My 3 yo daughter came down with a nasty cold lin the last week and a half. I didn't really think much of it, and have just been treating her symptoms for comfort. (Vicks, honey, warm tea, etc.)
However last night I noticed that once in a while, when she was inhaling after coughing, she had a whooping noise. My mind immediately jumped to pertussis... I spent the night and today listening for it, and she did it a couple more times... But it definitely wasn't the "norm" with her coughing. More like whooping once for every 6-7 coughing "fits." These fits are also pretty mild, and have been decreasing in secerity and frequency.
When I first thought of the possibility of pertussis, I googled it and found that there is typically a one to two week "incubation" period, followed by a long spell of severe sickness... But my DD seems to have gotten quite a bit better in the last couple of days. (Only coughing once or twice in an hour, not acting like she feels sick at ll, no fever, when her nose runs it is clear...) I was considering sending her back to school tomorrow (she didn't go at all last week) but the more I think about it the more I think I should take her to the doctor tomorrow, just in case. My DD HAS been vaccinated, so I feel like it is possible that she has a very mild case, and I don't want to risk her getting other kids sick. (I have been sick all week too, and it is one of the crappier colds I have experienced... So if my DD has it I will know to stay home from MY classes as well!)
Of course, I may be overthinking this... Which is why I'm on here asking for your opinions. Lol. If it wasn't for hearing my DD whoop a couple of times, I would just consider this a nasty cold... But those whoops have me nervous...
So, did your kiddo ever get a whoop when inhaling after coughing and it was NOT pertussis? We both have had sore throats as well, but her glands were not visibly swollen (no rash or anything abnormal that I could see, either...)
I will take her to the doctor tomorrow regardless... But I still would like opinions.
After looking up Croup, the symptoms sound EXACTLY right, but her coughing didn't sound bark-y at all... Normal cough, with the whoop on the inhale... But her coughing fits were no where NEAR as bad as pertussis is supposed to be.
*robin, I have a 3 year old vaccinated child who has had what I thought to be a regular cold for a week and a half, and has been getting BETTER in the last couple of days, but started whooping occasionally LAST NIGHT... I'm sorry, but I don't haul my kid to the doctor for every sniffle... And you will note that I sought advice the day after she acquired a new symptom, which happens to be a Sunday when the doctors office is closed anyway. You should also note that I already stated that she is going to the doctor tomorrow. Which is the first day the office is open after suspecting pertussis.
The whoop is a deep breath after lots of coughing since they have a hard time catching their breath.
A barky cough is a different sound - like a seal bark - and if it's croup the throat opening can narrow and they'll have a hard time getting any air in.
A steamy bathroom or a humidifier can help.
I'd see the dr just for peace of mind.
My daughter was diagnosed with whooping cough last year. I took her to the doctor because her cough was bad enough to keep her up all night long despite giving her cough medicine. Luckily the doctor heard a wheeze and prescribed an antibiotic for what he originally diagnosed as bronchitis. Two days later he called back and said she tested positive for pertussis and our whole family had to go on an antibiotic (zpack). The whooping sound did not start until several days after she had already started the antibiotic though. Her cough lasted for about 100 days which is what the doctor told us. (FYI... My daughter was vaccinated).
I think you are smart for taking her to the doctor.
Of course. It's called Croup. Google it. It has a seal like bark cough. It occurs mostly at night or with exposure to night time air. At least that's when I always got it when I was a kid.
It's not a big deal, really. It's one of those things kids can get.
Here's a link that explains it well but please google it for yourself to make sure you have enough knowledge to make an informed decision about taking her to the doc.
There are also some youtube videos of kids with croup. This might show you if it's similar or not.
I would probably take her in for my own peace of mind, if it were me.
But I did want to ask for clarification: Is she "whooping" when she inhales, or is she "barking" when she is coughing (exhale)? There is a difference. Whooping is also not the same thing as wheezing (which can be asthma).
Whooping is on the inhale at the end of a coughing fit; wheezing is the sound when exhaling through narrowed airways, and barking is the exhalation/coughing through inflamed voicebox or upper trachea.
Barking does sound JUST LIKE a seal (and that's a sign of croup). If she is making noises when trying to inhale, then I would take her in.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/eyes/childs_cough.html
(Sorry to keep adding.. but wanted to clarify. Just making noises during the inhalation doesn't mean that it is pertussis. It could also be stridor, which is difficulty inhaling due to swollen trachea or larynx. And that needs treatment ASAP. When she inhales, if the muscles/skin across her ribs or neck pull in, then that is something you need to take seriously.
My son had croup every winter until he was about 5 years old. It can be scary. But mostly happens at night (the barky cough). Thankfully, as bad as his bark was, he did not develop stridor and didn't need any emergency treatment. Cold night air works well for croup. We never had any luck with steamy bathrooms.
Re-reading your post, you indicated that she is making the noise at the end of a coughing fits and on the inhale. I would take her in.)
yes-go to the doctor-she probably has a secondary, bacterial infection-which is my way of saying, what are you waiting for? I literally ended a sentence in a preposition, I am so upset. You, by your own admission, have a vaccinated baby with a cough that you feel sounds as though it may be "whooping cough" (which, I doubt) and a week and a half later she has not been seen-am I correct? Sadly, medicine is not always 100%; one will most likely not always present with every, single... symptom.
This is going around! All my kids have had it in the past couple of months and it lasts a LONG TIME. Two of mine are still gasping and wheezing and waking at night like they're choking. Sometimes they would puke when the whooping coughs would freak them out with all the gasping...sigh. Soooooo many people here have had it too. It will pass. The doctor gave them some medicine, but it didn't help much, we pretty much waited it out.
Croup. Sounds like a seal.
It could be just a nasty cold. There is one going around here and the cough is nasty, nasty. Our family had it and friends at the same daycare also had it, which turned into pneumonia with their little one. For that reason, I would be more worried about pneumonia settling in as a secondary infection, esp with a cough that goes on and on. Symptoms can be mild in certain cases.
Just to be safe, I would just run it by the doctor to be safe. Hope she and you feel better very soon!
Croup is likelier than pertussis, if she's had the DTP. I'd honestly recommend getting her checked out, even if you're not the "take her in at every sign of a sniffle" type.
Take her to the Doctor.
To get a definitive and proper diagnosis.
And if she is still stick don't send her to school.
My son had Croup once.
And it also went into his eyes. Conjunctivitis from the Croup.
Complications can happen.
I did not send my son back to school until he was normal.
I got a Doctor's note.
Then per various illnesses, a child depending on age, will display different symptoms, than say an adult.
In my State, a baby died, from Pertussis. The parents thought it was just a bad cold. But it was not. It was Pertussis.
In my State, there is also Strep and the Flu going around.
