As of: March 28, 2024, 5:19 p.m
By: Robert Langer
Comments
Press
Split
“Johanna can deal with her illness”: Sabrina Berthold (36) © stefan rossmann
Sabrina Berthold (36) has a five-year-old daughter who suffers from asthma. After a long period of suffering, children's rehabilitation brought significant improvements.
Kirchseeon
– Johanna is a happy child. She is having fun with a friend on the climbing frame in the garden. The five-year-old has had painful years with significant health problems. It was only when the family, who lives in the community of Kirchseeon, decided to seek special children's rehabilitation that things got much better. They found out which medication she needed for her asthma. And Johanna learned a lot more.
Johanna's mother, Sabrina Berthold (36), is looking for the public. She wants to encourage all parents with similar or other health problems in their children to seek children's rehabilitation.
When Johanna was one year old, the situation came to a head
Things got dramatic when Johanna was one year old. After an infection, she just lay there “trying to breathe,” the mother says today. “The body fought. We could see that.” One evening the situation got worse and worse. The father was at the fire department. Sabrina Berthold informed him. The parents called the emergency doctor. The girl was taken to the children's clinic in Rosenheim. After receiving appropriate medication, she felt better.
But the complaints came back. Infections are normal for children of this age, says the mother. “She was sick for two weeks, recovered for two weeks.” Only Johanna had significant consequences. The infections “caused my daughter to have wheezing in her bronchi and vomit from shortness of breath. Sometimes all night long.”
Mother in tears
At the beginning of these problems, a pediatric pulmonologist said: “Come to terms with it. Your child is sick.” And soon she would have a chronic cough. Johanna was only two years old at the time. “Tears ran down my eyes,” remembers Sabrina Berthold.
The parents then tried their luck with a naturopath. “500 euros” later, the mother said “courageously and honestly” that she couldn’t help with what she could do.
Pediatricians did their best
“Our pediatricians accompanied us and did their best with classical medicine to reduce the problems of asthma,” the mother continues. She was afraid of cortisone. “But what else could I do?” Everyone around her seemed to know better. Cortisone helped. “That’s how we got through the tough nights and knew we had something if necessary.” There were emergency suppositories. Other medications sometimes helped well, sometimes not. “It was never easy for me to give something like that to my daughter.”
My news
Nasty scam with the Rosenheim cops: Actors pack with atrocities read out in their name
1 hour ago
Flixbus accident on the A9 near Leipzig: Police give new details – 19-year-old from Bavaria among the fatalities
Cheese recall: Federal Office warns of health risks – according to the RKI, three groups are particularly susceptible to focus reading
She had planned Gottschalk's visit to BR completely differently: Schöneberger lost his composure
Shortages of artillery ammunition due to the war in Ukraine: Turkey becomes the most important supplier to the USAread
Princess Kate has cancer – this is how Victoria of Sweden and Mette-Marit of Norway react
Decision for child rehabilitation
Eventually the family decided to apply for child rehabilitation. She got the tips from other parents. “None of our doctors advised us to do this. That makes me sad today. But I don’t blame any doctor.”
The family had to take care of it themselves. The health insurance company could also have provided information, says the mother.
Education for parents and children
The rehabilitation stay in a facility near Bad Tölz was approved, even if it took some time. “When I found myself in the Gaißach children’s clinic, I finally felt like I was in the right place,” says the mother. Many specialists “for my child. An incredible feeling.” Education for parents and children. The mother was at the clinic with me. She took time off work as a self-employed master hairdresser. “I had 25 hours of lessons there in four weeks.” Everything about the illness and general conditions, such as nutrition. It started shortly after Christmas last year. Because it was winter, we got some exercise in the fresh air with snowshoeing. And because the clinic is based on Kneipp methods, it also includes barefoot hiking, also in the snow.
Older brother had to back down
Johanna's brother Michael, who was two years older, was also there at times. “He had to take a back seat for a long time because of his sick sister,” says the mother. “He did well.” The father also came for a few days and slept on an extra bed in the room.
Johanna and her mother learned to use a “peak flow measuring device”. This is a tube with a meter and a mouthpiece. The child blows into it. This determines how the girl gets air. “And that even before an attack occurs.” According to Sabrina Berthold, this makes an early reaction with medication possible.
Advantage: Observe for four weeks
It also became clear that a standard asthma spray didn't help at all. Johanna needed another medication. “We have the advantage of observing the children for four weeks,” says Josef Rosenecker, medical director of the clinic. The doctors on site in the living environment of the young patients, with all their commitment and knowledge, simply couldn't do that. There are different courses of asthma. The rehabilitation stay for children is mainly financed by pension insurance. There are free places for children and young people who come to the clinic alone. There is a waiting list for young patients who wanted to come with mothers, fathers or other family members. Rehabilitation periods during the holidays are usually desired. “This is also due to the pressure to perform in schools.” The clinic also offers school programs so that at least the core subjects can be covered. The clinic receives many letters from happy parents who have received help. “However, there are few scientific studies that prove the successes,” says Rosenecker.
Johanna is making big steps for her future life
Johanna made the biggest steps for her future life. The girl attended a children's asthma training course “with a kind and funny therapist” who explained to the children clearly what was going on in their bodies. “Today my daughter can tell me more precisely how she feels. I can also ask her properly.” And today she paints people not only with a heart, but also with two lungs and the finest bronchial branches.
You can read even more news from the Ebersberg region here. By the way: Everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter
Johanna has also learned what she has to watch out for. Vapors from paint are harmful to them. It's the same with car exhaust fumes. And of course passive smoking. “We don’t smoke,” says the mother. “But when moms are standing at the bus stop smoking cigarettes, she can say: “Please go somewhere else.” Johanna has also learned to breathe less through the mouth and more through the nose. Advantage: The air is cleaned, warmed and humidified, says the mother.
Mutual exchange between those affected
Mutual exchange between those affected was also important in children's rehabilitation. “It was a small group. There was a boy the same age as Johanna with the same special problems,” says Sabrina Berthold. She continues to have contact with the boy's mother, even though this family lives in northern Germany. “We’ll write to each other.”
Sabrina Berthold would like to encourage all parents to apply for rehabilitation with their children's doctor if they wish. “We would have needed all the knowledge we learned there much sooner.” She often despaired about which medicine was the right one “and whether I had accidentally overdosed.” Nothing bad happened. “But I would have liked to have spared us the sleepless nights because of my insecurity and the fears.” She asks herself: “Why haven’t I gone to rehab with my daughter sooner?”
Johanna is ready for school
With the rehabilitation stay, today's knowledge and further support, her daughter is now ready to go to school. Of course, people there are informed about the disease. Brother Michael is also happy that his little sister is doing much better and that she can run around in the garden and on the playground again. Johanna is currently going to kindergarten. “It works.” Her illness could disappear after puberty, and it could possibly stay. “But she can handle it,” says her mother.
You can find more news in our brand new Merkur.de app, now in an improved design with more personalization functions. Directly available for download, more information can be found here. Are you an enthusiastic user of WhatsApp? Merkur.de will now keep you up to date via a new WhatsApp channel. Click here to go directly to the channel.