While I live with controlled asthma, sometimes things are not so controlled when you have 3 kids that all seem to have different asthmatic triggers. I never know what the day is going to hold and when I am hit out of left field with a call from one of the kids schools that they have had an asthma attack I can then tell you how my day is gonna roll. Over the last 4 years I have come to the conclusion that my children, until the ages of 12 and Under are best served with the use of a nebulizer, rather than a spacer, and their meds, for the delivery of their asthmatic treatment medications. I have found that the medicine delivers better than the spacer and the inhalers themselves, at least for my kids 12 and under. e
What is a nebulizer? These are small compressors that carry air through a tube and forces the liquid meds(asthma treatments) through a face mask in the form of real light spray. While the mask is on the face it is then inhaled into the lungs and nose, which is where the medicine must travel in order to be effective.
Why use a medicine if you are not going to be able to get it it? When my children are having really bad asthma attacks and loads of coughing, it is nearly impossible for them to suck in, suck out and gather enough breathe, and deep enough to inhale their meds through the spacer or the inhaler, making it wasted medicine and of course there is no effect on how they feel. I prefer to let the medicine penetrate where it needs to in order to really help the kids out.
We have tried over and over to use the nebulizer versus the inhaler and we have found a great difference in delivery and the end result a child that receives their medicine feel better more quickly. We generally use the nebulizer for the first few days, and once the kids are feeling able, we begin to use the straight inhaled medicine or the spacer.
*This is not a paid post, this is me sharing information, based on my knowledge of living with asthma and three children living with severe, controlled asthma *** I am not a Dr., and as with any medical problems, please check with your PCP and do not self-medicate.
I have been around a child having an asthma attack and it is very frightening. I could only imagine if his parents weren’t prepared. It is great that these portable options are available. I would certainly have one for my kids if they needed it.