Dealing with Childhood Asthma
1 in 11 people presently receives treatment for asthma in the UK. Out of this number, almost a quarter are children. Although it is a very prevalent disorder amongst children, getting diagnosed with a chronic disorder like asthma can be difficult for any child to deal with. It is also a challenge for the parent of the child who will now have to readjust their lives in order to assist the child and help them manage their asthma.
How well the parents and the child manage symptoms and triggers will have a direct influence on the activities the child will be able to enjoy. When dealt with properly, a child can partake in most things other children can without being held back. However, it requires a sound understanding, the necessary tools, and a commitment to managing the condition. Here are a few tips for dealing with your child’s asthma.
It All Starts with a Plan – And Sticking to It
Your GP should have provided you with a clear action plan, and you will have to look it over and follow it carefully if you want to avoid complications and know what the exact course of action should be at every stage. These should be a clear set of directions to help reduce the child’s exposure to triggers, details of what should be done between flare-ups, and information to help you recognise them quickly to prevent them from worsening. Internalising this plan will allow you to treat your child properly, and also know when it’s time to get emergency care.
Make Sure Everyone Involved with Your Child Knows It Too
Everybody who will be dealing with your child on a regular basis and who is close to your child will also have to be well informed about the medicine your child needs to take and how it should be administered. You should also ensure that you and everyone around your child understand which inhaler to use depending on the situation. Usually, the child will be prescribed two forms of medicine. One will be a preventer inhaler which should be used on a daily basis in order to prevent symptoms, and the other a reliever inhaler that will be used to treat acute symptoms. If at any time you are unclear about any medication and in which settings they should be used, we strongly suggest you book an appointment with your child’s asthma nurse or GP. You can also talk with your pharmacist as they will have an in-depth knowledge of most treatments and how they work.
Know Your Child’s Medicine
Not only should you know your action plan inside and out, but you should always be on the lookout for new treatments. This could reduce the number of times your child will need emergency care, especially for severe forms like eosinophilic asthma, for instance.
Oral corticosteroids are often used to treat exacerbations, but can sometimes be inefficient, in which cases the child will have to seek immediate care. New research shows that Mepolizumab, a monoclonal antibody that binds to the protein IL5, was successfully able to inhibit the production of
eosinophils – one of the main reasons for inflammation. It is worth staying up to date with potential new treatments, and even making suggestions to your primary care provider if you think a specific treatment could be suited to your child.
Get Your Child to Adopt a Routine
Using the preventer medicine has to be ingrained in your child and programmed into their everyday routine. In order to keep on schedule, they have to make it a habit to take preventative medicine every day, at the same time.
If you want to facilitate this, one of the things you can do is make sure that they always take their medicine right after they brush their teeth in the morning, and after they brush their teeth at night. If you want to make sure they will remember, you could do something like adding a sticker on their bedside lamp or toothbrush.
It is also important that you know how the medicine should be taken and to keep a close eye on them when they’re administering it. Another thing you should do to make sure that they always have their medicine on hand is keeping a spare spacer and inhaler everywhere they’ll be visiting frequently. For instance, you should make sure that they always keep a spare spacer and inhaler at school, at their grandparents’ house, and their other parent’s house if you’re separated.
Make Sure to Never Leave the House without their Medication
You also have the responsibility to always have their spacer and reliever inhaler wherever you go. Always make sure that you double-check if you have it with you before you step out the door. Another thing you could do is set up a reminder alarm every time you leave, or put up a sticker note above the key hook or on the inside of the front door to remind you.
If your child is older and will be away from you for a prolonged period, make sure that you check with them before they leave that they have their medicine with them. Another trick some parents use is making sure that their child’s medicine is in a special bag that the child likes, like one decorated with the image of their favourite superhero, for instance. This way, it will help remind them to always bring it with them everywhere they go.
Conclusion
Managing your child’s asthma takes a concerted effort between you, your child, and the people around them. But it should start with the primary caregiver first and foremost. Ultimately, the brunt of the responsibility will rest on your shoulders, so make sure that you are thoroughly informed about your child’s condition, and know which steps need to be taken to manage it.
*This is a collaborative post
