When to take a child to the emergency room

This is one of those scary decisions as a parent of a child with asthma. I should know - my kids were in the hospital 12 times.

Can I tell you how much I hate pneumonia? And smoke from forest fires? Those caused all of my kid's hospitalizations.

So, when do you know if it's time to take a child to the emergency room?

Nemours Hospital, says you should watch for these Emergency Signs:

"Your child has constant wheezing

Your child uses quick relief medicines (also called rescue or fast-acting medicines) repeatedly for severe flare-up symptoms that don't go away after 15-20 minutes or return again quickly

Your child has a lasting cough that doesn't respond to inhaled quick-relief medicine

There are changes in your child's color, like bluish or gray lips and fingernails

Your child has trouble talking and can't speak in full sentences

The area below the ribs, between the ribs, and in the neck visibly pull in during inhalation (called retractions)"

If you see any of those in your child, Nemours Hospital says to: 

".....see your doctor immediately, go to the ER, or call an ambulance"

 

 

 

I try to be prepared for an emergency by having an Asthma Action Plan for each of my kids. 

 

This one is from American Lung Association 

  It has green (good), yellow (warning/caution), and red (emergency) zones. Your doctor should work with you to help decide what to do in each zone. 

 

Talk to your doctor to let him know what you need to do in your red (emergency) zone.

 

It may help avoid a hospitalization or death from asthma.  

Did you know that 10 people die every day from asthma?

I can't tell you how many stories I have heard about people dying from asthma. One of the times when my daughter Kitty was being discharged from the hospital, the nurse who was pushing Kitty's  wheelchair said her brother died from asthma. Her brother's wife was rushing him to the hospital to get help, but he died in the car.

I have heard another story about a woman who found her son on the front lawn of the house. He had been hangout out with his buddies, but they all went home. He had an asthma attack and couldn't get into the house to get his inhaler. They found him dead on the lawn.

I tell you these stories to get you to see how FAST asthma can go from bad to worse. You may think you can handle it at home, but that's why we have hospitals. 

A couple of times, when my son was in the hospital, they had the "crash cart" outside his room. They weren't sure THEY could keep him alive - even with all of their hospital equipment. 

PLEASE do not "wait it out" to see if your child gets better.

After one hospitalization, the respiratory therapist said, "Don't let your son sleep through the night. Many parents are relieved that their child is finally sleeping. But - their oxygen level can drop, and drop, and they will stop breathing." That scared me!

After that, when the kids were really sick, Hubby and I would take turns staying awake and checking the kid's oxygen levels with an oximeter. 

Oxygen levels aren't the only thing to watch out for. Some people with asthma are able to compensate, so they don't seem that sick. 

Watch for the symptoms above - DO NOT be fooled by a high level of oxygen.    

This article, "Let's Talk Pulse Oximetry" may help explain it.

Decide now what you will do if your child is having any emergency symptoms. It helps to make a plan ahead of time (best route to the hospital vs calling 911.)