4yr old with a persistent cough... it's not Covid.
Discussion
Without wanting to get all Dadsnet here, just throwing this out there as to be honest... I've run out of options and ideas. 4yr old boy, fit and healthy and generally hasn't been unwell at all aside for the usual colds, snotters and the like but nowt serious and no underlying health issues. However a few weeks back, when everybody seemed to be ill as the schools went back... he had a bit of a cough, no constant but more so at night and a probably dry bark as it were. This has never really gone away but over the past few days is back with a vengeance.
He's not wheezy. He's not hot. He's not got a runny nose. He's had a couple of Covid tests and no worries there and whilst he;ll cough sporadically during the day, at night is much worse but he can cough constantly for an hour or so then be fine for the rest of the night though past few days it's been more persistent. Have him booked to see the asthma nurse but not until next week. Until then, we're on our own and I've exhausted the environmental options, eg the room temperature, the humidity, how he sleeps, off the shelf cough mixtures, tried a cold water humidifier, tried a dehumidifier and nothing seems to make any difference plus he's been at Grandparents a few times, does it there too so I've pretty much ruled out an allergy or something in his room. Fairly sure its not croup as he's not got any issues / noise breathing in or out, he's no other symptoms... he just fecking coughs like a seal that's on 50 Marlboro a day. Have tried him with blue inhaler and spacer tube thing but it also doesn't seem to do anything.
It's become a problem now (relatively speaking) as he's now not getting a good night sleep and neither are we and he's waking up the 1yr old and so my wife is at the end of her tether. as I type he's coughed on and off since he went to bed 3hrs ago and my wife has already been in tears and I'm starting to get quite annoyed and frustrated, more so that we can't seem to help it and also as my wife is starting to suffer as a result and if she struggles, we all struggle! Ironically, in the time I've taken to write this... silence has fallen on the bedroom. But it won't last.
So, appreciate I'm not going to get a diagnosis or the miracle cure but just throwing it out there in case I've missed something that several hours of Googling hasn't revealed. Feel like crap for him as he's knackered and as is my wife and she's also getting upset as she feels helpless. As said, asthma nurse booked for next week (even that was a mission in these Covid times)
A mate suggested a good set of ear defenders.
He's not wheezy. He's not hot. He's not got a runny nose. He's had a couple of Covid tests and no worries there and whilst he;ll cough sporadically during the day, at night is much worse but he can cough constantly for an hour or so then be fine for the rest of the night though past few days it's been more persistent. Have him booked to see the asthma nurse but not until next week. Until then, we're on our own and I've exhausted the environmental options, eg the room temperature, the humidity, how he sleeps, off the shelf cough mixtures, tried a cold water humidifier, tried a dehumidifier and nothing seems to make any difference plus he's been at Grandparents a few times, does it there too so I've pretty much ruled out an allergy or something in his room. Fairly sure its not croup as he's not got any issues / noise breathing in or out, he's no other symptoms... he just fecking coughs like a seal that's on 50 Marlboro a day. Have tried him with blue inhaler and spacer tube thing but it also doesn't seem to do anything.
It's become a problem now (relatively speaking) as he's now not getting a good night sleep and neither are we and he's waking up the 1yr old and so my wife is at the end of her tether. as I type he's coughed on and off since he went to bed 3hrs ago and my wife has already been in tears and I'm starting to get quite annoyed and frustrated, more so that we can't seem to help it and also as my wife is starting to suffer as a result and if she struggles, we all struggle! Ironically, in the time I've taken to write this... silence has fallen on the bedroom. But it won't last.
So, appreciate I'm not going to get a diagnosis or the miracle cure but just throwing it out there in case I've missed something that several hours of Googling hasn't revealed. Feel like crap for him as he's knackered and as is my wife and she's also getting upset as she feels helpless. As said, asthma nurse booked for next week (even that was a mission in these Covid times)
A mate suggested a good set of ear defenders.
We've done the opposite in the past and put a humidifier in the bedroom. This helped. Our doctor used to prescribe a medicine called falkadine (not sure of spelling).
Asthma was my first thought though. With no previous history of asthma I was once admitted to hospital after a persistent prolonged cough eventually became a serious asthma escalation.
You need to rule in/out asthma. If it is asthma he may need a steroid to get this knocked on the head.
Asthma was my first thought though. With no previous history of asthma I was once admitted to hospital after a persistent prolonged cough eventually became a serious asthma escalation.
You need to rule in/out asthma. If it is asthma he may need a steroid to get this knocked on the head.
I had that. Well, actually, I had that and then something else a few weeks later, neither of them Covid according to daily tests and both of them pretty nasty. First one left me with a cough that took a couple of months to go away (still slightly there), second one wiped me out for a weekend and left me feeling exhausted for a week.
Just some nasty bugs around that we've not been exposed to for a while because of the social distancing measures.
Just some nasty bugs around that we've not been exposed to for a while because of the social distancing measures.
rlg43p said:
We've done the opposite in the past and put a humidifier in the bedroom. This helped. Our doctor used to prescribe a medicine called falkadine (not sure of spelling).
Asthma was my first thought though. With no previous history of asthma I was once admitted to hospital after a persistent prolonged cough eventually became a serious asthma escalation.
You need to rule in/out asthma. If it is asthma he may need a steroid to get this knocked on the head.
We've been through a few cycles with coughs... the usual runny noses and so snot running down their throats at night and then the resultant cough and also been through hay fever season with Piriton and the like but this latest and fairly long winded cough seems to be unaffected by outside influences, hence have tried a number of different sleeping arrangements and nothing seems to improve or indeed, worsen matters.Asthma was my first thought though. With no previous history of asthma I was once admitted to hospital after a persistent prolonged cough eventually became a serious asthma escalation.
You need to rule in/out asthma. If it is asthma he may need a steroid to get this knocked on the head.
We did use a warm air humidifier in the last house as it was very dry thanks to the heating / build spec but the current house was if anything, the opposite but in summer we used a cool air humidifier but come the colder weather, the house was getting very damp thanks to showers, sweaty breath etc and so the windows would be running in condensation so I wondered if that was a trigger. Have had a dehumifier running for a few hours a day and the house is about 55 to 60% humidity (which is seemingly ideal for small humans) and sits around 18degs (again, seems to be pretty spot on) but again, it's made no difference be it good or bad.
I've tried him with a blue inhaler over the past few days, couple of puffs ahead of bedtime then again if he's getting very persistent but again doesn't seem to do anything. Oddly, he went to bed and coughed constantly to the point I thought he was going to be sick, that went on for about 4hrs and yet he's stopped coughing about 20 mins ago and hasn't since. That's the bit I'm struggling to fathom!
I'd have assumed asthma would have some sort of other sign... I remember being quite wheezy at a young age, more so if I was hot and sweaty and it was cold / damp weather but he's fine. He was out on his bike etc, no wheezes but then will cough once he's inside but again, he'll just sporadically cough for 2mins to 2hrs regardless of where he's been or what he's doing. I dd suggest it could be a bit learned behaviour / habit... but that's unfair as he's not forcing it, more so when he's asleep but oddly he will occasionally stop if I take him to the toilet or wake him up, then settle him back down which makes me wonder if something is triggering it but "habit" then keeps it going. Possibly not but again just an observation. Yet as said, he's now sound asleep and nothing has changed as far as physically situation goes since he went to bed and coughed for 4hrs.
But I agree, asthma nurse if nothing else to rule that out and if it's not that... I'll maybe think about sleeping in the car.
otolith said:
I had that. Well, actually, I had that and then something else a few weeks later, neither of them Covid according to daily tests and both of them pretty nasty. First one left me with a cough that took a couple of months to go away (still slightly there), second one wiped me out for a weekend and left me feeling exhausted for a week.
Just some nasty bugs around that we've not been exposed to for a while because of the social distancing measures.
That's very much in line with my thinking too. Just some nasty bugs around that we've not been exposed to for a while because of the social distancing measures.
We were all floored by a pretty nasty sickness bug a few weeks back and there's been endless coughs / snot / general tiredness around be it within the extended family or friends but the small human has either not shaken something off for the past few weeks or there's something underlying. Though I absolutely agree, two years of social distancing and killing everything with Detol and then back to nursery / school / work and it's little wonder we're all feeling persistently unwell. My wife rarely gets ill, she doesn't have time but since going back to work (nursery) she's been ill almost weekly and reduced to her bed on three occasions since August. That said, small humans cough doesn't appear contagious... we're all fine, 1yr old is fine, family haven't shown any symptoms and even the nursery seem unphased by it. Granted, one cough in the queue in the Spar and he can clear the place of OAP's... which is handy.
And on that note, and so the coughing from upstairs has begun again...
Davie said:
Granted, one cough in the queue in the Spar and he can clear the place of OAP's... which is handy.
I wanted a badge saying "DON'T PANIC I'VE BEEN TESTED". Just embarrassing.
OH is a GP with two kids in school, I never had any kids of my own, so when we first got together pre-Covid I was just constantly catching things from them that they shrugged off. In this case, the first infection the kids brought home, gave to me, and promptly recovered. The second one, OH had a baby in the surgery who coughed all over her, then she was sick, then I was sick. She had just had her Covid booster, and the symptoms were fairly similar to the side effects of the first AZ jab, so we blamed it on that until I came down with it too.
Hi Davie,
Just seen your post ( long time lurker ) and thought i'd reply as we're having pretty much the same issue with our 4 year old boy!.
Started around late September and been on and off since. He does get treated for asthma but that isn't official as apparently they cannot get tested properly until 5. He has his brown steroid inhaler 4 times per day (twice morning, twice night), and blue one when needed, however pretty much like yourself these where not doing a thing!
We've been back and forth to the doctors and walk in and each time when they check him over everything is fine other than his ears, which are always red/inflamed/enlarged, so if you haven't already, maybe you could get someone to check his as this seems to be the main issue with my lad. We are currently waiting for an appointment with ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) so hopefully they can have a more in depth look at him, we've been told it could be something called glue ear or he could need grommets.
Last night was the first time he's had this cough but also been unwell. All the other times he's been coughing but still himself, last night it was the cough but also warm, quiet and lethargic (he normally doesnt keep still and is always laughing and tormenting etc) . They also said last night his breathing was a little crackly which is different from all the other times, but his ears are still red.
He's had a course of amoxicillin, clarithromcyin and also some sort of steroid ear drop. These all seemed to work but around 2-3 days after finishing a course he starts up again. Also just to add, like yourself we have tried everything in terms of changing things to see if something in particular was setting him off but to no avail.
My apologies if ive waffled on,in short get someone to look into his ears as this is the issue for my son.
Best of luck
Just seen your post ( long time lurker ) and thought i'd reply as we're having pretty much the same issue with our 4 year old boy!.
Started around late September and been on and off since. He does get treated for asthma but that isn't official as apparently they cannot get tested properly until 5. He has his brown steroid inhaler 4 times per day (twice morning, twice night), and blue one when needed, however pretty much like yourself these where not doing a thing!
We've been back and forth to the doctors and walk in and each time when they check him over everything is fine other than his ears, which are always red/inflamed/enlarged, so if you haven't already, maybe you could get someone to check his as this seems to be the main issue with my lad. We are currently waiting for an appointment with ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) so hopefully they can have a more in depth look at him, we've been told it could be something called glue ear or he could need grommets.
Last night was the first time he's had this cough but also been unwell. All the other times he's been coughing but still himself, last night it was the cough but also warm, quiet and lethargic (he normally doesnt keep still and is always laughing and tormenting etc) . They also said last night his breathing was a little crackly which is different from all the other times, but his ears are still red.
He's had a course of amoxicillin, clarithromcyin and also some sort of steroid ear drop. These all seemed to work but around 2-3 days after finishing a course he starts up again. Also just to add, like yourself we have tried everything in terms of changing things to see if something in particular was setting him off but to no avail.
My apologies if ive waffled on,in short get someone to look into his ears as this is the issue for my son.
Best of luck
No, don't apologise for that... it's interesting reading more so as I'm of the thought process that "to fix a problem, you need to understand the problem" and just now that's what's lacking and so any input / theories / pointers are very much welcomed. That said, I can't say I've noticed anything untoward ear wise, aside for them only working when it suits him and he's not complained about ears / nose etc but it's something to consider and I will ask at his appointment next week.
I have been observing and thinking, not entirely sure it's a good thing as it seems to be creating a divide between my wife and I as she thinks I'm just being cynical (I'm not) but she, being a mum tends to view the world slightly differently from me when it comes to the kids. In typical parent fashion, she's got all eyes on them 100% of the time whereas I have eyes on them and on her too given our role as men is to protect the family unit, not just the kids and that, added to the frustration, the lack of sleep and the coughing... is creating tension.
However, I happened across a couple of articles on "Habit Cough" and it too makes for quite interesting reading - a cough that certainly fits the symptoms he has, ie a harsh, loud cough in quick succession and thus far, it doesn't seem to be changing for the better of worse regardless of what we do to his physical environment nor any medication (cough mixtures, Calpol, cold or warm fluids, a blue inhaler) and there's references about how it can stem from a previous "real" illness and can also become worse around people, ie a bit of an attention thing and he's certainly been guilty of that given we have a 1yr old and he's noticeably worse when we're together, as in silly behaviour etc.
Granted, I'm not pointing the finger at this and I'm fully aware reading stuff on line can just fuel overthinking and lead you down a rabbit hole but there are definitely a few aspects of "habit cough" that I can relate to, more so the fact he's getting quite a lot of attention when he coughs and today peaked when my wife asked him if he was going to be sick, now he's saying he's going to be sick quite regularly too. But I also can't rule out a genuine issue and having had another meltdown today and snapped, my wife has spoken to the doctor who's prescribed another inhaler to try ahead of his appointment next week. Oddly, we've just had a discussion where I drew reference to the above and I wasn't shot down in flames and she can see some very similar traits.
Being the cynic, I've watched him this evening... I was out the house so he was playing with my wife and the 1yr old and coughed persistently. I came int he room and he coughed and said he felt sick, but wasn't. My wife took the wee one away to do her bottle, I went in to the next room and left him alone with Peter Rabbit.... a lull in the coughing. We both went back in a few minutes later, he started coughing. My wife took the smallest human up to bed, I purposely left the room and stood in the hall... coughing subsided again. She put him to bed and he coughed for about 30mins but he's now out cold and the coughing has stopped, which is another trait of a habit cough.
Again, I'm not standing up and claiming I've solved it or calling him a fraud (actually, on that note he's just started coughing again...) and we'll run with the doctors suggestions with the inhaler but we've also agreed to try and play it down more, try and not react to him coughing and just observe when and how badly it happens. My wife has just said she said to him to be sneaky quiet going up to bed and he was, then coughed once she'd tucked him in. Could be coincidental, could be a combination of a few things and could be asthma so it'd unfair to call him out just yet but I'm now in full blown Inspector Clouseau mode from here on!
But it gets easier seemingly...
I have been observing and thinking, not entirely sure it's a good thing as it seems to be creating a divide between my wife and I as she thinks I'm just being cynical (I'm not) but she, being a mum tends to view the world slightly differently from me when it comes to the kids. In typical parent fashion, she's got all eyes on them 100% of the time whereas I have eyes on them and on her too given our role as men is to protect the family unit, not just the kids and that, added to the frustration, the lack of sleep and the coughing... is creating tension.
However, I happened across a couple of articles on "Habit Cough" and it too makes for quite interesting reading - a cough that certainly fits the symptoms he has, ie a harsh, loud cough in quick succession and thus far, it doesn't seem to be changing for the better of worse regardless of what we do to his physical environment nor any medication (cough mixtures, Calpol, cold or warm fluids, a blue inhaler) and there's references about how it can stem from a previous "real" illness and can also become worse around people, ie a bit of an attention thing and he's certainly been guilty of that given we have a 1yr old and he's noticeably worse when we're together, as in silly behaviour etc.
Granted, I'm not pointing the finger at this and I'm fully aware reading stuff on line can just fuel overthinking and lead you down a rabbit hole but there are definitely a few aspects of "habit cough" that I can relate to, more so the fact he's getting quite a lot of attention when he coughs and today peaked when my wife asked him if he was going to be sick, now he's saying he's going to be sick quite regularly too. But I also can't rule out a genuine issue and having had another meltdown today and snapped, my wife has spoken to the doctor who's prescribed another inhaler to try ahead of his appointment next week. Oddly, we've just had a discussion where I drew reference to the above and I wasn't shot down in flames and she can see some very similar traits.
Being the cynic, I've watched him this evening... I was out the house so he was playing with my wife and the 1yr old and coughed persistently. I came int he room and he coughed and said he felt sick, but wasn't. My wife took the wee one away to do her bottle, I went in to the next room and left him alone with Peter Rabbit.... a lull in the coughing. We both went back in a few minutes later, he started coughing. My wife took the smallest human up to bed, I purposely left the room and stood in the hall... coughing subsided again. She put him to bed and he coughed for about 30mins but he's now out cold and the coughing has stopped, which is another trait of a habit cough.
Again, I'm not standing up and claiming I've solved it or calling him a fraud (actually, on that note he's just started coughing again...) and we'll run with the doctors suggestions with the inhaler but we've also agreed to try and play it down more, try and not react to him coughing and just observe when and how badly it happens. My wife has just said she said to him to be sneaky quiet going up to bed and he was, then coughed once she'd tucked him in. Could be coincidental, could be a combination of a few things and could be asthma so it'd unfair to call him out just yet but I'm now in full blown Inspector Clouseau mode from here on!
But it gets easier seemingly...
Hi Davie,
Most likely cough variant asthma - not that unusual and your GP should be able to sort.
If I saw child with that history would try a short course of oral steriods - 20mg daily for 3 days to break cough cycle.
If you get no where with asthma nurse ask to see GP.
All the best and hope it settles.
Most likely cough variant asthma - not that unusual and your GP should be able to sort.
If I saw child with that history would try a short course of oral steriods - 20mg daily for 3 days to break cough cycle.
If you get no where with asthma nurse ask to see GP.
All the best and hope it settles.
Were going through the same thing with my five year old granddaughter at the moment. She has had a on/off cough since May. Her school have been a nightmare, she has been sent home numerous times with COVID symptoms but always tests negative. After having two video appointments with the GP and two face to face visits the doctors view was an allergic reaction and was referred to a specialist at the Hospital and prescribed antihistamines.
Long story short was that we got fed up waiting for the NHS so went to a private paediatric doctor who specialises in allergies, numerous tests to rule out anything sinister and allergy tests come back negative but was found to have a problem with her ears. She has had grommets in the past for glue ear and it looks like these have not solved the problem, the fluid is draining down her throat and causing a chesty cough.
She is seeing an ENT specialist next week for confirmation. So maybe a line of thought for you.
The problem at the moment is getting the NHS to see you, so maybe worth a private consultation.
Long story short was that we got fed up waiting for the NHS so went to a private paediatric doctor who specialises in allergies, numerous tests to rule out anything sinister and allergy tests come back negative but was found to have a problem with her ears. She has had grommets in the past for glue ear and it looks like these have not solved the problem, the fluid is draining down her throat and causing a chesty cough.
She is seeing an ENT specialist next week for confirmation. So maybe a line of thought for you.
The problem at the moment is getting the NHS to see you, so maybe worth a private consultation.
Edited by jimmythingy on Wednesday 17th November 21:15
tyrone1973 said:
Hi Davie,
Most likely cough variant asthma - not that unusual and your GP should be able to sort.
If I saw child with that history would try a short course of oral steriods - 20mg daily for 3 days to break cough cycle.
If you get no where with asthma nurse ask to see GP.
All the best and hope it settles.
Excellent, thanks for that... part of me does think I'm overthinking the habit cough thing but he does have a few of the traits however I can't deny he's coughing and even the cynic in me doesn't believe it's all in his head. I say that as he's just kicked off upstairs again having been sound asleep and silent for the past hour, so yes we'll give the prescribed inhaler a go, monitor then discuss with the asthma clinic next week and press a few points made by others too as the ear thing makes of interesting reading. It does feel like once he starts, it just goes on and on and on which must in turn be a bit of a vicious circle so I understand why breaking the cycle as it were could help. Most likely cough variant asthma - not that unusual and your GP should be able to sort.
If I saw child with that history would try a short course of oral steriods - 20mg daily for 3 days to break cough cycle.
If you get no where with asthma nurse ask to see GP.
All the best and hope it settles.
Much appreciated
Hi Davie,
My lad is a little behind on his speech, but has never said his ears are hurting, or gave any signs that they was i.e pulling/rubbing them, but every time we have been it seems to be his ears and im assuming, similar to Jimmy above, some sort of fluid build up is overflowing onto his throat causing the cough. He has had blood tests as he gets quite a few infections and it came back his iron is low so is now on medication for this ( he is a fussy eater so hard to get from his food).
I thought at one point maybe he's got into a habit of coughing, but at the minute he cannot finish a sentence without coughing so i don't think its this. Also, maybe like your son, he can go maybe 10 minutes without coughing, then all of a sudden have a coughing fit that lasts a good 5 minutes. He's been sick a few times, and also seems full of wind, I'm assuming from all the big breaths of air hes taking in when coughing.
Its a shame because he's missing out on so much school and he loves going there. One nurse nearly sent us away saying it was just a sore throat, i then asked for her to check his ears which she did and pulled a face doing so as they was so red/inflamed.
And just to top it off, my 2 year old daughter has now started with a cough!
Edited to add: If you have a walk in center near by, i would take him there as soon as it opened and get him looked at why your waiting. My local one is pretty good, as long as you don't go late on a Friday/Saturday.
Hopefully we all get sorted soon
My lad is a little behind on his speech, but has never said his ears are hurting, or gave any signs that they was i.e pulling/rubbing them, but every time we have been it seems to be his ears and im assuming, similar to Jimmy above, some sort of fluid build up is overflowing onto his throat causing the cough. He has had blood tests as he gets quite a few infections and it came back his iron is low so is now on medication for this ( he is a fussy eater so hard to get from his food).
I thought at one point maybe he's got into a habit of coughing, but at the minute he cannot finish a sentence without coughing so i don't think its this. Also, maybe like your son, he can go maybe 10 minutes without coughing, then all of a sudden have a coughing fit that lasts a good 5 minutes. He's been sick a few times, and also seems full of wind, I'm assuming from all the big breaths of air hes taking in when coughing.
Its a shame because he's missing out on so much school and he loves going there. One nurse nearly sent us away saying it was just a sore throat, i then asked for her to check his ears which she did and pulled a face doing so as they was so red/inflamed.
And just to top it off, my 2 year old daughter has now started with a cough!
Edited to add: If you have a walk in center near by, i would take him there as soon as it opened and get him looked at why your waiting. My local one is pretty good, as long as you don't go late on a Friday/Saturday.
Hopefully we all get sorted soon
Edited by doublebarrel on Thursday 18th November 06:35
Op, had similar with our 5 year old son. Reached a head a couple of weeks ago and he was hospitalised for a day - wheezing and shortness of breath along with the cough.
3 days of steroids later and he was much better, he is continuing to use the brown inhaler twice daily and the blue as and when needed.
At the observation ward he was in at hospital, 5 other children were there with the same issues. In fact when he returned to school 4 days later, the teacher told us another child in his class had been hospitalised too.
I think there’s some nasty bugs going around, which coupled with us not really mixing over the past 18 months has meant they really take their tole.
Would definitely recommend the steroids as a quick “fix”
3 days of steroids later and he was much better, he is continuing to use the brown inhaler twice daily and the blue as and when needed.
At the observation ward he was in at hospital, 5 other children were there with the same issues. In fact when he returned to school 4 days later, the teacher told us another child in his class had been hospitalised too.
I think there’s some nasty bugs going around, which coupled with us not really mixing over the past 18 months has meant they really take their tole.
Would definitely recommend the steroids as a quick “fix”
Apologies, never came back to this before...
However, coughing boy went to see the asthma nurse who, according to my wife seemed somewhat disinterested and she felt like they were merely another child in a long line and thus given the obligitory blue inhaler plus spacer tube, a peak flow meter and dispatched to take a couple of puffs before bed. Initially, I'd say no change for a few days but then it seemed to improve over the following few days and all but went away... not convinced the inhaler did much but what can you do...
However, as of Tuesday he's back to coughing and this time it seems even worse - proper dry bark and seems pretty constant now too and today developed in to rather harsh sounding breathing, though he's not struggling for breath. He's had 48hrs under house arrest and we've tried to not let him run around, get hot / sweaty etc (easier said than done) but to no avail. As I type he's in bed, coughing loudly enough that the 1yr has been woken up again and he's hot to touch but his temperature is 36.3degs which seems fine. Just waiting for him to continue coughing so much he's sick. Calpol, cough mixture, double dose on the inhaler... no change.
Away to do a lateral flow test, just in case...
However, coughing boy went to see the asthma nurse who, according to my wife seemed somewhat disinterested and she felt like they were merely another child in a long line and thus given the obligitory blue inhaler plus spacer tube, a peak flow meter and dispatched to take a couple of puffs before bed. Initially, I'd say no change for a few days but then it seemed to improve over the following few days and all but went away... not convinced the inhaler did much but what can you do...
However, as of Tuesday he's back to coughing and this time it seems even worse - proper dry bark and seems pretty constant now too and today developed in to rather harsh sounding breathing, though he's not struggling for breath. He's had 48hrs under house arrest and we've tried to not let him run around, get hot / sweaty etc (easier said than done) but to no avail. As I type he's in bed, coughing loudly enough that the 1yr has been woken up again and he's hot to touch but his temperature is 36.3degs which seems fine. Just waiting for him to continue coughing so much he's sick. Calpol, cough mixture, double dose on the inhaler... no change.
Away to do a lateral flow test, just in case...
Rapid antigen test would suggest he's not got the Rona.... however, the slight cynic in me has been watching and if he's glued to the telly, he coughs less. Point in case being he went to bed and coughed continuously and so hard, he woke up the smaller human three times and sounded like he was about to be sick. He's since meekly appeared downstairs so is now sat on the sofa watching "Bolt" and hasn't coughed for about 20mins. That could be the Calpol / inhaler / warm milk kicking in... or it's a distraction. I'm not saying he's not genuinely coughing and sounds a bit chesty, but I do think it's a bit of a habit - once he starts, if left unchecked he coughs constantly.... but distract him and yes he coughs, but less severely. Wife has recorded him at his peak, more so as he wasn't bad at the last appointment so, just in case...
Kids...
Kids...
Edited by Davie on Saturday 11th December 20:49
rallye101 said:
I'd try a vicks plug in while he's asleep until you see a doctor, mine went down with croup on a couple of occasions at that age which involved a 2am ambulance to A and E..
It does sound very croup - proper sore, dry bark and whilst he wasn't wheezing as such, he sounded a bit "hollow" earlier so there's definitely something not right. However, the cynic / stone dead last in the Father of the Year award character in me is getting increasingly focused on the frequency. He's coughed yesterday, last night, most of today (home alone with the wife) then sounded terrible when he went to bed and his cheeks are hot and he sounds awful... but that's now what, 45mins sat watching a movie and I think he's coughed once. I'm sat next door in the dining room... I'm away to join him, see if he starts coughing again. Just seems... odd...
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