So I think we finally have an official diagnosis of "mild asthma" for Sam. Thanking my lucky stars that it's only mild as at the same age DH would land in hospital every time the weather changed.
For now, it really just presents as a persistent cough in cold, dry weather. We've only had one asthma attack - at least I believe it was an asthma attack, but he had croup at the same time and the treatments are effectively the same.
Anyway, the paed has prescribed singulair for him as a preventer medication. Does anyone else have a young child on it? I think I need some tips on how to get it in with the least amount of fuss!
I think our big issue is that Sam is stubborn, and does not have a sweet tooth at all. He can only sometimes be bribed, and attempts to do so often end up back firing. First dose he was happy to accept the tablet and chewed it as instructed but then pulled an awful face and tried to spit it out. We quickly grabbed his hands and gave him some water and so got at least some of it in... But he won't voluntarily put the tablets in his mouth now.
Can't bribe him with chocolate - I think he'd prefer the singulair to the chocolate! A bit of juice or soft drink to wash the taste away also won't work as he just doesn't like them.
Today we offered him the choice - eat the tablet and then have something afterwards to take the taste away, or we'd crush the tablet into some apple puree and force it down his throat. I felt awful doing it, but it does make a difference, and it too the two of us to manage it. DH to hold him still and me wielding the spoon with the apple puree and crushed up tablet. I can't believe I actually resorted to holding his nose to make him open his mouth, but I had to. He kept spitting it out and I kept spooning it back in and gradually less and less was coming out each time. And tonight we have the quietest night for coughing that we've had in ages!
But surely there's got to be a better way? I'm going to give it another week or so and then I'll go back to the paed. He accepts ventolin with mask and spacer quite readily so surely an inhaled preventer would be easier to administer? Are there inhaled preventers for kids this age?
I guess I can just hope that he eventually notices a difference in himself and starts accepting the tablets! We had a rough time getting him to take ventolin at first but then he noticed that it made him feel better and he now cooperates with taking ventolin. We can only hope!
My DS was on singulair but unfortunately it wasn't effective in his asthma management so we had to me onto flixotide.
The reason we were first prescribed the tablet over the inhaler is because the inhaler has more steroids in it and can stunt the Childs growth and cause fertility problems later on.
Thankfully now, DS hasn't had any symptoms of asthma for almost 2 years and no longer needs his prevented or ventolin now. Hopefully your DS 'grows out of' his asthma too!
Good luck with getting him to take the tablet, we never had that problem.
Thanks. I can't believe I had to resort to those measures to get it into him! But he wasn't overly traumatised, we both got kisses afterwards. The paed said the stunting growth thing with the steroids wasn't true, and considering the state of DH's asthma as a child and the fact he's 6'3"... But the fertility thing is certainly something I'd worry about with Sam already being an IVF bub.
Anyone else have a child on singulair?
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