Hi :) I have a 4 1/2 month old daughter who is having some coughing/congestion issues. I am calling the dr on Monday but I was looking for some advice before I did. I took her in for her 4 month checkup almost two weeks ago and told him about these symptoms. She coughs quite a bit - at times it seems like she's having a hard time breathing. Very congested.. I asked him about the possibility of allergies & he said that was probably the case and he wasn't going to do anything besides let her change with the seasons. I mentioned the breathing issue & he said once she "looks sick" or it starts waking her up then maybe he'll do Benadryl but that would "hype her up" in his words. Well, last night she was up for 4-5 hours coughing/breathing hard/congested as hell. Does this sound like allergies.. or maybe a cold.. or maybe asthma related? She has never had a temperature and really never looks "sick".. She'll look frustrated at times with the cough and get red faced, etc.. but that's as far as it's gone. What should I tell the dr monday when I call?
Well we just got home from the doctor. She at first thought asthma or virus. She had me do a breathing treatment on her & she also swabbed for RSV. RSV test came back negative & she said the breathing treatment didn't make enough difference to have me do them at home.. So basically we're back to square one. She said she thought my daughter has a virus and there's really not much they can do...
What happened #2. My husband took her to a pediatric allergist today. He was told she has acid reflux & a mild case of asthma. Thanks everyone!! She's got meds now and will be better soon! :o)
Have you tried using a vaporizer in her room? I live by those. Do you have animals in the home? If so, she could be allergic. You can do an allergy test to see if/what she is allergic to. My children are doing the same thing but they have colds. The vaporizer has been helping them a lot in the past couple weeks.
No this isn't allergies. She probably has a virus, perhaps RSV, or the coughing fits could be pertussis too. I wouldn't wait till Monday. I'd take her to the ER today. If she can't breath, I'm sure she's not feeding well either which leads to dehydration very quickly in an infant. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon. (oh and dump your pediatrician too)
A vaporizer may help, and I've known a number of families who have gotten good results through naturopathic practitioners. They have alternative means of treatment besides pharmaceuticals, and are less hobbled by seeing drugs as the only answer. Homeopathy also works well for me, and helped my daughter when I first discovered it in her teens.
You'll probably be advised to put Vicks on your daughter. Be very cautious if you try this. Studies have shown that for many kids, menthol and similar vapors can actually increase congestion.
Do your best to keep dust and chemicals away from your daughter, especially her bed. Scented detergents and fabric softeners contain irritants and toxins, and can be hard on breathing. Air fresheners and antibacterial cleaners also. I get asthma whenever I've been exposed to fresh fabric softeners on people's clothing.
My first instinct - get a new pediatrician!
I didn't think environmental allergies presented this young. Is she formula fed? Could it be a milk allergy? Could it be RSV? I really have no idea. It just doesn't sound like this doctor is taking your concerns serious enough. Is there another doctor in the practice you could see? I've found that they all seem to have their own philosophies so you have to find the one that meshes with your ideologies and instincts.
my son started this at 3 months. He had bronchiolitis which is asthma related. I had to take him in every week or 2 for a nebulizer treatment. I don't know why the dr didn't prescribe one for him at home but we didn't get a nebulizer until he was 8 or 9 years old and that doctor couldn't believe he didn't have one already. He had that cough for over a year when he was a baby, then when he got older seemed to have wheezing and coughing in the fall and spring. Now he is 18 and hasn't had any asthma issues for about 6 years.
ok after reading your follow up.. I would find another doctor. Saying that because one breathing treatment didn't do much isn't much help. Sometimes it takes a day or 2 to notice a difference. Sometimes you notice right away. Suppressant cough syrups are not good so don't give any cough syrups. Surprised they didn't tell you to use zyrtec. benydryl is good for runny noses and helps keep the congestion down. If you do decide to try benedryl don't give more than 1/4 tsp.
If he is rattling in his chest he needs to go to the doctor. If your current doctor doesn't do anything then see another one and try to find one that specializes in asthma. Dr Dattel at KC Pediatrics is a great doctor that seems to specialize in asthma. He was the first one that had my kids do a breathing test at one of their regular physicals when I mentioned that they cough during typical allergy seasons.
If he is coughing and rattling to the point of having a hard time breathing, don't hesitate to go to the ER even. An asthma attack isn't something to mess with and is very scary. Luckily my kids had mild cases but I still had to go to the ER a few times with oldest when he was really wheezing and having a hard time breathing.
Doctors should always treat breathing issues seriously in kids. She probably should have a nebulizer and medicine to go in it, so you can give her a breathing treatment at home. Until then, you can get Vicks Vapo Steam at most any CVS or Walmart. Put it in a hot steam humidifier and it should help her cough. You can also get the shower tabs, toss it in the shower, turn it on hot and sit in the bathroom with her. That helps.
Twist his arm though for the nebulizer :)
She may have asthma - I would check with a specialist.
My Peds advice me not to give any cough syrup ,even over the counter cough syrupss to kids less then 5 yrs of age..I used to give my kids the following given method which will always be very effective for them,Try it & I hope effective for your little one too
Warm up half teaspoon of honey please be careful it SHOULD NOT be HOT,,then sprinkle very very little pinch of salt & pepper in it (sounds crazy but its very effective) & give her 3-6 times a day specially at night & in the morning when she wake up.
At night I used to apply vicks on the neck & try to keep that area warm ,it will minimize her cough at night,
Try it I hope better for your little one
Could be a lot of things. As long as the cough is not a barking cough, it's not croup. (If it is, hold her in the bathroom and run a hot shower - the warm steam helps.) Could be allergies - a vaporize CAN help but you have to be careful that it doesn't increase mold growth, which causes allergies (yeah, vicious circle, I know). You have to clean the vaporizer well. You could prop up the head-end of her mattress a little at night so she's a big slanted. You could throw drugs at her like Benadryl but that's not solving anything. I have friends whose kids had problems - one friend has 2 daughters with asthma (one also had a heart condition so every asthma attack put her in the hospital). Another friend's son had pneumonia-like symptoms over a long period of time - sick 3 weeks out of 4, on the nebulizer constantly (and they hated those chemicals in it but didn't know what else to do). Then they found out about a phenomenal children's supplement developed and manufactured by the same scientist who helped develop ProSoBee infant formulas - it changed their lives. Their son no longer even gets colds, and their 2nd child (who got the nutrition as a pre-natal and then through breast milk until she could take it on her own) has never been sick. So you could go the whole-food supplement route. Couldn't hurt, could change your life. Let me know if you want more nutritional info - I have been trained extensively in this and can give you more details.
