Nebulizer help

[Anonymous]

Alex had her 15 month “well” baby check up today. She has had what we thought was a cold for a week, and she was running a fever yesterday. But, we really didn’t think it was a big deal because she and Kaelyn have been giving a stomach bug back and forth to each other for over a month. But… at the doctor’s appointment, it turns out that she has a sinus infection that has triggered an asthmatic episode, and she could easily have gone into bronchitis. Yuk!

So, my questions are…

Have any of you done nebulizer treatments on infants/toddlers? How on earth do you manage to keep them still and keep the mask even close to their face?

Also, does the albuterol make they hyper? We did Alex’s last treatment over an hour ago and she’s been nutty ever since. This, from a child that is almost always in bed by 8. We’ve tried putting her down twice and she’s broken into hysterics that triggered major coughing bouts. Very unusual behavior for her.

Last one, how long does it usually take them to feel better?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

when Kendra had Bronchilitis (sp?), and we neded to use the neb she did not like the mask on her face at all. we use just the tube part and held close to her nose/mouth. Unfortunately, forcing them to stay still is inevitable. does she like to wacth cartoons or a kid movie?

I don’t remember Kendra being hyper, but she was younger than Alex at the time.

Kendra started to feel better after her third treatment. I hope she feels better soon.

[Anonymous]

Albuterol does make you hyper actually very jittery and shakey. That’s probably why she is refusing to go to bed. For both of the girls we did the mask but they were dinosaur and fish patterns to help make them wear them, you can also just use a marker and make a face on the mask. I typically did the treatments infront of the TV with Elmo on so they were distracted by the tv or like Leo said just use the mouth piece and hold it as close as you can to their mouths/nose. Usually after 1 or 2 treatments she will notice a difference and might even stay still for the following treatments. The girls always seem to fight really bad the first treatment, but by the third they actually put the mask on and sit very still for it, since it seems to open their airways and they know it makes them feel better.

[Anonymous]

Ditto on how Leo did the treatments. I don’t use the mask b/c it makes Landen hysterical. I just put the tube directly in front of his nose/mouth and let the mist get into him that way.

I have noticed he’s been really hard to settle down and hasn’t slept a wink day or night since his treatments, so I’m willing to bet it does make them hyper. I *think* it is steroid treatment and I remember Kaden being hyper when he was on prednisone for croup once.

I wish I knew how long it took to make them feel better. We are dealing with RSV. I hope Alex is feeling better soon.

[Anonymous]

WE used a spacer with Alana…we let her play with it without the meds….she loved the noise made by sucking in and out…and this made giving her the meds easier. A spacer is a long culinder with a hole at one end to put the meds in and a hole at the other to suck through…not sure if this is how it works in US.

[Anonymous]

We held it close to their faces, but not the acutal mask. We did movies or Sesame Street to try to distract. Also, can you ask the Dr. if you can give a dose of Benadryl with it, to help with the jitters, and maybe help calm her down?

Hope she is feeling better soon!!!!

Ann Marie

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the ideas! She has absolutely no interest in TV yet. Most of the time, I’m really happy about it. It’s kind of a pain right now though. I’ve been holding the mask close to her face, but not forcing it right on her. It goes a little better that way. Dh is very insistent that it will only work if the mask is on correctly, so it’s a much bigger battle when he’s around. She was a lot better today, but she’s definitely still wheezing and coughing. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better. Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

As sad as this is, too, if she is crying, she is probably taking deeper breaths and getting more of the med. Not that you want her to cry through the treatment, but if she is upset, hang in there as she is still getting some of what she needs. Yes, on the face is ideal, but she is still getting some this way.

Hope she feels better soon!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Kim,

I’m not sure how much longer you are going to be doing treatments, but the albuterol made Landen soo jittery, that our ped put him on levalbuterol called Xopenex (pronounced Zow-penex) (same thing, less side effects) it is a newer drug and it is more expensive through the pharm, but they hooked me up with a bunch of samples. You could call and ask. he’s done MUCH better on these!! In fact, he’s even wheezing less. Just thought I’d pass it along.

jilly782007-09-13 14:51:34

[Anonymous]

We also used Xopenex for Carson. With Carson on albuterol, his heart rate got so rapid that it was scaaaary, so we switched to Xopanex and all was better. The Xopanex would be better with the hyperactivity also. Of course, there are always draw backs………. Xopanex is new on the market and we have a 3 tier system for copays ($10,$35$50) and our Xopanex was $50 so make sure the doc gives you a large script so you don’t have to go back right away for more!

We always see results within a day or two at least, so I hope she is doing better!

[Anonymous]

Hi – we have also used a nebulizer, and we did NOT use the mask – just held the tube close to her face.

Also, the albuterol did NOT make hyper (Yay!), but it does for many children, and we were warned that it might.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Thanks again everyone. This morning’s treatment went really well. She sat still for almost the whole time. Every other time today has been an absolute nightmare. By the time we’re done she’s bright red and soaked in sweat from fighting it the whole time. I think that she’s wheezing a little bit less, but she actually sounds worse (we’re hoping that’s just the congestion from the sinus infection finally starting to break up).

I’ll keep the Xoponex in mind. Maybe she’d fight it less if it didn’t make her so jittery.

School started last Tuesday and the girls have only been to day care once (the first day of school). Dh and I are going to go through all of our sick days before the year even starts!

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