Surviving 10 minutes of hell

Are you like us who struggle when using a nebulizer with a sick child? My son's been sick for the past days - a bad cold plus weeks of coughing. His pediatrician heard some wheezing during his lung checkup and my kid is now being monitored for asthma. Hayy... i hope everything clears up.

Anyway, his doctor prescribed medicine that should be given through a nebulizer at home. The nebulizer turns medicine, especially those for asthma, into mist so it goes easier into the lungs. The solution for his age and weight totals to 2 ml (1ml salbutamol diluted in 1 ml saline solution). This takes about 10 to 15 minutes to consume on the nebulizer. That means he has to hold still for that period. And it's been hell for all of us. He would cry during the entire period. Husband and i get into each other's nerves as we try to restrain the crying child. It was a total nightmare, considering that we had to nebulize every four hours.



The nebulizer has an air compressor, which is quite loud and my son's really terrified by the sound it makes. Once we turn on the pump, he'd start to cry. He's uncomfortable with a mask covering his mouth and nose so that's a cause for crying too. Husband and i both think he's traumatized with bad nebulizer memories when he was hospitalized late last year.

Hayyyy. I tell you, during the first few days we were really struggling. Thankfully it got better. We still struggle but there's less crying now.

Here are some ways to make every nebulizing session easier.

Get the right gear

For younger children, use a small mask. Our nebulizer comes with a standard adult-sized face mask and a mouth piece. He's still too young to keep the mouthpiece in his mouth. An adult mask will almost cover his entire face and that will surely agitate him. The hubby bought a small mask from Mercury Drug. This is a perfect fit as it covers just his mouth and nose. A close fitting face mask will deliver the medicine better.

Find a suitable position

Have your child sit on a chair or on your lap during each session. We tried both but we found the position below better. I hold him facing away from me, i get to hold his chin in place. The husband puts the mask over his nose and mouth. We keep his hands away from the nebulizer cup as he tries to reach for cup and throw it away. Also try to keep the tubing connected to the nebulizer cup, away from your child's reach.

[caption id="attachment_3251" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yes, nebulizing is a two-man job for us! whew![/caption]

Distract, distract, distract

Before every session, setup your tv or laptop so he can watch his favorite videos. My biggest thanks to Cars 2, which keeps my son occupied during the first 5 minutes of nebulizing. The videos create "white noise" which can drown out sound coming from the compressor.

Familiarize

To make your child appreciate the nebulizer, let him play with it. Explain what each part is for. Better still, demonstrate. We put on the mask just to show him it's ok to put it on his face.

I found WebMD's tips on using the nebulizer on your child very helpful. If you need to use a nebuliser and you find it such an ordeal, then you should know that it's bound to get better.

Hay... i long for the day when he's old enough to properly use the nebulizer. Oh no, slash that! I long for the day when he will no longer need to use the nebulizer.

Keep safe everybody!

Also worth reading:

• Lesson learned after my baby got sick


• Nice-to-have items for your medicine kit