Comments on: Reactive Airway Disease SUCKS!

By: Jemma

Jemma — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:26:40 +0000

Hi there,

My son had RAD. I put him on a dairy, egg, and gluten free diet. Gave him 50 mg B6 (once a day) and 1 tsp of Natural Calm which is a magnesium carbonate supplement (twice a day). Basically remove the food that he is allergic to and check his vitamin levels. A deficiency in B vitamins, combined with food and environmental allergies and the virus from the cold all work together to make RAD worse.

You might want to check which foods he is allergic to by doing a blood test, not the skin test (that doesn’t always show allergies or sensitivities). Also do an environmental test for dust mites, pets, and the trees and grasses in your specific region.

My son is extremely allergic to dust mites and that makes things harder on his respiratory tract. Dairy is also known to cause extra mucus production in kids who are allergic or sensitive to it.

By: LaLaLaura

LaLaLaura — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:31:53 +0000

This is why I love having a blog! I love getting all this information from other mamas, and realizing we’re not alone in this!

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:05:51 +0000

Sandy, I wouldnt listen to it would happen. I would go to a pulmonologist asap and get your child on meds. Singulair and daily pulmicort treatments helped my daughter. She hasnt had an attack in 14 months and she also has h1n1.. She went through that like it was nothing. There are answers you just have to find the right drs. Never except an answer like it happens!!! These are your children no one wants to live their lives counting breaths and worrying…. Good luck

By: momsey

momsey — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:37:49 +0000

Found your blog when searching for information about RAD. My 17 month old son was just diagnosed with it a couple of days ago, and the doctor gave us very little info on it. (Of course, as soon as the doc left, I thought of a million questions I should have asked.) From my reading, I’m getting more and more annoyed at the fact that this is really a non-diagnosis! It doesn’t mean anything! A lot of doctors feel that the term should be abandoned altogether. A little frustrating, since my son has been wheezing for a week and a half and I still don’t really know what’s going on. *sigh*

A Wright – the pulmonologist my son saw recommended he get the H1N1 vaccine, so apparently having a diagnosis of RAD doesn’t preclude you from getting the shot.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:20:00 +0000

I found this website while search for information on RAD. My son was diagnosed in March. He had no other problems until the cold season started, and just came home two days ago from his second ER visit in two months. This time they kept him overnight for observation and gave us some more info. When he has the attacks they give him an albuterol inhaler with no refill and steroids for five days. Up until his release they gave us no info on trying to prevent these attacks from happening, I was just told that it will happen. I read some other sites, along with this blog and feel armed to go in to talk to his doctor tomorrow. Thank you so much to all of you for sharing your stories and helping families like ours seek out solutions other than ER visits.

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:04:51 +0000

He can def get the vaccine but only the injection not the mist. My 3 year old has asthma from RAD and just got over H1N1 and to be hinest wasnt that bad.. She never got bad at all. Good luck

By: A Wright

A Wright — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:32:52 +0000

Anmar, same with my son – he would cough so much he would vomit. Thank goodness at the time I worked nights, because he was sent home from school so often (even 12 days one month!) that I definitely would have lost my job. we live in SW FLorida and same time every year (Nov) it comes until about May. Singulair is the only thing that not only wokred for him but kept him sane. He’s also on Pumitcort, though that makes him a bit jumpy. We took himoff Albuterol because he turned into a hyperactive screaming child. Laura, thank yo so much for this post! Does anyone happen to know if RAD “disqualifies” him from the H1N1 vaccine? I know children with asthma aren’t supposed to…. Anyone else thinking about this??? Thanks, Amber

By: Anmar Oueja

Anmar Oueja — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:17:07 +0000

We have a 5 years old who used to cough until she vomited. That was a year or so ago. Now she starts coughing at night and it sounds like she is coughing some phlegm out.

We use STODAL to control her cough in the winter months. This medicine is natural with no side effects and does help her manage and get some much needed sleep. We try and go vicks vapour rub whenever we can.

By: Billi

Billi — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:43:02 +0000

I have a six year old who has asthma and has since he was a baby. He has been hospitalized on several occasions over the years with his asthma. I learned the hard way when an er doctor gave him a prescription for cough medicine with codeine. He ended up in the hospital the next morning almost unable to breath. When his pediatric pulmonologist found out he was furious. Children with asthma are never to be given prescription or over the counter cough medicine as they exaccerbate their symptoms. Coughing is the way that asthmatics are able to keep themselves oxygenated. I also have an eight year old daughter with RAD. I know using preventive inhalers and nebulized solutions like pulmicort can really be a pain but in my experince it is the best way to keep them healthy and breathing. We do flovent twice a day and singulair with Claritn or Zyrtec(during the allergy season). Please ask an experinced pediatrician or pulmonologist for their opinion on using cough suppresants with asthmatics and those with RAD, but in my opinion I would steer clear of them. Good luck.

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:29:42 +0000

singulair only worked with me when consistantly giving it to my daughter right before bed. Nebs work wonders for her once again if persistant and consistant. He probably is congested and vomitting mucus cause all that mucus in their stomach can cause and upset stomach. My baby is that way with throwing up it could be a reflux issue. My son is 7 and still vomits when upset or too hot and it was diagnosed as reflux from birth. I would def recommend the pulminlogist. Goo luck..