My 6 year old DD has frequent barking croupy coughs at night which can last for hours. She seems to fill with mucus and often coughs until she vomits. When she vomits it starts with clear mucus and then ends up being everything in her stomach. It happens year round but seems to be worse this time of year. Last year she had pneumonia 3x and missed 20 days of school. This year has been better but the last week or two it has happened pretty regularly, although it's just been primarily the cough and not the vomiting.
I have taken her to the Dr. several times and we've never gotten an official diagnosis. She's been on Claritin, Singulair (only a trial since it's $200+/month), had the nebulizer and inhaler, a whole host of cough medicines but nothing seems to help. At one point she was given (Prednisolone) and that shut her right up - but this was a couple years ago. She does have an inhaler (albuterol) which sometimes helps but often doesn't. She also has a nebulizer with albuterol and that doesn't always help either.
Last year I took her to a Pediatric GI (to check her for a hiatal hernia, for which we have a significant family history) who said no hernia but that she has reflux, we put her on Prilosec for a few months but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. She recommended an endoscopy but we decided against that as it wouldn't really get us any closer to a solution.
I guess I am asking what type of specialist you would recommend that we take her to see. Unfortunately we have a very high deductible insurance plan right now so all costs will be out of pocket - therefore I'd like to narrow it down if possible. She also has very large tonsils (I do as well). My goal is to figure out what triggers her so that we can eliminate it if possible, and/or control symptoms once they start.
Thanks.
Thank you for the input and suggestions. I spoke with her Pediatrician yesterday and they agree her symptoms sound like asthma triggered by allergies. They prescribed a new inhaler to use (Flovent 44) 2x/day and we are to call in 2 weeks to let them know how she is doing. We used it for the first time last night and she didn't cough once all night!!!! I'll try not to get too excited but I think a steroid inhaler might be it for her. They said often people use this type of inhaler seasonally or whenever they have issues.
You could go to Childrens Hospital and have an allergist look at her and get allery testing to see what is causeing it. I just took my 15month old because she had the same cough all winter and the pulmicort was not helping. They did allergy tests right there quick and easy and you get the results of what if any allergies.
I have 4 children and all have some health issues. Your child should be checked for cystic fibrosis(simple test) also some other auto immune tests as well. also allergy tests would help you control the environment in your home too. the flovent i am glad is working make sure you stay on top of it. even when the child seems better. also the tonsils should come out as well. if child has reflux you can do meds if bad enough. look at your childs diet maybe a few little changes will help too. good luck
a pediatric pulmonologist for the breathing I bet the problem is being triggered by allergies right now so you might want to consider also seeing an allergist but your regular ped might order the blood work for you if you call them I know mine will order any lab work I want done. My oldest was having this problem not too long ago and has done much better w/ but takes several meds right now to controle it he was actually coughins so hard he ruptured blood vessels in his face :( from the sounds of it her other trigger is probably colds which is typical for children w/ asthma.
Bring her to a pulmonologist. The prednisone is amazing, but it's obviously not something you want your child on frequently. As far as the tonsils go, that would be an ENT doctor. More importantly, I would try to get to the bottom of her respiratory issues, so the pulmonologist would be my first stop. Sometimes it can be pretty tough to keep the asthma under control in some kids, but if you can find the trigger that could eliminate the problem. Do you have pets? Do you use hypo-allergenic bedding? Even though it is not always happening, there could be certain times when she is more likely to have a problem (change in weather is a big one). Good luck! I had terrible asthma as a child and I grew out of it when I hit about 13. A lot of people do.
Hello,
Ears nose and throat. they might remove the tonsile. adnoids. my kids went through it. One of mine ended up being diagnosed with asthma which can also cause the inflamation, but if the inhalers and neb arent working, I would move on to an ENT specialist
Have you tried an ENT? that is a ears, nose and throat specialist.
Hi L.! Glad to read the update that she is better now! My 3 yo DD had a similar bout of that type of coughing which her doctor said right away was asthma/allergies. She had had one similar asthma attack over the winter when her teacher used an abundance of bleach. We had switched our home entirely to non-toxic products without bleach or any other chemicals when she was really little so that was the fist major exposure she had to the bleach. I can only imagine how she would have been all her life if we had been using them at home! There is a lot of info out there about chemicals in everyday products causing/exacerbating asthma, so I would encourage you to look into that- Then she may not need to remain on the steroid inhaler long. Good luck!
I agree with Joanne H. I know SO many parents who have gotten their children off nebulizers (and all those chemicals) and drugs and procedures. Reliv's kids' product supports the immune system - everything you are being given is just there to treat the symptoms, not to actually reduce the problem. And it's costing you a fortune. And your child is miserable. I was at a program last night with Reliv's science director and I heard more and more stories from regular people (not paid to endorse anything) who have gotten rid of allergies, asthma, upper respiratory problems, and more, by boosting their immune system with safe, patented products and no drugs. This is food science and research-based. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by looking at a nutritional solution. Feel free to contact me and I'll connect you with people who have changed their children's lives by giving them balanced nutrition that we just cannot obtain from our food anymore. There is hope for your little one! There is a role for medicines, of course, but they aren't helping your daughter right now. Please help her by looking into something else!
I would strongly suggest you get her an appointment at Children's Hospital in Boston - I would look into an asthma/bronchial specialist. The throwing up appears to be caused by the depth of the cough - so the cough is the primary concern. You can go to their website and look up all the departments.
Good luck!
L.,
My daughter had refulx and has asthma and the symptoms you described sound very familiar. She was put on pulmacort (nebulizer steroid) which was very helpful and is now managed with singular. She was out sick alot just like your daughter but now they happen much less. Here would be my suggestion:
I would take her to a Pedi pulmonologist. She could have asthma that is not controlled. They could find the right treatment for her and find out what the triggers are (alergic to something or from colds). Cystic fibrosis should be rulled out as well (they do a simple sweat test for this) as CF has similar symptoms as well. One other thing to rule out is molds-could there be anything like this in her environment that she is reacting to?
Good luck-it is so frustrating to see your little one coughing and sick all the time. I hope that you find the problem:)
Hi L.
I have been reading over your question and am amazed at the amount of medication the "healthcare" professionals have given to your 6 yr old daughter.
If she has not been helped with meds up until now isn't it time to try something else.
I am involved with a company called reliv that has an amazing childrens product that builds the immune system with nutrition-not drugs. I am not here to sell you something-but to alert you to the fact that your daughter has had way too much medication already. Please investigate a more holistic approach-I would love to help you-but if you are not comfortable with my information-please go to another nutritional venue. The meds will cause so many side effects-and she needs good solid nutrition.
Good luck.
J. H
Sounds familiar....Asthma. When my son gets sick his asthma flairs up and he'll cough phlegm/mucus...My little man's a more of a cougher than than the wheezing whcich you'll only hear with him under a stethoscope. He's been on the Singulair since age 3(and he's going on 8) and it's helped ALOT....our insurance has been covering it since day one (and thank goodness...it is quite pricey)He is on a a maintance inhaler which he uses daily and saves the albuterol for as needed. This past school year he, unfortunately had to take the predinosone 2x but it worked wonders and he hadn't taken any since he was 3.. Check with a pediatric allergist or pulmonologist. My son's triggers for asthma are primarily viral(colds,flu)
Good luck
M.
My son will be 6 next week. He also played the cough @ night, frequently sick w/congestion, albuterol, singulair, flonase, etc... game.
When he was 3, I insisted that we take him to an allergist who did a skin test and said he wasn't allergic to anything, but ordered a cocktail of medicines that effectively kept him off of antibiotics and reduced the number of incidents.
I was still unhappy with the amount of medication he was taking so I took him to a naturopath simply b/c I knew they would do what I wanted (blood test). I told her I was not interested in a large quantity of supplements. His test came back positive for a number of things including tree pollen, grass, & cat, but also significantly for egg, wheat & soy.
We took him off of egg permanently (including baked goods), but only avoid wheat & soy during allergy seasons. It has worked wonders and really helps him feel better all around. Also, he's taken some ownership and looks out for his food allergies himself. We still have flonase and albuterol for when he gets sick, but that is much less frequent (maybe 2 or 3 times a year vs. at least once a month).
Naturopaths can also muscle test instead of blood testing. Since you'll be paying out of pocket, it's less difficult to choose alternative medicine imo (since you're not getting it for free somewhere else).
I also give my son local raw honey and cod liver oil, as well as probiotics (chewable tablets essentially like the stuff in Activia).
Good luck!
It's frustrating when answers are not readily available. I can't offer any insight into the underlying issues but something that may help her rest at night is what we do when any of us have cough or congestion issues disrupting our sleep. At bedtime we use a small amount (1/4 tsp) of mentholated rub (off-brand or Vick's) on the arch of each foot and then cover with a thin sock. It's much better there than on the chest or under/in the nose like our moms used to do when we were little. Nasal membranes and eyes can be too sensitive to the menthol. Even my skeptical husband tried it and reluctantly admitted the next morning that it helped. My 8yo has croupy coughs with every cold he gets and now he asks for the "sock treatment" when he's congested or coughing. Good luck.
