PrincessMommy Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) My daughter has been a camp counselor in CA this past month. The fires outside LA have started to really bother her and she ended up at a clinic for a nebulizer treatment yesterday. We (myself and the camp doctor) tried to convince her to leave camp. She was stubborn and said she thought she could make it. Well.. Got a teary call this morning that she just can't. Her lungs are bad and they've told her now that she has to leave. Anyway, I have friends who used to live in LA and she may have a place to stay on the other side of the fires and closer to the coast, so they aren't affected by the fire. She's not scheduled to fly out of LA until next Tues. but we're looking at flights out tomorrow instead (friday). But, I'm concerned about someone in her condition flying. I worry that it might make things worse. I just want to bring her home and make everything better, but that may not be the wisest choice. What says the hive? edited to add: on Tues, she's not scheduled to come directly home. She was going to Seattle for a few days to visit an old friend first. So, we're talking about skipping that altogether. Edited July 28, 2016 by PrincessMommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Is she routinely monitoring her peak flows and pulse ox levels? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I'll let her stay at your friend's place or could she fly earlier to Seattle? I had a nebulizer treatment at ER before a flight. I just bring my inhalers on board. Asthma inhalers are so common that TSA don't ask. I brought my Sudafed/benadryl tablets too onboard. I had no trouble from any airlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 A few thoughts: 1. There is a reduced air pressure when flying, and for some people it can be an issue if they are really, really bad. They can measure and predict a person's response to travel with a hypoxic challenge, but this isn't a normal thing for people who have normal asthma. 2. How are her peak flows and 02 sats? 3. Is she masking up, on steroids, and taking additional meds to help her out? Like, how bad is bad? Bad for us = nebulizer every 2 hours, on steroids, and taking stuff like xoponex on top of the advair and other meds. 4. I think priority one should be to get her out of the smoke if you know smoke is a trigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) She's on Advair and steroids. That wasn't enough so nebulizer. I have no idea what her peak flow is. Edited July 28, 2016 by PrincessMommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 as for the mask. I told her to buy one, but I don't know if she listened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I assume she has an ER inhaler with her all the time, right? If that's the case, then FOR ME and MY asthma, I've never had anything that the "emergency" (albuterol) inhaler couldn't handle. Anyway, if that's the case with your daughter, then she'll probably be fine. But, truly, if it were me, I'd get her to go to your friend's place away from the fires and see an allergy/asthma DR ASAP -- before getting on a plane. They can assess her and let her know if she's OK to fly, or, if not, what to do to get OK to fly. Meanwhile, she'll have a couple days of good air and relaxing lungs before she travels onwards. If you haven't had asthma, you can't really understand how traumatic it is "not to have enough air". Even if she were safe to fly physically, she may well panic even if her life is not in danger. Even when my PulseOx is acceptable, if I *feel* like I'm not getting enough air, it makes me *very* frightened. I wouldn't want to risk my child experiencing that on a plane away from access to medical care. That could set her up for many years (or a lifetime) of serious anxiety issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 If her asthma is that bad In would ask for a script for her own nebulizer and meds for it. What med did these use for her flare? Was it albuterol or duoneb or something else? Perhaps the doctor can prder duoneb for the flight as a just in case since it has 2 meds instead of just albuterol. She should have a peak flow meter and be instructed on it as well as a spacer for inhalers and instruction on that as well. For nebulizers they do make travel size nebulizers that can operate via plug, battery, or car jack. Also, is she seeing a pulmonologist? If not she should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Here is the neb I bought which has held up well for travelling. The battery does not work now but it is 6 years later. They sell the battery separately on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Pari-Respiratory-Portable-Compressor-Rechargeable/dp/B005PFRBR0/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1469723666&sr=8-4&keywords=portable+asthma+nebulizer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I forgot to add that we use a regular nebulizer when not traveling. I also got a pulse oximeter from amazon for about $20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) I've had bad asthma flareups. If it were me, I'd send her to LA to stay with friends, and insist that she see a doctor to assess her and clear her for flying. I wouldn't risk flying her home without a medical evaluation, instructions, and tools that a flared up asthma patient should have in their tool box. A big component of asthma is learning to manage it, and for her that means managing it even when she's away from home. ETA: If it were me, I'd also let her see her friends in Seattle if it can be done safely. She's already dealing with the disappointment of leaving camp. Edited July 28, 2016 by Pippen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 If her asthma is that bad In would ask for a script for her own nebulizer and meds for it. What med did these use for her flare? Was it albuterol or duoneb or something else? Perhaps the doctor can prder duoneb for the flight as a just in case since it has 2 meds instead of just albuterol. She should have a peak flow meter and be instructed on it as well as a spacer for inhalers and instruction on that as well. For nebulizers they do make travel size nebulizers that can operate via plug, battery, or car jack. Also, is she seeing a pulmonologist? If not she should. She has a rescue inhaler with the spacer - with albuterol. I don't know what they gave her at the clinic yesterday in the nebulizer. I'm curious about the pulmonologist. She's seen a specialist in Asthma and allergies, not a pulmonologist. How would the care differ or be better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 28, 2016 Author Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) The doctor at camp, who has been monitoring her all week, said that with her meds she already has she should be fine. She's to alert the flight staff, just in case. He explained that the air inflight may bother her but not as badly as what she's dealing with at camp. It won't be smokey, ashy air. She seems more disappointed that she's leaving her campers. She loves being a camp counselor. We'll use the unused tickets to fly her out to see her friend during semester break next Jan. She's happy with that. Edited July 28, 2016 by PrincessMommy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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