[i3ai3ydanny]

I asked the nurse at the allergist/asthma doctor while on a call back the other day when he would be switched from RAD to asthma. The nurse said that they don't switch to asthma diagnosis until age 5 even though they will treat the child as an asthma patient if they have symptoms. Danny is one such patient. They diagnose asthma with a pulmonary function test which they won't do until age 5 so until then we are stuck with RAD which no one takes seriously. *sigh* life....

[JessP]

I thought they could do the test at age 3. At least that is what some of the other ladies have said and had done. Seems strange they would wait until age 5.

[i3ai3ydanny]

I thought so too. He goes in to see his allergy/asthma doctor...not the pa or another doc in the practice...in mid-April. I will ask him more specifically about their reasoning but until then, as long as they are treating him with asthma medications when he shows asthma symptoms I am fine with waiting for more testing. He has enough testing going on right now anyway...

[JessP]

I am sorry he has so much testing going on. I hope he is feeling better.

[Adriana's Mommy]

I'm sorry..

It took me 4 months for them to diagnose A.J with Asthma.. He was an infant at the time (symptoms started at 4 months). I had to jump through hoops,etc.. Not fun.. I'm sorry your going through all of this..

[i3ai3ydanny]

The breathing problems are being handled so the diagnosis would just be easier than to say RAD and then explain what that is. They are treating his breathing problems so this is actually not a bother to me right now. I just thought it was wierd....

[BusyMom4]

I was told they wont diagnose asthma until 2 years old because over 95% of kids under 2 with asthma-like symptoms will outgrow it by 2 years (Brandon was one who did.) Nyla was officially diagnosed at 23 months, even though we were told she probably had it for the first time when she was 11 weeks old.

For what its worth, asthma and reactive airway disease are the same thing. It just looks a bit different in their medical charts.

Nyla has never had a pulmonary function test, but her diagnosis of asthma still stands firm. Its obvious she has it. Even her pulmonoligist has not ordered a pulmonary function test. I think that is done when there is still a question about the diagnosis, or when the treatment doesnt seem to be working, or when there is a reason to test lung function but Im not really sure since we have not had to do one. I would assume different doctors have different guidelines they use for making a diagnosis. I have heard of kids as young as 6 months with an asthma diagnosis, but every doctor we have ever seen, including the pulmonologist would not make the diagnosis before 2 years old, so I guess different doctors, different opinions??

[i3ai3ydanny]

That is what I am assuming. It seems pretty obvious to me. Standard allergy meds weren't helping and he was on constant neb treatments and steroids 5 times in 2.5 months. After starting Advair he has only had one round of steroids and three weeks of neb treatments because of the flu. That is a HUGE difference just adding one medication. He has always been on singulair but that only helped a little. We'll just wait and see. Like you said, they don't really mean anything different I just get wierd looks from people when I say RAD and then explain that it is the same, just a different name. I used to say baby asthma because that is what they told me when he was 3 months old after he got croup but he isn't exactly a baby anymore.