Coughing - Reston,VA

I would definitely see another doctor just to get a second opinion. My sister's kids had lots and lots of coughs and it ended up being asthma/allergies. Granted, their both completely manageable, but if you don't know about the conditions, you don't know how to treat it.

My daughter had the same issue for 6 months til she was finally diagnosed with asthma. I would see the pediatrician or an allergist and request a trial of asthma meds/ allergy meds.

Hi D.,

I think you are smart to have taken up the carpet. Did anything change last August when the cough began? a move to a new house? weaning? new pet? new foods?

Does she run a fever? I would expect a fever with an infection; if she doesn't have one i would suspect allergies.

I would try an allergist or some sort of holistic doctor who is willing to look beyond the obvious. I'm thinking maybe a dairy allergy, causing post-nasal drip, which in turn can cause the cough? maybe reflux? I've heard that can cause sore throat, so it doesn't seem too far a stretch for it to cause a cough. But bear in mind i am not a doctor; just some thoughts after reading about allergies.

Make sure your humidifiers don't have mold.

Good luck, and let us know what happens!

K. Z.

You have gotten many good responses.
I'd defintely look for another Dr. Throwing antibiotics at this so often and without sufficient evidence is not good medicine.
This could be a food allergy. Common allergens are: dairy, wheat, corn, soy, shellfish, nuts. Blood or hair testing is best.
I'd concur that a naturpath and an acupuncturist or chiropractor can help your child.
There are homeopathic remedies that have no side effects that can help.
Lemon juice in water or tea helps to cut mucus.
If you need a referral to a wholistic practitioner in your area, please feel free to contact me, I know many in MD,DC, and VA.
Best to you,
L. M

First, you need to write all her symptoms in a diary. Even symptoms you dont think are related. Is she fussy, hard to get to sleep, does her poo smell, any dark circles under eyes, rashes or itchy skin, etc.

Next, you might find that a naturopath might be more helpful. Standard med docs are not good for much.

also, consider an accupuncturist, (ask on the board here) many people claim they cure a vast array of problems.

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a bacterial infection that can last 6-12 months. Most kids are vaccinated for it. I dont know if the live virus is in the vaccine and if it can be transmitted. I do know that the vaccine wears off after about 8 yrs. Me and hubby both had it for 9 months- but kids got it slightly for only a few weeks, they had been vaccinated. Antibiotics only work if you get them in the first few weeks of ilness, otherwise it must take its course. Symptoms are: a seemingly normal person, then suddenly a long string of coughs - to the point where the person runs out of air, and feels like they are gasping. There is a "hoop" sound when the person tries to breathe in after the coughing jag. otherwise the person looks normal.There may be some urine leakage.

Parasitic worms can cause coughing, they can migrate to the lungs. No- parasites are not rare in america!- my 45 yr old freind just got diagnosed with hookworm. Hookworm can enter the foot through infected soil.
Roundworm (several different kinds) can cause coughing. Stool tests can look for the worms and eggs.

Magnesium deficiency can cause recurrent soft tissue infection on the lung/sinus/throat/vagina. (by the way, an upper respiratory tract infection usually connotates a sinus, nose, larnyx or pharnyx infection- commonly from group A strep, or a virus). Many sinus infections are fungal in nature.
Xylitol may help with fungal sinus issues .

More possiblities:
Cystic fibrosis,
renal failure,
bacterial , viral or fungal pneumonia or infection,
congenital herpes,
Cholesterol metabolism condition
Allergies to bird/cat/rodents/cockroach feces
inhaling bromates in a hot tub that has not been properly Ph balanced-dirty
Pesticide poisoning
sarcoidosis
epiglottitis
Eosinophilic asthma - white blood cells in the airways
(ps- the word "asthma" simply means inflammed breathing tubes. A cough with wheezing on exhale is "asthma" - ascarias worms can be one cause)
food allergy, food additives
GERD
Stridor is harsh breathing on inhaling- swelling of upper airways- usually viral

a half T Tumerick in a cup of milk is suppose to help coughs.
A good form of magnesioum to try is babycalm or kidcalm- both found online. or also online- magnesium oil which is rubbed on the skin.

D.,

You might want to take her to a respiratory specialist and have her checked for asthma, which may be triggered by allergies. Allergies to dust mites, molds, pet dander, etc. often cause chronic coughing (been there, done that!)

Elisabeth

See an Ears, Nose, and Throat Doc - could be allergies.

Sorry to hear about this. I just wanted to agree with some poster's suggestion of going to a different doctor or demanding to see a specialist. In college I was told I had bronchitis for a year. Turns out it was allergy induced asthma.

ALLERGIES! That was me at that age too. Its also my daughter. She was prescribed an allergy med and it cleared her up in a day. I just learned this too, just because there is yellow or green in the mucus does not necessarily mean infection! It could still be just allergies. Get a second opinion and possibly switch doctors. Obviously that doctors plan of action isn't working. If he/she isn't willing to think outside the "box" so to speak, you need to move on. Good luck!!

D.:

It could be allergies, especially if she coughs more after drinking milk.

If it was yellow, I would agree with the Dr - but it's not, an infection is yellow or green - not clear. You have to be your daughter's advocate. DEMAND that the dr do some tests and QUIT giving your daughter antibiotics that are obviously not working.

Ask to see a pulmonologist. Get to the bottom of this.

Make sure that you have your daughters bed cleaned - sheets, pillows, stuffed animals, drapes, etc. Take the mattress and vacuum it - I use a combination of salt and baking soda (let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes) and then vacuum up. Change the sheets on her bed - when you wash - use HOT water and HOT drier - this kills the dust mites.

I hope this helps!

Cheryl

Get another pediatrician. I wouldn't be happy with this answer either, and they aren't supposed to get cough syrup (I'm assuming over the counter stuff) at this age anyway. At the very least get another opinion. Good luck.

I had recently had a terrible cough that would not go away. I finally went to a pulmanologist and was diagnosed with asthma. I never really felt out of breath or had wheezing but the cough would not go away. Ask your doctor about having your daughter tested for asthma.

Do you know if your home has had water damage? Our daughter had one respiratory infection after another until we moved out of a water damaged house (we were fortunate that we didn't own the house and could move). Anyway, the infections started when we moved in and stopped when we moved out four months later. (Ages 7 to 10 months) She has not had an infection since (more than a year). We thought she might have a mold allergy, but she tested negative for mold. Apparently, children don't have to be allergic to mold to suffer respiratory effects from water damaged houses. It's more complicated than that. Here's a very informative piece from the World Health Organization:
http://www.euro.who.int/document/E92645.pdf

A couple of other thoughts:
It sounds like your baby produces a lot of mucus? Some children produce a lot of mucus in reaction to certain foods, particularly cows milk. There's some link between mucus and recurrent respiratory infections. Also, one of our doctor's theories was food allergy, but that didn't turn out to be the problem in our case.

These are some treatments we used when the baby was ill that seemed to help:
--Nebulizer
--Regularly suctioning mucus out through her nose
--Doing percussion on her back (a doctor can teach you this, if they recommend it)

Also, see another doctor. We went to three in the end. Now, thankfully she is growing and healthy again!

Good luck!

My daughter over the last two years started developing a cough that would take weeks to months to clear. At first I would think she had a cold and the cough was left over. But ultimately I realized that she had developed some allergies that are relatively minor (my sons are severe, and with my daughter you would barely notice) she really was just sniffly sometimes. But the accumulation of the drainage seems to give her a wicked cough that doesn't go away. She definitely seems to be seasonally affected but animals do it too. We use zyrtec (when allergy season is at it's worse or when I notice her "sniffing up". And we use a nasal spray too (flonase). Your daughter is a bit younger (mine is almost 8). But I would ask doc about nasal spray and/or zyrtec or benadryl. Good luck. Oh and when my daughters cough is on. I give her a teaspoon of honey and it seems to soothe it just as well as any cough medicine if not better.

Definitely have her seen by an allergist. Chronic cough is not normal and could be asthma. You may not hear wheezing just a constant cough (especially at night/bedtime) and worse during certain times of year. If her smaller airways are inflamed there can be just a cough and no wheezing. A couple of treatments (i'm guessing Albuterol) won't always help. The inflammation has to be reduced which takes a different medicine (pulmicort, flovent,etc.).

Both my children have asthma. My youngest hospitalized 3 times with it. My oldest son's only symptom was a chronic cough. Get her checked. Good luck.

I agree with the other moms that you should consider taking her to another Dr., one who LISTENS to you. You're her mom and you know her best. Moms know when something isn't quite right with their kids so the Dr. should be listening to YOU since YOU are the expert on your child. That being said, have you discussed the possibility that this is a reflux problem? Often reflux manifests itself in a cough. There are often no other signs. It happened to a friend of mine. The Dr. first thought it was asthma and allergies and those meds didn't work. They tried a reflux med and poof, no more coughing. He then grew out of it and is a happy, healthy 6 year old.

Of course it can be allergies. I've had allergies my whole life. Each person develops allergies at different times in a different rate so you never know.

Good luck!

As I've heard others mention my first thought was allergies. My son had the same problem (he's almost 3) ... they put him on singulair and within a week the cough was gone.
I know it's hard as a mom ... we believe that drs know best and tend to bow to their knowledge. HOWEVER, they are human too and often times spread thin (depending on the practice). If changing peds is an option you may think about it ... if not, I would be more interactive with the appts. He says antibiotics ... ask why he thinks RI ... suggest allergies/reflux/whatever and ask him his thoughts on why or why not. Push issues you feel strongly about until you get answers you're willing to accept.
Personal experience ... I took my 6wo daughter 4 times (once to the ER) because I thought she had an ear infection ... fever, tugging at her ear to the point she scratched it and made it bleed, screaming all night long ... they said she had a cold plain and simple -- her ears were FINE ... the 5th appt was because her ear drum had ruptured. I will NEVER again be a passive player in her appts. We don't have an option to change peds so I have to grin and bear it BUT I am now the "3yo" who constantly asks "why".

I would go see a different Dr. I am not an expert but I would be very upset with our pediatrician if my little one had a cough that was not going away and not being taken seriously. Try to get another opinion and push for something else to be done since the antibiotic is obviously not working. Good luck!

Could she be reacting to scents or fumes, i.e. air fresheners, perfume, cleaning products? Since you are open to considering environmental causes, you might want to try getting all the chemicals out of the home. Contact me if you'd like more info. Good luck!
saferforyourhome.com

I'm so sorry you are suffering through the frustration of "not knowing". As a mom of four, I have found the best thing I can do for my kids is give them the best nutrition to "feed" their immune system, and let their body do the job it is supposed to do.(i.e. fight off the cough, whether it is from food allergies or airborne allergies, asthma, etc.) Allergies are the first sign of a weakened immune system. Here is a link to the vitamins I trust to have exactly what they say they do in them, and nothing harmful.
http://shop.usana.com/shop/cart/ProductDetails?ProductID=...

I also agree with the other moms; find a new doctor. It is a hard thing to do, but well worth it. Find other moms who have the same ideas/goals for health care as you, find out who they recommend, and then give it a test run.

Good luck!

S. SAHWM of four