MILWAUKEE (AAAAI) -- Mothers of children with a chronic disease, such as asthma, face unique challenges as they balance caring for a sick child, responding to healthy siblings and handling health emergencies, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

If your child has been recently diagnosed with asthma, you may be fearful, in denial and most likely have a lot of questions about asthma. Allergist/immunologist Kathleen Sheerin, MD, FAAAAI, answers some commonly asked questions about raising an asthmatic child.

Q. Can my asthmatic child have a normal childhood?

A. Absolutely. An asthmatic child who receives proper medical care, takes his or her medications as prescribed and whose family implements environmental control measures can have normal active childhood.

According to the AAAAI, asthma that is under control means:

• No coughing.
• No shortness of breath, rapid breathing, wheezing or chest tightness.
• No waking up at night because of asthma symptoms.
• Normal activities, including play, sports and exercise.
• No episodes of asthma that require a doctor visit, emergency room visit or urgent care.
• No absences from school or activities for the child and no missed time from work for the parent or caregiver.
• Normal (or near normal) function.

Q. Will my child outgrow their asthma?

A. Unfortunately, we cannot predict the way a child's asthma will develop. In some children, their symptoms may seem to disappear, but there is always the potential for the symptoms to reemerge later. In other children, their symptoms may worsen-but these symptoms can be managed.

Q. It is always a struggle to get my child to take her medication. What can I do to make it easier?

A. It is important for your child to take medications as prescribed, even if she is feeling better. Taking daily controller medications helps prevent airway inflammation, which can lead to an asthma attack.

Children may protest when it comes time to take their medications, but it may be because they don't understand their condition or the importance of their medication.

Open, honest communication from the beginning is important for helping children adjust to having a long-term illness and how they need to care for themselves. They need to know that although they have a serious condition, with medication, they can have a normal, active life. Your physician can help you find age-appropriate ways to discuss asthma with your child.

It is important that, as your child gets older, you involve them in making decisions about their health care and that they become responsible for taking their medication on schedule. They may not have control over whether they have asthma, but by involving them in health care decisions, they can gain some level of control over their care.

Q. Caring for my asthmatic child requires a little extra time and attention. Even thought I divide my attention as evenly as possible, my non-asthmatic child is acting out to gain attention. How can I resolve these conflicts?

Sibling rivalry can be an issue in any family. This rivalry can be intensified when one child has a chronic illness. When a child has a long-term illness that requires extra attention from parents, siblings tend to either be especially well behaved or act out in order to gain attention. The child's age and their perception of their sibling's illness will determine how they respond to the illness-generally the older the child, the less likely they are to respond negatively.

In either case, it is important for the siblings of children with asthma to understand the illness and what kinds of things are happening to their sibling. What young children imagine about illness is often far worse than reality.

Whether your child is being very good or acting out, if you have to dedicate a lot of time to caring for your asthmatic child, you may want to schedule some one-on-one time with the other child. Plan a special afternoon of their favorite activities or prepare their favorite meal.

Q. Personally, I have been feeling worn out. My child's asthma has been flaring up over the last few days, work has been busy and the laundry is piling up. How can I cope with the stress?

Coping with the fears and treatment requirements associated with asthma, in addition to all of your other work- and family-related duties is hard on a mother. First thing, be sure you are attending to your own needs for sleep and nutrition. Without these, you likely won't have the energy you need to get through the day.

Second, it is important to have sources of support around you. Your spouse or partner can be a good source of support. You might also try to find local support groups for mothers of asthmatics. There are many lay organizations, like the Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics and the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, that specialize in providing support and services on a local level. These other mothers can share strategies for coping with the fears, stress and joys of raising an asthmatic child.

Third, while it is perfectly acceptable for you to have fears about your child's condition, you needn't let them rule your life. You should read as much as you can about asthma. The more educated your are about asthma, the easier it will be for you to deal with the emotions that surface during asthma flare-ups. Your child's physician can point you to reputable information resources, like the AAAAI Web site.