General Chat

Some of you shared my joy just four weeks age when my best friend Susan gave birth to twin boys. Well, one of them, Alfie, has bronchiolitis (though they haven't ruled out pneumonia) and is in hospital. I'm told it is not uncommon, but I'm still scared to death, although my friend had been texting me and sounds reasonably upbeat. We were only with them last night, and Alfie had a slight cough...within 4 hours he is in hospital. I'll be saying some extra prayers tonight!!

Poor little fella. I'm sure he will be OK. Jo XXX

Prayers from Herts too. I was born with bronch:....I suffered for years with it in the 50s....but Im 55 now and still kicking!

At least Alfie's in the right place though. Best place to be in those circumstances, though not very nice for the parents. Hugs for the family Glenys x

An extra prayer for a extra spacial little boy Debs.

poor wee fellow - but he is in the best place and will be home soon with his brother hugs to the whole family

Shall be thinking of little Alfie Suzy, and wishing him well.

My twins and then my youngest son all suffered from this, when they was small. My twins were also fine one night then the next night admitted as emergency cases. My twins were admitted on new years eve, I can clearly recall the the midnight bells, as we sat waiting to be transfered to the ward!!!! The twins spent 5 nights in hospital, befoer release, which i thought was rather quick esp as one of them had to be give oxygen to help him breathe!!!!!. When the twins suffered i thought iw as alone and was madly woried but by the time Ben got it three yrs later, i had heard so many mums talk about it. And also with Ben i noticed the syptoms much sooner. The twins are in the best place, i just hope Mum is resting too. I suffered terribly fromlack of sleep as the boys wouldn't settle and when they did the nurse woke them to do their stats!!!!!!! all my love to the family

Thank you all for your kind words. Will pass them on to my friend. God bless!

My brother was born with asthma and hade bronchitis and pneumonia as a baby he is now in his 60's I beat pneumonia myself a few years ago... say a prayer like the rest of us will be doing and the little one will pull through...God bless...malc

My grandson had Broncolitis just after he was born he was in hospital for a week Now he is a lively lad plays football and in the mrning the 1st December he will be 8 yrs Old Bren

Thanks Malc and Bren. I really appreciate your words. Hope I can sleep now, and not have nightmares!

Suzy I will pray for the wee fella tonight - my thoughts are with you and his parents. I'm sure he will be just fine. Anne

It's bloody horrible (or can be) and you and the little one have my sympathies. It's very treatable though, just unpleasant. Was he premature by any chance ? Prem babies are more prone to bronchiolitis.

Hi Paul NO! He is a twin, 4 weeks old, born at 38weeks and weighed 8lb 4oz (may be one of the biggest twins in the South East). Just goes to show..

Part of the problem is that the RSV (?) virus that causes Bronchiolitis is very virulent... and most childrens wards just don't have the facilities to segregate properly. My little boy went in for one thing, came home a few days later, and then went down with bronchiolitis and had to be readmitted. he was 6 months old and very small at the time (very premature). Very worrying time. But he got better, they looked after him well.

Is it contageous then Paul? I am thinking of his twin brother who is in the hospital with him.

I'm pretty sure it is, but I'd be astounded if the nursing staff didn't know that and have it in hand !! As I say, in the first hospital Ben was in, they didn't segregate the Bronchiolitis patients, in a second one they did....

Found this for you Bronchiolitis is a common illness of the respiratory tract caused by a respiratory infection that affects the tiny airways, called the bronchioles, that lead to the lungs. As these airways become inflamed, they swell and fill with mucus, making it difficult for a child to breathe. The illness affects infants and young children most often because their small airways can become blocked more easily than those of older children or adults. Bronchiolitis typically occurs during the first 2 years of life, with the peak occurrence at about 3 to 6 months of age. It's more common in males, children who have not been breastfed, and children who live in crowded conditions. Day-care attendance and exposure to cigarette smoke can also increase the likelihood that an infant will develop bronchiolitis. Although it's often a mild illness, some infants are at risk for a more severe disease that requires hospitalization. Conditions that increase the risk of severe infection include prematurity, prior chronic heart or lung disease, and a weakened immune system due to illness or medications. Children who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma later in life, but it's unclear whether bronchiolitis causes or triggers asthma, or whether children who eventually go on to develop asthma were simply more prone to developing bronchiolitis as infants. Studies are being done to clarify the relationship between bronchiolitis and the later development of asthma. Bronchiolitis is usually caused by a viral infection, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV infections are responsible for more than half of all cases of the illness and are most widespread in the winter and early spring. Other viruses associated with bronchiolitis include influenza and adenovirus.

Thanks for that Paul. Interesting reading.