Bronchitis

Ira - So sorry to hear that your son is not well. Mine has started a cold too....I dont think there's much you can do at this point beyond keeping a close watch on him and taking him to your doctor should he get worse symptomatically (breathing faster or harder, wheezing, decreased urine, vomiting etc.). Make sure he is well hydrated, give him food in a liquid form (easier to swallow with a painful throat), try to ensure that he rests adequately (easier said than done!) and give him lots of cuddles Dont worry - this si the age when kids fall sick often - hope he's better soon. After he is well you might want to talk to his pedi abt a flu shot (influenza vaccine) for this winter.

Vanathi.

 

hi cool cat,

I have a son, who is now 11 who has bronchitis from birth.

The first precaution is never allow the cold and cough to become worse. take care of it in the intial stage. it turns to bronchitis only when later.

Keep his woolen dresses clean, the pillows should always be kept clean.
my pediatrician used to tell us no carpets at home.

Also you can just keep a cotton dipped in eucalyptus oil near the place where he is sleeping (keep watch that he does not put it in his mouth, may be at a place that he cannot reach).

AS vanathi says, keep check on his breathing. Keep him hydrated. You can actually know if he is having difficulty even observing his chest. sometimes, you can just put your ear on his chest, and you can make out the difference.

Also, check if some foods trigger the cold, and avoid it.

A home remedy that i used to use during winters in delhi.

Take some mustard oil, heat it with a few pods of garlic crushed. when it starts fuming.switch off and cool it.

after the bath, you apply this oil, then put an old vest (since the oil tends to smell and seep into the cloth.) and then the regular vest and the other
layers of dress.

This retains the body heat very well, and the frequency of cold becomes lower.


Also if you have ever nebulized your boy before for breathless, check out about using a spacehalers or home based nebulizer kits at times of necessities.

 

Ira - I just realized after reading Shanthi's post that we may mean different things here when we say bronchitis. I understood it to mean a chest infection but no wheeze. A child prone to wheezing is a rather different story. What exactly were you talking about?

V.

 

Ira,

Sorry if I have scared you. I just wanted you to know what precautions the paed gave. Most often dust is the first trigger. (For me dust and sulphur..)

My son still gets wheezing once or twice a year. But i think the frequency of occurences reduces as the child grows up.

Raise the immunity level of your child. Give him healthy food. If you are used to giving store brought fruit juices, fruit preserves and the purees, please avoid them during his colds, as the preservatives even the milder ones are not advisable, avoid food colors, chips or anything that contains food colors, preservatives.

If you got scared by the name of spacehaler, it is nothing but a inhaler kind but more comfortable when using for a child. why i suggested was since the baby is too small, and winter being harsh, you can use it at home if the baby gets wheeze.

Once again I am sorry if i have scared you,I just want to tell you with a little care and observation, we can avoid the wheeze from becoming severe.

 

Ok - so you were talking abt wheezing (I misunderstood). Shanthi has summed up pretty well - try to see if any particular food triggers an episode (different foods can be triggers for different people). Other common triggers are dust (esp the mites in carpets, curtains), smoke (cigarretes) even lots of activity (exercise-induced wheezing) in some kids can set it off. If you dont have a family history of asthma/eczema then the chances of your child outgrowing this are very good. If you or your DH have asthma/eczema then your child may not completely outgrow it (not 100% - some kids with family histories still do well). In that case knowing the triggers can help and generally early medication helps. Also talk to your pedi abt giving him daily medication for a while (not steroids - there are other drugs which may help). In any case wheezing is controllable and I know so many who live perfectly normal lives with it (many right here in IL) - do try not to worry so much.

Vanathi.

 

Vanathi, how is bronchitis different from asthma? Bronchitis, I thought was mainly due to infections, No? Is there a thing like allergen-triggered bronchitis!