Asthma Treatment – How The Experts Keep A Written Record To Better Manage Their Asthma
it will help your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis if you keep a written record of when your child felt wheezy or was coughing or short of breath. If you keep a detailed record of her symptoms over a period of time, you and the doctor will be able to build up a pattern on order to establish what triggers the attacks. Note exactly what her symptoms were, what time they occurred, how severe they were and how long they lasted. It is also worth jotting down what your child was doing when the symptoms occurred, perhaps after running outside or while asleep at night, and what she has been eating. At this stage, make your notes too full rather than too brief as your doctor will appreciate as much information about your child as possible. A persistent cough at night or after exercise is one of the most common indicators of asthma. A family history of atopic conditions, such as hayfever or eczema, should alert you the possibility of asthma in your child. Never ignore your child’s persistent cough or wheezing in the hope that it will go away on its own. Some illness can be mistaken for asthma, especially in very young children. These include: - Whooping cough, less common nowadays due to vaccination. Symptoms are severe coughing, vomiting, breathlessness, nose bleeds and a high temperature. - Cystic fibrosis – a genetic condition in which the lungs produce too much mucus, which leads to recurrent chest infections. - Croup – infection which comes from a cold and affects the larynx or voice box. A barking cough and breathlessness follow. Once a doctor has a baseline reading of the peak flow meter, he will ask you to monitor your child’s peak flow at home and keep a record of it so that he can compare it after your child has been taking asthma medication. If your child’s peak flow improves when she receives medication and her symptoms disappear, a diagnosis of asthma is likely.
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