Asthma Monitoring
The easiest way to monitor how well your child's asthma is being treated is to see if he is having any symptoms. If your child is not coughing or having trouble breathing and is rarely using a reliever medicine, then he is likely under very good control. If he frequently has a cough, especially at night or with activities, or if he is using a reliever medicine on a daily or even weekly basis, then is asthma is probably under poor control.Peak flows can help you monitor your child's asthma once he is 5-6 years old. A peak flow meter is a small device that your child blows into and based on the number he gets, it can sometimes help you know if he is having trouble with his asthma or if he is under good control.
Pulmonary function tests are another tool that can help to determine how well your child's asthma is under control, but can usually only be done in the office of an allergist or pulmonologist. Most Pediatricians do not do this test in their office.
Asthma Treatment Plans
A treatment or action plan is a handy reference that your doctor should provide you with to help you know which medicines you should be using at different times. An asthma treatment plan usually outlines your child's daily medications and which ones to take when his peak flows are dropping or he is developing asthma symptoms.Asthma Education
If your child's asthma is poorly controlled or if you still do not understand how to best manage his asthma, a referral to a Pediatric Pulmonologist might be helpful. You might also look into taking an asthma education class if they are available in your area. There are also many helpful books, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Allergy and Asthma, and websites that can help you learn more about asthma.Among the basic things about asthma that you should know include:
- What medications you should be giving your child and when to use them. Having an asthma treatment plan can help you understand what you need to do.
- How to manage an asthma attack.
- How to use a nebulizer (if you have one) and/or a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with or without a spacer.
- How to use a peak flow meter and how to interpret the results.
- How to prevent your child from having an asthma attack, including understanding the proper use of preventative medications and avoiding triggers.
Uncontrolled Asthma
What do you do if your child's asthma is not under good control? Learning more about asthma is a good start, but you will likely need a follow-up visit with your doctor or get a referral to a specialist for more help. One big reason for a child's asthma to be under poor control is because he is not taking his medications or he is not taking them correctly. Bringing all of his medications to your next office visit and demonstrating how he uses them can help your Pediatrician decide if he is using them properly.You might also consider that your child has allergies, especially if he also has a stuffy or runny nose when he gets his asthma problems. Many kids with allergies also have asthma, and uncontrolled or untreated allergies can make it difficult to effectively treat a child's asthma. Allergy testing might also be helpful if you can't figure out what triggers your child's asthma.
Gastroesophageal reflux can also complicate and trigger asthma in some children, even in those that don't obviously spit up.
