Do you have a nebulizer for your kid?

[MNH2013]

We use one every few months. M had bronchiolitis once and sometimes get wheezing/phlegm buildup that makes her vomit. We use the nebulizer and a few medications. If her wheezing is really bad we use a steroid. The winter weather brought everything back after we had the machine away for two months. We just put it back.

[Deleted]

Yes. When J was really sick as a baby they prescribed albuterol. We haven't had to use it since that one week though.

[xokell2]

We have a neb. My oldest had pneumonia last year and was super wheezy and had a low oxygen level because of it. I tend to think of Nebs as supportive care to treat the symptoms, like cough medicine. The only over prescribing that's scares me (in kids anyways) is antibiotics.

[cinco]

Yes, we own our own. DD1 never needs it, but DS has asthma and DD2 frequently has breathing issues. I suspect she has asthma as well. Team sick kid(s) here

[lilac05]

Jan 6, 2015 7:15:45 GMT -5 6fsn said:

Jan 6, 2015 6:56:34 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

We have one for the same reason.  The doctor's office rented/loaned it to us & told us to keep it "at least a few months."  We used it a few times for each kid, but now it just sits in a corner.  

If it was a loaner please return it so others can use it. I had to buy one because my kid needed a treatment and they didn't have any loaners left in the office.

I'm sorry office didn't have any.  I'm doing what my doctor's office specifically told me to do.  Once kids have had bronchiolitis, they're at higher risk to get it again, especially that season.  They don't want to risk my kids getting it again & being stuck without one since the onset was so quick and breathing difficulty severe enough that we were nearly sent to the hospital straight from the doctor's office.  They specifically said, "keep it at least a few months...until flu season is over.  We don't want you to need it, not have it, and have to wait to get it."

[CloudBee]

Nope. He's showing no signs of asthma.

But I have one that I am instructed to use for a couple weeks out of each year, on average. My lungs do better with neb treatment vs. inhalers. Especially with steroids. The meds get deeper.

[6fsn]

Jan 6, 2015 8:41:08 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Jan 6, 2015 7:15:45 GMT -5 6fsn said:

If it was a loaner please return it so others can use it. I had to buy one because my kid needed a treatment and they didn't have any loaners left in the office.

I'm sorry office didn't have any.  I'm doing what my doctor's office specifically told me to do.  Once kids have had bronchiolitis, they're at higher risk to get it again, especially that season.  They don't want to risk my kids getting it again & being stuck without one since the onset was so quick and breathing difficulty severe enough that we were nearly sent to the hospital straight from the doctor's office.  They specifically said, "keep it at least a few months...until flu season is over.  We don't want you to need it, not have it, and have to wait to get it."

Sorry, I read into that you had it for years and it was just sitting there for no reason now.  I'm cranky today.

[mlt]

Yes, he has asthma.

[kdubs923]

Yes, although we already had the machine because DH has needed it, so the pedi just prescribed the bullets and gave us a (new) mask and tubing.

DS was prescribed a rescue inhaler (with the mask/spacer) when he was about 4 months old with bronchiolitis. He's only needed it occasionally since then. He ended up with a scary spell of heavy wheezing last month so now he's on a daily inhaler as well.

Poor kid got my crappy ears (EIs) and DH's crappy lungs.

[lilac05]

Jan 6, 2015 8:53:13 GMT -5 6fsn said:

Jan 6, 2015 8:41:08 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Sorry, I read into that you had it for years and it was just sitting there for no reason now.  I'm cranky today.

It's OK.  I'm cranky, too.  Bitter cold & snow never fails to make me cranky!  Plus, I can imagine how upset I'd be if I needed it & had to go scrambling to find one to purchase one because others were just hoarding them.  Breathing issues are scary, especially when they're so little they can't tell you what's going on 

[bearbaby]

Yes - and we give daily maintenance med treatments during the winter. (Pedi is hoping to switch to inhaler next winter when he's older). Last winter he was at the Pedis/at the hospital frequently for colds that turned into serious wheezing (that would last 5-7 days), and was diagnosed RAD. My husband has asthma (moderate) and my sister has SEVERE asthma.

With doing twice daily Budesonide (small dose) treatments this winter has been a total 180. We take him off in about March and then use as needed for illness (w/ Albuterol). We'll continue to reassess if he grows out of the RAD or gets a formal asthma diagnosis when he's older.

[dcrunnergirl52]

Yes, DD and DS1 had RSV at 4 months old, and we bought the nebulizer.

DS2 now has a chest cold, and we've been using the inhaler with the spacer. The pedi said the nebulizer is actually more effective but he HATES both the neb and inhaler, so we do the inhaler since it doesn't take as long.

[djc315]

No, we don't own one. We had to use one last winter, but just rented it from the pedi.

[boxerdog]

Yes, we just got one a few weeks ago. I agree they seem really common now, but I had childhood asthma so I am not surprised my kid needs one. It really does help.

[kershnic]

Jan 6, 2015 1:27:11 GMT -5 jena said:

Jan 5, 2015 23:24:23 GMT -5 kershnic said:

Yes. But my pediatrician sister keeps telling me the modern way is a regular inhaler with spacer and says I should insist my pedi prescribe that. Baby girl was a preemie with lung issues though so she is at higher risk for respiratory problems. I'm just hoping she outgrows it.

(Have it for one kid but not the other, though we'd obviously use the same machine if needed.)

Interesting. My pedi was shocked to learn that the "spacer" with the mask for the inhaler was a hell of a lot more than twice the cost of the cheapest nebulizer. That stupid the of plastic was about $120. The cheap nebulizer was $30, I think I paid $45 for the one we got (only because they were out of the other). So I'll take the old fashioned way, thanks!

Oh, and the mask and inhaler made my kids scream. They absolutely hate it even though it's short. But they love the nebulizer (of course I bribe them with TV or iPad time), it used to be a sure fire way to get the baby to sleep.

I only got the nebulizer because kid 3 had RSV. The others had to suffer the mask whenever they needed inhalers.

Huh that's interesting. I'm still expecting a nebulizer bill but haven't received it. My kid screams for 15 mins of neb treatment...I'd take the inhaler screaming.

[leonard131]

yeah we have one.  We got it when he was 3 months old and had RSV.  We also ended up using it last year when he got an upper repository infection. I assume we must likely need it once this year as well.  

[jessnpaul]

Yes, but my son was 8 weeks premature and prone to lung issues (although much better now that he's a little older). We actually already owned the nebulizer from DH but we would have had to buy one anyway for B had we not already had one!

[EJSDJ]

yes, DS needed it at 3y3m 3y7m and right now at 4y4m.

[jssymom14]

Jan 5, 2015 23:28:46 GMT -5 shellbear09 said:

Yep she got it around 7 months when she had croup. We were told to use it as needed.for the excessive cough or breathing problems. I do think it's pretty common. We did use it a couple times recently but that was the first time since last winter.

This is pretty much us as well.  We were given a prescription to fill as needed for excessive coughing last summer and it came in handy this weekend when we used the nebulizer a few days for the first time since summer.

[Brie]

Jan 6, 2015 12:18:37 GMT -5 @starry said:

I don't know what this is

Consider yourself lucky.  Respiratory problems suck.

[Deleted]

If it would stop DS from coughing forever, I'd welcome one so fast. It's never been prescribed, though.

[CrazyLucky]

Both DS and DD had frequent bronchiolitis when they were infants. We got the nebulizer with DS and used the same one for DD. They haven't used it in a while. As for whether they are over-prescribed, I have no idea. When your kid sounds like mine did and the doctor says, "Try this machine, it will help," you just try the machine.

[thebreakfastclub]

I have never heard of a nebulizer?

[h]

My oldest has had one since he had RSV at 4 months old. He has an inhaler with spacer now (no mask--he's 7), and generally just uses the rescue inhaler if he is struggling. But sometimes, especially if it's the middle of the night, he prefers to use the nebulizer. He has used it maybe twice this winter (both times during bad colds--viruses that are no big deal for my other kids can mean nasty respiratory issues for DS1). I am, obviously, fine with any approach that gets him calm and breathing again.

My younger two have never needed a breathing treatment.

[Ashley&Scott]

Nope.

[rootbeerfloat]

We have one. DD had RSV at 5 weeks old, and when he was younger, DS would typically get colds that went into his lungs. I also have asthma, so we were concerned that one or both of them would develop it as well, though so far neither has. They have transitioned to the inhaler on the rare occasion they need it now, but the nebulizer got a lot of use for a few years.

[mae141]

At DD's 12 month appointment she had a cold and the doctor said her lungs sounded bad so she had us do the nebulizer. DD did not like it, so the doctor prescribed the inhaler with the spacer instead. DD tolerated it much better, and we only used it 4 or 5 times before her cold was basically gone.

[wanderlustmom]

Jan 6, 2015 8:39:07 GMT -5 cinco said:

Yes, we own our own. DD1 never needs it, but DS has asthma and DD2 frequently has breathing issues. I suspect she has asthma as well. Team sick kid(s) here

You aren't alone.nine year old DS has asthma and needs nebulizer sometimes and daily Qvar (preventative inhaler) and seven year old DD has used it a few times.