How to help your asthmatic child and help to attend all activities in school
Are you worried about your child missing school activities due to childhood asthma? Learn some tips on how to help your child attend all school activities without making asthma worse.
It can be really hard for the parents to see their child suffering from asthma. But the parents need to understand that it's not an end of the world for their child. This article helps parents to understand what exactly asthma is, its causes, symptoms, triggers and few ways to help their child deal with it.How to help your asthmatic child
It can be really hard for the parents to see their child suffering from asthma. But the parents need to understand that it's not an end of the world for their child. If the asthma of your child is kept in proper control then your child too may live a life like any other normal kids of his age. Of course there are lots of precautions and care that goes with it. But still nowadays a nice action plan for asthma works well for many parents and their asthmatic children. Things have turned out to be much better these days with advance technology and rapid innovations in the various healthcare solutions in medical field.
Research shows that nowadays asthma has become prevalent in many kids as compared to older days. Out of every 10 children at least 1 child suffers from asthma and this is a very well known fact. There is hardly anything we can do about it. Nowadays we find many children visiting chest specialists for wheezing and breathlessness. Not every child with this symptom develops with asthma, but one can't ignore the fact that these symptoms are related to asthma, and though not every child suffers with asthma yet few do. The fact is the cases of asthma in children has increased considerably in past few years and if proper care and treatment is not given to a child then things may get worse for them. Early detection and treatment is utmost necessary to be provided to the child. Parents play an important role while helping out a child suffering from asthma. All a child needs from parents is care, love, comfort and support.
What exactly is asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition where the airways which carry air to the lungs get narrowed and thus create problem in breathing. The inner linings of these airways get swollen or inflamed resulting in smooth airflow obstruction.
Common symptoms of asthma
Common symptoms of asthma include:
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing (whistling sound while breathing)
- Coughing (with lot of mucus)
- Chest tighteningHow to recognize asthma in kids
Parents can look out for the following signs which may help them to recognize asthma:
- Constant coughing (usually at nights)
- Fast breathing
- Breathlessness
- Trouble sleeping
- Heavy breathing
- Wheezing (whistling sound while breathing)
- Tiredness or exhaustion in kids
Other than these, few other causes of asthma also include family history.
If your child shows any of the above symptoms don't jump on conclusions that he or she has asthma. These symptoms can also occur during severe chest congestions. But let the doctor decide for your child about what is gone wrong. So all you need to do is take advice from an medical expert for conclusions and treatments.Common triggers for asthma attacks
There are certain things which may trigger asthma in your child. This means that your child could get asthma due to certain things which he may be allergic to. Such things could be any of the following:
- Severe throat and cough infections which may trigger asthma in children.
- Several irritants which could trigger asthma in children such as air pollution, cold weather, sudden changes in the weather, smoke which could include some industry letting out smoke or even cigarette smoke.
- Animal hair or dander (could be your own pet hair like cat or dog)
- Dust
- Pollen
- Tobacco
- Over – exhaustion
- Over-exercising
- Chemicals present in readily packed foods.
- Mosquito repellents or mosquito mats
- Strong odors or deodorantsCommon questions which should be asked to the child's specialist
Once asthma is detected here are few questions which you should ask your specialist:
- What is triggering asthma in your kid?
- What to do to prevent the asthma symptoms?
- How to know whether the situation is worsening?
- What should be the treatment?
- What changes to be made in the regular diet?
- What to do if your kid suffers asthma attack?Asthma attacks
Asthma attack refers to a condition in asthmatics in which intensity of breathlessness increases resulting in severe exacerbation. Typical signs which can help recognize an asthma attack are severe shortness in breath, wheezing, anxiety, severe discomfort, solid tightness in chest and severe coughing. A patient with an asthma attack may find it difficult to breathe and if proper and immediate treatment is not provided the situation may get life threatening.
So this becomes very clear that asthma can actually be life threatening, but if proper care is taken one can definitely help their child to gain a good control over asthma. Here are few ways by which one can help their asthmatic child.Look out for the warning signs
Early detection in asthma is very important. Parents should look out for the early warning signs which may help them help their child. In fact children at the age group of 3 to 5 have major chances of developing asthma then older kids. If your child suffers constant cough and cold, then it's important to know why this happens to him regularly. If a parent ignores the early symptoms of their kids by considering them only related to common coughs and colds than things may go out of hand. Look out for the signs mentioned above which may help you recognize asthma in children. If these signs bother you and don't seem to be normal, don't hesitate to get an expert's opinion. Finally it's all about your child that you are worried about. When detected earlier, asthma can be kept in control by various medication courses and regularly monitoring.Try and help your child to stay away from the asthma triggers
Once that asthma has been detected and you have learned what triggers asthma in your child then try to keep your child away from that allergen. These triggers mostly vary from person to person and one needs to recognize what actually bothers your child.
There are certain things which are out of our hand, like construction work that goes on in neighborhood, pollution, pollens, etc but at least few other things which are in your hand can be taken care of. This is what you can do to take proper precaution:
- If it's your pet that bothers him, don't allow your pets in your child's bedroom. Try and avoid having pets in your house, if you are planning to have one.
- If it's the dust then try to keep the house clean and keep those dust mites away from your child as far as possible.
- If it's the tobacco that bothers him, then help him by keeping him away from tobacco and cigarette smoke.
- If your child is allergic to certain chemicals present in food, then see that he doesn't eat such foods. Give him home cooked meals that will ensure better health and improvement in your kid.
- Just try and help him with anything that is possible and in your hands. Treat your child's asthma
Once detected, the doctor prescribes exact medication for your child. There are two types of medication which are prescribed for patients with asthma. One is the anti-flammatory, which helps in preventing the swelling of the airways. Other is the use of bronchodilators which is one of the common medication prescribed to patients. Bronchodilators come handy whenever there are any breathing problems for your child. Always see that you keep bronchodilators in your house, if prescribed for your child. Keep few extras for emergency. Help your child to take medications regularly without fail. Make a proper action chart or plan for your child's asthma medication. Let the doctor decide the perfect medication for your child.Boost your child's self esteem
Don't let asthma take a toll on your child's brain. Children get scared when they come to known about their medical condition. Seeing their parent's concern and fear, they too get frighten. Parents need to boost their child's confidence in living life. Children should be encouraged to live life without any fears. But what parents can do is talk to their child clearly about the true facts and condition. Help them understand what asthma is and help them to fight it. Make clear to them the dos and don'ts and help them to understand what they should do if they fear any emergency. But at the same time, cheer them up and encourage them to participate in various activities and sports which can help them in asthma. Activities and sports like swimming, tennis etc may be supportive. Do take doctor's advice on what should be allowed to the kids to do when it comes to activities and sports. Help your child understand that asthma is not going to limit their life and they need to fight it with enthusiasm and positive attitude.
