A Father’s Conviction for Inhalers

Working at Cipla and being integral to the initiatives in the respiratory team, using inhalers for asthma seemed natural to me.

I often used to wonder about the hesitation and dilemma people faced to use an inhaler, being aware of the logic and benefit of it. This treatment always seemed like a good option to better the condition.

But, my perspective changed when my child was diagnosed with asthma. Rishabh was just 2 years old when he was bothered by a nagging cough that refused to go away. No cough syrup was able to relieve his distress and I could see my wife’s anxiety level rising as he started wheezing gradually. At that moment, all my knowledge about asthma faded away, making me as helpless as any other parent. We rushed Rishabh to our paediatrician immediately, hoping to provide him with a treatment that would bring him back in action. The sight of an energetic kid lying sick for 3 days frightened me. The only thing that my wife and I wanted was a solution to this problem.

After analysing the medical history and having a detailed interaction with us, the paediatrician confirmed what I was expecting but was unwilling to accept. Rishabh was diagnosed with childhood asthma and was prescribed inhalers on an urgent basis. To my surprise, my wife wasn’t taken aback by this diagnosis in spite of barely knowing anything about asthma.

My conviction for inhalers came alive when I witnessed its effectiveness in helping my son’s condition. We found that for Rishabh, inhalers worked best during those acute flare-ups. Today, at the age of 8, he is well aware of taking his inhalers daily and confident enough to use his own inhalers.

In the last 6 years, although Rishabh has had asthma flare-ups, we as parents know how to manage this condition on our own. Regular use of inhalers even without any symptoms has helped us in minimizing the dosage, ultimately making him take his medication just once a day. During this period, I never had to worry about restricting Rishabh from doing anything, whether it was attending his friends’ dance parties, school tours, swimming or even playing football.

As the parent of an asthmatic kid, I can now say that panicking and worrying is not the best way to deal with this condition. It is essential to consult a doctor and let your child use the right inhaler without any fear of social stigma or wrong notions. This will help in boosting their spirit and confidence, without considering asthma to be a roadblock amidst their aspirations.

-Subhadeep Banerjee