Do you think paint fumes can trigger wheeziness?

[skiingmummy]

Just had some decorating done and the last couple of days DS (2yrs) has started getting quite wheezy. He had a 'wheezy episode' after a chest infection back in Sept and ended up in hospital. They gave me an inhaler to use in case he ever went wheezy again and I've given DS 4 puffs last night and this morning. Do you think its likely that the paint fumes have caused the wheezyness? Feel really really really guilty. Just wanted the house to be nice. He does seem to be getting a bit of a cold too and I can't decide whether its the cold or the paint causing the wheezyness. Anyone any experience of this?

Thanks.

[willow2]

Paint fumes make me feel sick as a pig. Don't feel guilty though. Can you get a steamer to put in his room at night? Might help.

[GeorginaA]

Could be a mix of the two. I'm asthmatic and it usually takes 2 triggers in combination to make me wheezy/give me an attack (e.g. be in a smoky atmosphere plus have a bad cold, or be around a cat when I'm stressed and run down). Plus the colder air/more central heating now it's getting nippy can be a factor.

Don't feel guilty though! You can't live in an isolated box on the offchance. I'd take him for a trip to the asthma nurse, because if he is asthmatic (rather than a one off chest infection) then they can prescribe a preventor which is better for them long term than using lots of the reliever. He won't have to take it all the time (I just take my preventor when I've got a cold, for example, as I know that's when I'm most likely to be wheezy). DO have a chat with the nurse though, you'll probably both feel a lot better.

[princesspeahead]

Undoubtedly. Especially if you are using gloss paint, it is terrible toxic stuff, and will tighten up my chest and make me wheeze in about 5 minutes. And I'm not an asthmatic, just sensitive to paint. If you are painting, then I would keep him out of the house as much as possible while it is going on, and air the rooms really well all the time. I wouldn't put him to sleep in a room that had been painted with emulsion for about 2 days, and with gloss for nearer to a week, if you can manage it. It would honestly be better to have him camp in another room for a few days than put him in a room recently painted with gloss.
Steamer won't help.
You can get low-fume gloss paint (I think it is water based rather than oil paint) which is SO much better.

[iota]

the smell of gloss paint immediately sets off my asthma and makes my chest tighten - much to dh's disgust as we had a lots of woodwork to gloss recently and I had to leave the house and let him get on with it

[Blackduck]

Yes, I feel my eyes starting to smart, and I'm not allergic...partic bad with gloos or the kitchen/bathroom stuff..

[skiingmummy]

OK thanks everyone. Think I'll see if my Mum can have DS for a couple of nights until the smell goes a bit. The wall paint was fine it really was just when they started glossing the woodwork that the paint fume smell got really bad.

Can't help feeling guilty tho.

[Wallace]

It could do - dh is a painter and is also asthmatic, luckily he seems okay with paint fumes, but everybody has different triggers. I find Lynx deoderant makes my chest feel tight and I am not even asthmatic!

[misdee]

paint fumes can trigger asthma attacks or even wheezing in people who dont have asthma. gloss paint gives me a headache. it is advisable to get low odour/fume paint. i am painting the babies room now, and not after birth to reduce the amount of new paint fumes in the bedroom.

[albert]

Yep, gloss paint is definately a trigger for me but please don't feel guilty, it's hardly your fault that they make this stuff so toxic.

[skiingmummy]

I feel like I should have realised paint fumes would set off poor DS wheezyness tho. I'm really annoyed with myself coz his chest has been fine since his wheezy episode a couple of months back and I've just made it worse again. Its not even as if I can move him to a room well away from the smell coz I've had the hall/stairs and landing done which as you can imagine is an awful lot of gloss paint. Stupid stupid stupid. Definitely coz I'm pregnant and far more dozy than usual.