Do you, your dh, or any of your dc have Cough-Variant Asthma?

[ereks mom]

I am wondering if this might be the cause of my chronic cough. I am seeking information about what your symptoms are like so I can compare them to mine. What medications, if any, do you take for your CVA?

[Mrs Mungo]

We thought my son did. What seemed to help the most was Advair and Nasonex. It turns out he has a form of COPD. Therefore, I highly recommend seeing a pulmnonologist.

[cloversandlions]

My ds has cough-variant asthma, but he also only has asthma problems during the spring and early summer, when the pollen count is very high.

 

He carries a rescue inhaler during those months (we learned just how critical that is...and to anticipate the need before the pollen counts get too high), and usually he'll need to use the nebulizer - sometimes more than once a day - during the worst of it (which lasts ~4-6 weeks). Our current insurance will not prescribe prednisone for the nebulizer, so it seems there is always at least one or two times during the season that I need to take him in to urgent care to have a neb treatment with albuterol AND prednisone.

 

When he has an attack, he does not wheeze or seem short of breath (at least, not in the same way as my neighbor's daughter, who has severe asthma). My ds just...coughs, and doesn't stop. His asthma symptoms began the spring after he had a case of walking pneumonia, which happened the previous Fall. The doctor gave us an inhaler, but ds didn't seem to need it, so I put it aside. One afternoon, we stopped to have lunch at the little restaurant down the street. DS, who had just turned 6yo, started coughing. I offered water, tried to help him breathe more slowly, etc., and as it continued, I realized what was likely happening, so I told dh that I was going to run home with ds to see if the inhaler would help. It was like a miracle. A week or so later, the inhaler wasn't enough, so ds was prescribed a nebulizer.

 

I asked him what it's like when the coughing comes on. He said that when it starts, at first it feels like a normal cough, but quickly worsens and feels like he can't take in any air. When that happens, the inhaler usually gives immediate relief.

 

Have you tried a rescue inhaler to see if it would help?

 

ETA: Our insurance, Kaiser Permanente, prescribes Q-VAR, which they claim helps to prevent the attacks. We have not found this to be true, and I'm not sure my neighbor would say it has helped his daughter, either.

Edited October 15, 2011 by WorkInProgress

[NittanyJen]

My ds has cough-variant asthma, but he also only has asthma problems during the spring and early summer, when the pollen count is very high.

 

He carries a rescue inhaler during those months (we learned just how critical that is...and to anticipate the need before the pollen counts get too high), and usually he'll need to use the nebulizer - sometimes more than once a day - during the worst of it (which lasts ~4-6 weeks). Our current insurance will not prescribe prednisone for the nebulizer, so it seems there is always at least one or two times during the season that I need to take him in to urgent care to have a neb treatment with albuterol AND prednisone.

 

When he has an attack, he does not wheeze or seem short of breath (at least, not in the same way as my neighbor's daughter, who has severe asthma). My ds just...coughs, and doesn't stop. His asthma symptoms began the spring after he had a case of walking pneumonia, which happened the previous Fall. The doctor gave us an inhaler, but ds didn't seem to need it, so I put it aside. One afternoon, we stopped to have lunch at the little restaurant down the street. DS, who had just turned 6yo, started coughing. I offered water, tried to help him breathe more slowly, etc., and as it continued, I realized what was likely happening, so I told dh that I was going to run home with ds to see if the inhaler would help. It was like a miracle. A week or so later, the inhaler wasn't enough, so ds was prescribed a nebulizer.

 

I asked him what it's like when the coughing comes on. He said that when it starts, at first it feels like a normal cough, but quickly worsens and feels like he can't take in any air. When that happens, the inhaler usually gives immediate relief.

 

Have you tried a rescue inhaler to see if it would help?

 

As soon as he's old enough to have the coordination (usually by age 7 or so) you should DEFINITELY get this child a peak flow meter. It could be a life saver in the worst case scenario, but more effectively used, it could prevent a mild attack from getting worse by stopping it in its tracks.

 

Over a period of time, your child works with the meter to determine his best lung volume. Your doctor (an allergist is a good choice, but some GP's are good at this) can teach you how to determine the "green" "yellow" and "red" zones once his peak volume is established. After that, have him regularly check his peak flow, particularly when there is a trigger potentially present (exercise, pollens, illness, etc). If that peak flow dips into the yellow zone, you start treating with the rescue inhaler, even if there are no other symptoms apparent, and treat for the length of time the allergist has instructed.

 

This is the best way to head off a severe attack (some people may still have a problem if they are susceptible to rapid onset attacks from a specific allergen; your allergist should help you develop a plan for such instances) and stopping these attacks when they are still too mild to show obvious symptoms is way more effective than trying to stop them after that persistent cough starts. As someone who gets that nonstop cough, I can attest that it is most uncomfortable and annoying-- and can get out of control and require more severe measures than would have been necessary had the plan been followed.

 

Also don't be afraid to ask about alternate meds if the first one you try doesn't work. Albuterol made both of my kids jumpy, but Xopenex worked beautifully. And if Xopenex didn't work, there was an adjunct medicine we could add to their nebs (not a steroid) that nobody in the hospital had even heard of (I am trying to think of the name . . . it's been so long . . . the tube was long like Xopenex, but it was kind of a diamond shaped long tube). The two worked together synergistically and calmed down even the worst attacks when they were too little to use a peak flow meter and we sometimes didn't catch it in time. Now they can both use peak flow meters and Xopenex inhalers.

 

Different things work well with different people. The best route is to work with a doc (preferably an allergist if your insurance will cover it) and get a customized plan in place that specifies what to do at each level of problem and when to call in the Marines.

[Hen]

3 of my children have it, from infant age on. Theirs is virus-induced and also outdoor mold induced. They just start coughing, it's really worse at night, so hard after a while that they start gagging or throwing up. I don't usually hear the asthma wheeze until it's ER room bad. It usually acted like croup without the sealbark, we often had that on top... :glare:

 

We've used albuterol (or Xophonex when young) in nebulizer machine- it's faster and more thorough than an inhaler. As they've gotten into pre-teen years we've been able to use inhalers. Also during the bad times of the year we'd put them on a steroid twice a day using the nebulizer. My oldest tried advair but it made her worse. During bad attacks, the albuterol wasn't enough to stop it, they needed a steroid, too.

 

I also noticed when they were young, a powerful antihistimine -prescribed helped a lot, it seemed to relax them so they could breath better, it helped us get through the night and avoid the ER, in my opinion. (our ped thought so, too) We've had many, many ER visits, steroid shots in the Er, etc.

 

my teens seems to have outgrown it, now it's just my 11 year old with it.

[sbgrace]

I do and my son did before he changed to typical asthma.

 

For me it's a cough that just won't stop and, in fact intensifies. I won't be able to catch a breath sometimes and those times are scary. An albuterol inhaler stops the cough pretty quickly for me. Attacks will happen at night for me with a cold but when it started I also had them often during the day, especially outside in pollen season. My son was night, outdoor allergens, exercise, and cold air even. My son's didn't seem, to me, to be as intense as mine--a coughing fit at times but more a cough that lasted and lasted and intensified at times (exercise for example). For a long time I had no clue it was asthma.

 

For me correcting low vitamin d helped me a lot. I rarely have attacks now. My son, though, didn't see asthma benefit. For my son Singulair really helped his cough variant asthma as did zyrtec and albuterol for attacks.

 

If you have access to/can get an inhaler your response will tell you a lot imo.

Edited October 15, 2011 by sbgrace

[ereks mom]

As soon as he's old enough to have the coordination (usually by age 7 or so) you should DEFINITELY get this child a peak flow meter. It could be a life saver in the worst case scenario, but more effectively used, it could prevent a mild attack from getting worse by stopping it in its tracks.

 

From what I've learned from my (admittedly limited) research, experts say that a peak flow meter may not be helpful for cough-variant asthma. I'm wondering if any of you have found this to be true in your case.

Edited October 15, 2011 by ereks mom

[KAR120C]

I am wondering if this might be the cause of my chronic cough. I am seeking information about what your symptoms are like so I can compare them to mine. What medications, if any, do you take for your CVA?

One doctor said yes, two said no.... One of the "no" doctors really was an idiot, but the other seems good....

 

In my case it only came on with a viral infection or bronchitis, but it was like cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-GASP-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-GASP etc. Like my lungs were trying to pump every last bit of air out.

 

I also have had a spastic cough with any kind of cold or respiratory infection -- the kind that would suddenly crop up in the middle of anything or nothing, wake me up at night, interrupt meals mid-bite, keep me from finishing a sentence, etc.

 

What I've found lately though... is if I take Sudafed whenever I have a cold or cough, I don't have a problem. I don't know if I just haven't had a problem yet or if it really does help, but what I had noticed is that everything was better with exercise and with (strange as it sounds) panic... Found that out with a cold that coincided with a dental emergency....

 

I know my blood pressure runs very low, and my guess is that the Sudafed raises it slightly. Other than that I can't actually explain it... but as long as it's working I'll stick with it.

[elegantlion]

Interesting question. Although not diagnosed, I'm pretty sure I have this. Mine gets worse in the cold and at night. It's probably one of the reasons I was never taken in for asthma as a kid (I'm in my 40s) because I didn't wheeze.

 

I do take benadryl and have Primatene Mist. I also am easily affected by odors, like bleach, paint, or chemical sprays.

 

I'll be listening too. :bigear:

 

Interesting: My blood pressure tends to run low as well.

Edited October 15, 2011 by elegantlion

[Carol in Cal.]

When he has an attack, he does not wheeze or seem short of breath (at least, not in the same way as my neighbor's daughter, who has severe asthma). My ds just...coughs, and doesn't stop. His asthma symptoms began the spring after he had a case of walking pneumonia, which happened the previous Fall. The doctor gave us an inhaler, but ds didn't seem to need it, so I put it aside.

 

I asked him what it's like when the coughing comes on. He said that when it starts, at first it feels like a normal cough, but quickly worsens and feels like he can't take in any air. When that happens, the inhaler usually gives immediate relief.

 

Have you tried a rescue inhaler to see if it would help?

 

ETA: Our insurance, Kaiser Permanente, prescribes Q-VAR, which they claim helps to prevent the attacks. We have not found this to be true, and I'm not sure my neighbor would say it has helped his daughter, either.

 

I have this and it feels to me like if I could just cough a little more deeply the tickle in my throat would be gone. But I can't cough deeply enough to do that. The rescue inhaler is a bronco dilater, so it deconstricts your airways. Qvar heals them--which is a separate issue. For prevention I tend to rely more heavily on allergy meds--allegra works particularly well for me and does not make me drowsy. Often I take benedryl at night. Qvar is just for when I'm already compromised, and I take it WITH the allergy meds until about a week after I feel like I'm all recovered.

[blondeviolin]

I'm on my phone, so I can't type much... My asthma is very severe. Because of my own search, I learned A LOT about asthma and cough. Frequent usually is because of at least one of four factors. These factors can intermingle and exacerbate the others, so it can be tricky finding the cause. The four factors are:

1. Post-nasal drip (very typically from allergies or sinus issues)

2. Cough-variant asthma

3. GERD or acid reflux

4. Vocal chord dysfunction (VCD)

 

I would strongly encourage you to find a good allergist to see. An allergist is most likely to be familiar with most of these issues. If you have any questions or would like to complain, please, please PM me. On average my FEV1 (a lung function measure) never peaks past 40% so I know what it feels like to constantly feel like you're missing air.

Edited October 15, 2011 by blondeviolin

[NittanyJen]

From what I've learned from my (admittedly limited) research, experts say that a peak flow meter may not be helpful for cough-variant asthma. I'm wondering if any of you have found this to be true in your case.

 

Obviously not, or our specialist MD would not have us using them, and we would not have found them useful :).

 

This is why it's important to work with a doctor and not self-diagnose.

[Carol in Cal.]

From what I've learned from my (admittedly limited) research, experts say that a peak flow meter may not be helpful for cough-variant asthma. I'm wondering if any of you have found this to be true in your case.

 

I have had this exact experience, and let me tell you that there is NOTHING more exasperating than being told you don't have asthma after all when: 1) You cough harder than anyone you have ever seen in your life, to the point that people start to look at you funny in restaurants and offices and 2) You feel better during an attack like that ONLY if you use a rescue inhaler that dilates your airways, thus proving that they were constricted and 3) You know your own body, doggone it, and when it's short of air is not a great time to be arguing about this.

 

The illness landed me in the ER one time, and after the breathing treatments had almost finished working (ahhh relief) I told a doctor there that I can't detect my asthma with a peak flow meter. He said that he had heard of this (a first) which was pretty nice. Later on I started coughing hard, and he listend to my back while I was doing so and said that the asthma wheeze was easily detected then (although I have not heard it audibly). He said that he would document that observation in my file and that no one would ever question me on it again.

[blondeviolin]

Interesting question. Although not diagnosed, I'm pretty sure I have this. Mine gets worse in the cold and at night. It's probably one of the reasons I was never taken in for asthma as a kid (I'm in my 40s) because I didn't wheeze.

 

I do take benadryl and have Primatene Mist. I also am easily affected by odors, like bleach, paint, or chemical sprays.

 

I'll be listening too. :bigear:

 

Interesting: My blood pressure tends to run low as well.

 

Be very, VERY careful with Primatene Mist. It can mess with your heart rate very quickly. In some cases, the side effects are worse than the symptoms! I'd very strongly encourage you to get a good albuterol inhaler for a rescue. I'm not sure if generic albuterol is available still because of the CFC-free switch, but it used to be a fairly cheap medication.

[Tap]

Ds17 did. He would cough the entire month of August each year. We just used a basic albuterol inhaler to treat it.

[Tap]

Be very, VERY careful with Primatene Mist. It can mess with your heart rate very quickly. In some cases, the side effects are worse than the symptoms! I'd very strongly encourage you to get a good albuterol inhaler for a rescue. I'm not sure if generic albuterol is available still because of the CFC-free switch, but it used to be a fairly cheap medication.

 

FYI: just a quick note. Primatene mist is being take off the market in January I believe. The HFA Albuterol inhalers are about $40 US dollars. The CFC ones were taken off the market so there is no cheap albuterol any more. :glare:

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I do and it is very easy to live with, in the grand scheme of illnesses (however, much tougher in the spring and fall). I use a rescue inhaler as needed as the Advair diskus made me vulnerable to every infection that came down the pike. (even hangnails took forever to heal.) Two things REALLY helped my asthma:

 

Running (Couch to 5K) One day while running with dh I said to him,"Do you ALWAYS breathe this deeply? Has it always been this good for you? I had no idea what I was missing!" I feel like running enables me to breathe with my entire lungs instead of just the half or so I used before. (my lung capacity wasn't really at half and I don't know how much I improved, in med-speak, but, to me, it felt like that drastic of a change. I didn't know how bad it was.....until it was better, kwim?)

 

and

 

Learning to play the sax. (I am only up to 10 minutes of practice at a time and I'm not good at it at all, but it has helped a lot train my lungs to breath more deeply.)

 

Imo, those two things are just stellar for lungs.

 

Of course, ymmv. :001_smile:

 

I use my Albuterol inhaler as needed. Luckily, I don't need it as much anymore. I hate having to use Albuterol. HATE IT!! It makes my lungs feel like they are going to vibrate right out of my chest and run down the street without me. Nervous and jittery and lung-insecure, I guess is how I'd describe it. But,....the way it makes me breathe better when I need it is so very nice!

Edited October 15, 2011 by ThatCyndiGirl

[elegantlion]

Be very, VERY careful with Primatene Mist. It can mess with your heart rate very quickly. In some cases, the side effects are worse than the symptoms! I'd very strongly encourage you to get a good albuterol inhaler for a rescue. I'm not sure if generic albuterol is available still because of the CFC-free switch, but it used to be a fairly cheap medication.

 

I only use it on rare occasions. It does mess with my heart rate, but I can breathe. The heart issues go away within minutes. Without insurance even if the medicine is cheap, the doctor visit is not.

 

I do and it is very easy to live with, in the grand scheme of illnesses (however, much tougher in the spring and fall). I use a rescue inhaler as needed as the Advair diskus made me vulnerable to every infection that came down the pike. (even hangnails took forever to heal.) Two things REALLY helped my asthma:

 

Running (Couch to 5K) One day while running with dh I said to him,"Do you ALWAYS breathe this deeply? Has it always been this good for you? I had no idea what I was missing!" I feel like running enables me to breathe with my entire lungs instead of just the half or so I used before. (my lung capacity wasn't really at half and I don't know how much I improved, in med-speak, but, to me, it felt like that drastic of a change. I didn't know how bad it was.....until it was better, kwim?)

 

and

 

Learning to play the sax. (I am only up to 10 minutes of practice at a time and I'm not good at it at all, but it has helped a lot train my lungs to breath more deeply.)

 

Imo, those two things are just stellar for lungs.

 

Of course, ymmv. :001_smile:

 

I

 

OMG! I've been dying to learn the sax. Now I have an excuse.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I only use it on rare occasions. It does mess with my heart rate, but I can breathe. The heart issues go away within minutes. Without insurance even if the medicine is cheap, the doctor visit is not.

 

 

 

OMG! I've been dying to learn the sax. Now I have an excuse.

 

It LITERALLY feels like a workout-a lung workout. You can call it respiratory therapy! :lol:

[elegantlion]

It LITERALLY feels like a workout-a lung workout. You can call it respiratory therapy! :lol:

 

Well this is a very eye-opening thread. I played trombone for the 3 years of junior high. Those were probably the years I had fewer problems.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Well this is a very eye-opening thread. I played trombone for the 3 years of junior high. Those were probably the years I had fewer problems.

 

 

Probably, yes. I will tell, you, though, that it was VERY difficult in the beginning and it made me cough MORE at first. I literally felt like I was cleaning gunk/bad air/what have you out of my lungs the first week or so. The band teacher wants us to practice for 45-60 minutes/day. That has not happened thus far. I told my husband one night, "Hey, honey, I have that new little black dress. I thought I could wear it for you and play Three Blind Mice on the sax!" His reply, "Or,...you could just wear the dress". :glare: (He's heard me practice. It's not exactly mood-inducing.)

[ereks mom]

... it feels to me like if I could just cough a little more deeply the tickle in my throat would be gone. But I can't cough deeply enough to do that....

 

For prevention I tend to rely more heavily on allergy meds--allegra works particularly well for me and does not make me drowsy.

 

I completely understand the tickle-in-the-throat thing! And allergy medications do seem to help; I take Claritin.