Nebulizer help

[Suzi]

We had to do them four times a day starting when my ds was 1 so we had to do them when he was awake. He didn't fight too long at all, he felt so terrible a lot of the time that he could tell it made him feel better. neb times were the only times he got to watch particular movies that he loved. Our neb treatments started when ds2 was 1 week old so neb treatments was also a special time for us to cuddle.

We had to do a mask since you get more of the medicine. When I got a soft fishy mask it was much better than the mask I got from the hospital. If the mask is on pretty snug they can do all sorts of things while it is in.

Ds also liked to turn it off and on, to be in charge of it. Once I got the time it took down I got a timer to help him see what was left (it was a sand timer)

[luvsviola]

I also have found that the disposable neb cups from my ped go fast than the ones that came with my machine. We've been using the "disposable" cups for 6 months...

[escapethevillage]

I have a daycare girl with one. We don't use the mask, she sits in her carseat with a blanket over the top and put it under her face while the plays with toys that I don't normally let her have. I act like I don't even know she has it. She's pretty impressed with a box of macaroni and cheese these days.

[jnei]

Thanks ladies. I guess I'm gonna have to put my big mom panties on and listen to her cry. *sad face*

[kim-RT]

I'm a respiratory therapist at a children's hospital. Depending on the type of medication, I would ask to have it delivered as an inhaler (puffs) with a spacer. You are done after the 4 or 8 puffs. Plus they get more of the medication with a spacer. It does get better though. I deal with the screaming all the time. Toys or bubbles are a great distraction.

[senorajkids]

Originally Posted by kim-RT I'm a respiratory therapist at a children's hospital. Depending on the type of medication, I would ask to have it delivered as an inhaler (puffs) with a spacer. You are done after the 4 or 8 puffs. Plus they get more of the medication with a spacer. It does get better though. I deal with the screaming all the time. Toys or bubbles are a great distraction.

We still use our aero chamber 9 yrs later. That was a great invention. All Children's Hospital in Fl gave us ours.

[jnei]

Originally Posted by kim-RT I'm a respiratory therapist at a children's hospital. Depending on the type of medication, I would ask to have it delivered as an inhaler (puffs) with a spacer. You are done after the 4 or 8 puffs. Plus they get more of the medication with a spacer. It does get better though. I deal with the screaming all the time. Toys or bubbles are a great distraction.

It's albuterol. Isn't she too young for an inhaler?

[senorajkids]

[/Quote]It's albuterol. Isn't she too young for an inhaler?[/QUOTE]

The inhaler fits in a rubber piece on the end of a tube. There is a mask at the other end. You place the mask, squeeze the inhaler and count to two or three. All done!

My Dd was sensitive to the albuterol and they gave her a purified version that caused less jitters called xopenex. I don't know if it wires your lo but if it does maybe ask the doctor about xopenex.

[hpfgirl]

When DS was little and we had to do it, I ditched the mask and used the mouthpiece. I would just hold it near his mouth and nose while he chewed on it or sucked his binky. Once I read the packaging and saw it was an adult dose, I had no problem wondering if he was getting enough.

I would cradle him in my arms and make sure he was calm before we started. It was always just me and him in his room with the lights down.

The first time, I had to sit cross-legged on the floor and restrain him. I would turn the machine off and nurse or sooth if he got frantic, but I wouldn't quit. Once he figured out there was no getting out of it, he was a little more cooperative. When the medicine got into him and he could breath, he just fell asleep.

[kimb96]

It will get easier. When ds was hospitalized for rsv, it took two of us to hold him down in the ER to get the treatment. He was hysterical. Then when we got upstairs to his hospital room, the respiratory therapist held him in his arms and sang to him with the mask over his face. It really helped to calm ds and he has been very good about the nebulizer ever since. Bind her in a blanket if you have to and talk or sing quietly to her while holding the mask over her face. If you are calm and comforting, she will eventually get the idea that the mask is not that bad.