” instead, to measure his antibodies to see if he has already developed enough antibodies from any DTAP vaccination that he may have already had (I’m assuming he was vaxed but perhaps I am wrong in assuming that…). Also, I do not give my son the flu vaccine anymore. The years that I was giving him the flu vaccine, his asthma was at it’s WORST and he was SO SICK. The years that I stopped giving him the flu vaccine, his asthma was better and he was not sickly. I believe the thimerosal in the flu vaccine depleted his glutathione levels, making his lung problems worse. No proof of that, but either way, I do think the flu vaccine did not help him stay healthy.

- mary

Posted 11/13/08 10:04 PM

My son doesn’t have asthma, but he was born with premature lung disease. His colds usually turn into pnuemonia, so I know what you mean, I am afraid to have him around other kids, it’s scary.

- M.L.

Posted 11/13/08 10:20 PM

My son is 11 years old now he was diagnosed when he was 5 months old. The pediatrition misdiagnosed and put him in the hospital for a day after she figured it out. We took home a nuebulizer which helped but not very well lots of treatments and lots of unsleepy nights, it wasn’t until we moved to a different area and switched docs a year later did we get some huge relief. The doc told us Singular was new and it may help, but wasn’t really tried for keeping cold induced asthma away. Ten years later and back in our starting home state I can tell you my son starts taking at the mid fall mark and takes it till spring hits and he has never been in hospital since. We do use a nubulizer on occasion and he takes the inhalor to school in case. Hang in there , I had the same thoughts at first but realized he is still building immunities and it has gotten much easier. My son knowS what to expect very early and now he needs very little from me to prevent the asthma. Also a side note, educate yourself to how often they happen and why. Not all doctors know this type of asthma is out there. I have educated a few myself.

- RIN

Posted 11/14/08 02:44 PM

Thank you for writing this. We just found out my 9 month old son has the same thing. Luckily we have only had one urgent care visit so far. Our doctor recommended a similar treatment plan as Rin described.

- Candace

Posted 11/14/08 07:30 PM

My son and daughter now 8 & 5 had RSV and then asthma induced by colds. I remember asking the kindly pediatrician what I should do about child care etc, should I pull my son out, never hang out with anyone else. He said “What if he had 4 or 5 older siblings bringing home germs from school?” That made sense to me and made me feel better. The first episode is usually the worst because in the future you’ll know what to watch for. There are preventative meds you can give your son if he ends up needing them. If this asthma is the worst thing that ever happens to them I’ll be very grateful. Hang in there!

- Ally

Posted 11/15/08 09:33 PM

My son was 14 months when he was first hospitalized and later diagnosed with “cold induced” asthma. For years, most of my friends and family thought I was acting crazy when I would keep my son away from family events where there was sickness. They use to laugh when I would purell my son’s hands often when out in public. However, they where not in my home when he would get sick and his little chest would tighten and wheeze. They did not have to experience the fear of wondering if my son would stop breathing or if the attack was irreversible. To see my son lying in the ER with fear on his face and struggling with each breath is so scary. He has been hospitalized, ER visits, steroid shot, treatment after treatment. He has thrown up many times from the Orpred. (Which he needed a few times because the attack was so bad). At this point, I do not care what people say. I am very aware of our surroundings and avoid germ when possible. I do not like to medicate if I do not have to, however with out his asthma meds, he could stop breathing and die. My son is now 5 years old and we are currently seeing a pulminologist. She has him on Pulmicort .5 respules 1x daily (fall to spring). He uses albuterol every 4 hours at first sign of wheeze when he has a cold. Albuterol as quick med in between sickness also. It seems to be a good action plan. However, as soon as he coughs or sneezes, I am on my knees asking the Lord to please get him though the cold without a struggle. I have finally convinced my love ones that asthma is a serious and potentially life threatening condition. If I offend someone for the way I act as a mother to protect my son, then so be it. If we are in a store and someone coughs or sneezes, we are out of there. If we know family or friends are sick, we cancel our plans. I know I can not keep my son in bubble, trust me I have tried! Stay informed, have a good Doctor, a good action plan, be consistent with the medications and avoid germs if all possible. And most importantly, trust that the Lord will protect your little one.

- Kelly

Posted 01/14/09 11:19 PM