Video Q&A about Pediatric Lung Problems

How do I tell if my 9 month old has Asthma? I feel like his chronic cough and wheeze is more than just Reflux. He has been coughing since birth. Also has been on Nexium for about 3 months. And our doctor wants him on it long term. I am not sure I agree with that.

Hi @pfists @jenblalock @barbie46y @g3smith60 @kaystrand @irene5

I’d like to invite you to join us on Thursday, October 5 at 11 a.m. CT for a video Q&A with Dr. Angela Mattke, pediatrician, Dr. Julie Baughn, pediatric pulmonologist, and Dr. Paul Boesch, pediatric pulmonologist, to discuss common pediatric lung problems.
Simply click View & Reply in the email notification to see all the details.

Drs. Mattke, Baughn, and Boesch will answer questions live. Post a question below before or during the event. You can participate in the Video Q&A on Connect by returning to this page, and the video will be shown at the top of the page.

My 16 year old was hit by a car 6 months ago. She was on life support for abt 2 weeks and spent 8 weeks under medical care. She sustained broken bones head to toe. She had aspirated and developed ARDS and also had pulmonary contusion and had both lungs collapse while on vent. She is a miracle and is back at school part time 4 months later. She still needs some surgeries for fractures in her ears and she lost all her top front teeth. All other broken femur and arm and skull fracture and facial fractures have healed. She is a miracle. However her lung recovery is something we can't quit figure out. Pulmonologist says her last X-ray looks 100% normal. A pulmonary stress test does show pulmonary issues. She was in great physical shape and trained 6 days a week for her sport which was basketball year round since 5th grade. Her physical condition is one of the reason she survived. It's is now six months after the accIdent and she can lift weights and train but nothing with conditioning or she has no oxygen reserves. Finding research on teenagers recovery with ARDS is almost non existent. She was improving at a steady rate and was able to do more and more. Started to basketball train again but has hit a wall and plateau for abt 2 months with no visible gains. Still can easily get out of breath. Though to someone who wouldn't know her you couldn't tell. Is leveling off normal? And should we see improvement again? Since she is young will she heal over time? No significant cough, no bringing up phlegm, just shortness of breath when she tries to do too much. She weight trains for an hour 2x per week. Her oxygen level always stays in 90s. When we push to hard and try some conditioning it sometimes will drop high 80s but recoveries within seconds after she stops. Within seconds (like 15) she is fully recovered w heart rate and oxygen back in mid to high 90s. Is that a positive sign? Or could she have long term irreversible damage. Accident was 6 months ago. In rehab she would get out off breath sitting up in bed and trying to stand to go to bathroom. She wasn't able to walk down hallway very far without wheelchair behind her. Now she can hit layups and shot 3s and take stairs easily. So we have seen great improvements should we expect more. Pulmonologist didn't want to do scan yet because she has been exposed to so much radiation as long as she was improving he felt we were heading in right direction. Sending us to Children's Hospital in Rochester Ny (Strong) for help. Since it is a miracle she survived such injuries (car was going 40mph) she was walking our dog and she recovered at a rate that astonished the medical community it is hard to find research or baseline information on recovery. That is what our pulmonologist is struggling with. There are not many survivors like my daughter. I read you still produce new alveoli sacs until you are 25 yrs old. Is six months still early in her recovery to totally figure it all out since she is young.

@bassman- I can't imagine the strength that it has taken to see your daughter go through all of this, and her strength through all the pain and treatments and surgeries. You are an inspiration. After I had Proton radiation for lung cancer my lungs became extremely inflamed. My doctor told me that I couldn't do a lot of exercises.

"When lung tissues are inflamed, the airways narrow and fill with mucus. This reduces oxygen intake during inhalation and carbon dioxide output during exhalation.
Normally, the diaphragm does most of the work required to fill and empty the lungs. It does this passively, exchanging air mixed with oxygen and gasses, in the space between it and lung tissues.
Over time, inflamed lung tissues become less flexible and do not return to their full form during exhalation, leaving behind stale air. The more stale air in this space, the less room there is for the diaphragm to contract and let in new air.
This increases the amount of work the lungs must do to maintain oxygen levels, making breathing more challenging.
If the lungs are compromised in any way, they may not be able to cope with the increased oxygen demand for physical exertion.
However, this depends on the extent of the narrowing and mucus content, which is why conditions, such as bronchitis, affect this process." Medical News Today
I'm not a doctor so I can't answer about recovery. It sounds as if your daughter has already recovered in a miraculous way. She needs to heal and not push herself too hard. Encourage her not to be impatient.
I expect that you will continue to see improvement after she heals from further treatments. As far as her lungs are concerned I think that her healing will be determined by the amount of scar tissue she will have and also if the can get the lettuce removed. Her shortness of breath is understandable and will take a while to come back. There is no rushing this and if she pushes too hard she can potentially set herself back or cause more harm.
I know as teenagers school and sports is more important than anything but right now letting her heal and having her understand this should be number 1.
I know that I didn't answer with any certainty because with children, healing can be incredible.

I am So sorry. I hope she is doing well now. Many respects.