Mr. Asthma

Question:

Reposting article removed by rogue canceller.  See news.admin.net-abuse.announce for further information. > When I made the appointment, I was told he was asthma specialist, so > was surprised when I didnt need my doctor’s approval.  When I get there > I see on the sign he was an ear nose and throat doctor!!!  I would have > never went to him if I knew that!  But… I was already there, so I > figured Id give it a try.

Many times asthmatics have ear/nose/throat complications due to allergies even though they are just symptoms of the bigger problem, so it wasn’t a wasted visit, but I wouldn’t let an ENT try to treat your son’s allergies/asthma. >    For an inhaler, he is on Albuterol 90MCG 2 puffs  every 4 hours which > my peditrician perscribed!  This new doc told me not to really have him > on this inhaler, only once every other day if I had to. BUt I tried > that,and it was extreemly hard for him to sleep at nite!!  He had more > coughing attacks!  We went to play at McDonalds and could barely breath. > So I put him back on it.  The poor kid was having some major troubles.

The Albuterol is an emergency-type of inhaler meaning it only helps you immediately and doesn’t do anything for the long-term or provide any preventive benefits. If your son had a treatment regimen (medications/techniques that were used as preventive instead of "putting out fires" as they happen) his (and your) quality of life would probably greatly improve. With what I hear, I don’t see any reason he couldn’t be sleeping through the night and exercising without problems if properly treated. As you know, I’m not a doctor – I just believe that a lot of times you need to keep looking if you aren’t satisfied with how things are now. I was on the wrong medication for years and I hate to see that happen to others. >    Good guess how he thought he had allergies!!!  He just assumed I guess. > Assumed he was allergic to milk.  He has always had milk, and I never > really noticed anything.  My 2 sons go through about a gallon of milk a > day. Well I couldnt give him any for 5 days, he cried every day about > it!!!  Today, I gave him some and he went cheering and jumping around > cuz he got to have milk!!  Mind you hes only 3!  Besides, I dont think 5 > days is enough time period to even assume that!!  I would think that > back test would have caught an allergy to milk!  Thsi blood test that he > did was only for like dogs, cats, and birds. Which we all have.

This doctor, being an ENT, probably has little or no training in regard to allergies. They probably didn’t do the scratch (back) test because they don’t provide that type of service and aren’t set up to do it. The scratch tests that allergists do will tell you have allergies to different types of trees, molds, dander, weeds, pollens, foods, etc. and also how sensitive you are to each. >    Im kinda lerry of docs too!!  My youngest son age 1 1/2 ALWAYS has > vomited!  Like 6,7,8 times a day.  I would go go every month to the doc > and be told this was normal!  I went to like 15 doctors!!  Finally went > to a stomach specialiost, found out he had a ungus that literally tore > his lining on his colon.  ( Because he vomited so much, he got lots of > ear infections, so he got lots of antibotics-which caused this).  This > corrected it to an extent.  He does it now like 1 time a day, but again > everyone tells me this is normal!!  Ive been told IM overreacting.  And > 1 1/2 he can make himself vomit!  Im 27 and I cant even do that!! So, I > dont ever really give up, although its annoying in the process.

Wow, now that I have *NO* idea about. Being a new mom I will tell you that I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me that was normal! I mean, it may not be life-threatening but I think it’s perfectly normal for you to be concerned and to take him to doctors. Good luck with that . . >    Ill keep you informed abouth what happenes with this asthma and allergy > thing. He goe and sees his pediatrician this week. So we’ll see waht he > has to say again!! >    Thanks, kristy

I would really push for a referral to a an allergist. I know a woman that had to get relatively nasty with her primary care physician before he would refer her but her and her son are much better off for it. Best of  luck to you all. — Angela H. Berry                 CISAT Medialab Harrisonburg, VA  22835         WWW   http://falcon.jmu.edu/~berryah

Response:

> When I made the appointment, I was told he was asthma specialist, so > was surprised when I didnt need my doctor’s approval.  When I get there > I see on the sign he was an ear nose and throat doctor!!!  I would have > never went to him if I knew that!  But… I was already there, so I > figured Id give it a try.

Many times asthmatics have ear/nose/throat complications due to allergies even though they are just symptoms of the bigger problem, so it wasn’t a wasted visit, but I wouldn’t let an ENT try to treat your son’s allergies/asthma. >    For an inhaler, he is on Albuterol 90MCG 2 puffs  every 4 hours which > my peditrician perscribed!  This new doc told me not to really have him > on this inhaler, only once every other day if I had to. BUt I tried > that,and it was extreemly hard for him to sleep at nite!!  He had more > coughing attacks!  We went to play at McDonalds and could barely breath. > So I put him back on it.  The poor kid was having some major troubles.

The Albuterol is an emergency-type of inhaler meaning it only helps you immediately and doesn’t do anything for the long-term or provide any preventive benefits. If your son had a treatment regimen (medications/techniques that were used as preventive instead of "putting out fires" as they happen) his (and your) quality of life would probably greatly improve. With what I hear, I don’t see any reason he couldn’t be sleeping through the night and exercising without problems if properly treated. As you know, I’m not a doctor – I just believe that a lot of times you need to keep looking if you aren’t satisfied with how things are now. I was on the wrong medication for years and I hate to see that happen to others. >    Good guess how he thought he had allergies!!!  He just assumed I guess. > Assumed he was allergic to milk.  He has always had milk, and I never > really noticed anything.  My 2 sons go through about a gallon of milk a > day. Well I couldnt give him any for 5 days, he cried every day about > it!!!  Today, I gave him some and he went cheering and jumping around > cuz he got to have milk!!  Mind you hes only 3!  Besides, I dont think 5 > days is enough time period to even assume that!!  I would think that > back test would have caught an allergy to milk!  Thsi blood test that he > did was only for like dogs, cats, and birds. Which we all have.

This doctor, being an ENT, probably has little or no training in regard to allergies. They probably didn’t do the scratch (back) test because they don’t provide that type of service and aren’t set up to do it. The scratch tests that allergists do will tell you have allergies to different types of trees, molds, dander, weeds, pollens, foods, etc. and also how sensitive you are to each. >    Im kinda lerry of docs too!!  My youngest son age 1 1/2 ALWAYS has > vomited!  Like 6,7,8 times a day.  I would go go every month to the doc > and be told this was normal!  I went to like 15 doctors!!  Finally went > to a stomach specialiost, found out he had a ungus that literally tore > his lining on his colon.  ( Because he vomited so much, he got lots of > ear infections, so he got lots of antibotics-which caused this).  This > corrected it to an extent.  He does it now like 1 time a day, but again > everyone tells me this is normal!!  Ive been told IM overreacting.  And > 1 1/2 he can make himself vomit!  Im 27 and I cant even do that!! So, I > dont ever really give up, although its annoying in the process.

Wow, now that I have *NO* idea about. Being a new mom I will tell you that I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me that was normal! I mean, it may not be life-threatening but I think it’s perfectly normal for you to be concerned and to take him to doctors. Good luck with that . . >    Ill keep you informed abouth what happenes with this asthma and allergy > thing. He goe and sees his pediatrician this week. So we’ll see waht he > has to say again!! >    Thanks, kristy

I would really push for a referral to a an allergist. I know a woman that had to get relatively nasty with her primary care physician before he would refer her but her and her son are much better off for it. Best of  luck to you all. — Angela H. Berry                 CISAT Medialab Harrisonburg, VA  22835         WWW   http://falcon.jmu.edu/~berryah

Response: