Hello and Please Help.
Our wonderful three year old son has been grunting/clearing his throat when he eats and periodically with no pattern. I took him to the doctor and they examined his throat and took a strep-test. The results of the strep test were negative. We have an appointment with an ENT specialist. I don't know if I am over-reacting which I am prone to do. Does anyone have any experience with this or an idea of what it could be?
Thanks for all of your responses.
Well we took our son to the nearest ENT that was on our insurance only to find out that he didn’t see pediatrics (his instruments were too big to see anything). So I made an appointment with the pediatric ENT like 3 weeks later, as the time for the appointment neared, my husband insisted that I shouldn’t take the time off the work and should go for an evening appointment. So we had to wait like 4 more weeks. Meanwhile the grunting resolved, but it just so happened that he had a runny nose, cough and very infrequent grunting. Went to the ENT yesterday and they scoped his nose and it was really swollen in the front and the back and his adenoids were swollen and there is evidence of GERD. He had refulx when he was a baby but we thought it was resolved when we switched him from regular formula to soy. Sooo the doctor said that he has to have his nose flushed with saline 5 times per day, gave me a prescription for Nasonex and told me to contact the pediatrician to put him on a refulx regimen. The ENT also told me to watch for signs of sleep apnea. Needless to say I didn’t sleep last night. I feel so guilty for not taking him sooner.
I agree with several others who have said it's post nasal drip. I do the same thing when my allergies start acting up. His regular Ped should have noticed if he has it. Post nasal drip can be seen clearly when one looks at the back of the throat.
My son started to do this after he got an expander put in his mouth for his teeth which is understandable.. but he continued to do it.. More or less he just kept doing it even after he got used to the expander.. the dr. told him to stop.. and told me to keep telling him to stop it ... finally he stopped doing it.. It was becoming a habit.. kind of like biting your nails... If you find out it's just a habit.. or something like that.. just nicely remind him to stop.... and good luck...
Hey L.,
I think you are doing the right thing by bringing him to the ENT. It sounds like it could be a post nasal drip. I have it and it drives me crazy sometimes I just can't get my throat clear. I now take Zyrtec and it helps a lot. Also you can try some saline nasal drops if it is mucus it will help to thin it out. Good luck keep us posted!!
Have you looked into allergies? I know some kids get an itch in the back of their throat that they try to scratch by clearing their throat or grunting. Being that spring is just starting, it may explain why he's just started it now. It's something worth looking into.
My son also did the same thing. It turned out to be a nervous habit which one day disappeared just as quickly as it arrived. My doc said occasionally a child can have these odd little "tics" at this age. He said most times they will go away.
Does your son have asthma or any respiratory conditions?
Good Luck and don't worry.
P. S
could also be allergies. i think an ent is a good idea.
with strep, you don't usually clear your throat so much.
My son did that when he was about 3. He was clearing his throat but also sniffling even though his nose was clear. It turned out he had seasonal allergies. They gave us a prescription nasal allergy spray to use during the Fall and Spring months. He only need it once a day. It work wonders. After the first day he stopped clearing his throat and sniffling. Now he is almost 7 and didn't need it during the Fall. I am waiting to see what happens here when everything is in bloom! Maybe he wont need it at all this year!! Good luck!!
Hi L.. It could be a post-nasal drip. My son has it & I also have problems w/ it. The ent will be able to determine
if thats the problem. Good Luck.
My step son started doing the grunting/clearing of the throat a couple months before my baby was born. He is 4. We were thinking of taking him to ENT or neurologist. When he was in the hospital with me after the baby was born, the pediatrician came in to see the baby and saw my step son do it. She didn't think much of it other than some attention issue because of the baby. My OB came in too and saw it. She noticed he started doing it after he looked at me with others around. It stopped shortly after I got home with the baby and has not returned. Is there anything new going on at your house? Anything that he wants attention for? I would still take him to a specialist to rule anything out especially if it doesn't stop.
My daughter did that -- turns out she's got allergies. Can you ask your pediatrician about Claritin to see if that helps?
Sounds like allergies- post nasal drip! An ENT is a great idea, and he/she might suggest allergy testing too. You're not over-reacting, you're being a good mama! :)
Hi L. S from L. S (hahaha),
Certainly doesn't hurt to check things out - however it could be yeast overload. It happens often with adults.
There is a great healthy kids recording available on the web that you can access through my site at www.nosickvisits.mysite.com . Feel free to contact me with additional info - Dietary changes can often make a difference.
