Mystery Cough

When I have dairy or too much sugar, I get a post-nasal drip. Same deal: no swollen tonsils, runny nose, or other symptoms. Try eliminating dairy and avoid processed sugar for a few days to a week and see if it clears up.

I had a similar cough for about 3 years and did the same with doctors, lung specialists, etc. Went to a kinesiologist/chiropractor who said I had a fungal infection in my left lung. He treated me with a coloidal silver solution and got rid of my cough. I would recommend a kinesiologist. Hope you get relief. M.

My 12yr old son used to get the croup every year when he was younger. The only thing that seemed to work was rubbing his chest with vicks vapo rub at night before he went to bed. Wash off good before he goes out the next morning. You can also put a little vapo rub around the opening of the vaporiser at night also. I always found that a hot steam vaporizer worked better than a humidifier.

It sounds like you have looked into every possibility! Have you tried ignoring it for several months? I am an optometrist and have many parents come in with young children that "blink hard" and they are worried something is wrong with their eyes. We do a complete eye exam and if it comes out normal, I recommend they ignore it. Most kids will stop doing it. Studies have shown that something may have initially caused the behavior, then it became a habit since it attracts attention. I am just wondering if the cough is the same type of behavior. Just something to think about.

I'm 46 and I started out back along time ago with problems with allergies and I was taking allergy shots for four years & another perscription drug called seldane and I wasn't getting any better. Asthma runs in my family & I eventually went to another doctor & they did all kinds of tests and my allergy's had developed into asthma. I am now on asthma medicine as well as allergy medicine. I was told this could have been prevented. The seldane pills was washing out taking the allergy shots. I am doing fine now. You & your daughter are in my prayers.

Find a good allergist/pulmonologist. You do need to get this taken care of - your little girl will be so much happier once you get this under control!!

I can not believe I am reading this. I had to check the name to be sure this was not something I had written!!! This is my daughter EXACTLY except she is 7yrs old. I had even posted a couple weeks ago-- the DR. has decided that her cough is a habit and wanted to start her on Lexapro for anxiety. She does have asthma and is on Singular, Allegra and Asmanex daily and Xponex with nebulizer when needed. I nixed the Lexapro idea- I love my DR too, but that's where I draw the line. Normally, her cough is a wet, wheezish cough and she throws up phleam like stuff often, but this little dry barely cough is almost like she is trying to clear her throat. The acid reflux possibility has come up twice now. With all the allergies in the air her "asthma" cough is back so she is not having that habitual type cough right now. Please keep in touch and let me know what you find out....I am so glad you wrote in!

There may be something enlarged in the back of her throat that is gagging her. I read that you have had the adenoids checked, but maybe her epiglottis. You can google it to read up on the possibility, but especially since you say it happens more often when she's leaning back it sounds to me like it may be closing off the opening of her larynx causing her to cough. If this is the case, you need to have it removed because it could cause complete suffocation especially during sleep. Ask your Dr. to take a look at it and see if it is infected or enlarged for some reason. Also, if you aren't getting any answers from your general ped, take her to your local Children's hospital to talk to a childrens cardiopulminary specialist. I love my pediatrician too, but he missed a milk allergy in my infant who had stomach problems since birth and when she was 3 we took her to Children's Hospital where they diagnosed it and she hasn't had stomach problems since. The peds see so many different illnesses in a day that sometimes they just overlook things.

Im not sure if this will help you or not but my son used to wheeze a lot and the doctor told me that he had acid reflux and to give him cereal in every bottle that i gave him. so i did but nothing changed. then one day i was talking to my husbands grandma and she told me that her youngest son did that when he was a baby. they couldnt figure out what the problem was until she stopped giving him rice. after she stopped giving him rice he never wheezed again. i stopped giving my son rice and he cleared right up. So, your problem may be an allergy.

Normally I would suggest seeing your doctor, but it looks like you have been more than thorough there. : ) Maybe it is just a nervous habit. Many years ago, when my sister was about 12 she developed a habit of clearing her throat frequently. There was no medical cause and she eventually stopped when she got older. Use your good judgment as well as the doctor's advice. No one knows your child as well as you do.

I've been through all of this as well. My daughter is almost 4 and we've been doing this since almost 6 months old. she's had all kinds of tests done. We have been told asthma too, but I don't believe it either and have the nebulizer, inhalers all of that. Her's is not consistent and only happens when she gets congested. Her cough leads to vomiting due to gagging. Now I do work with a lady who does have asthma and certain smells will make her cough uncontrollably. I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions for you, but I do wish you lots of luck. I know how frustrating it is.

I'd look into food SENSITIVITY instead of food allergies. They're similar, but very different. Regular "allergy" testing does NOT detect them. Very often they are candida related, and just taking probiotics will not be enough.

If you're in the Little Rock area, call Chenal Family Practice, they're the only clinic that I know of that actually tests for sensitivities. Good luck.

Not sure what the context is of the coughing, but when my daughter was very young, she went through a phase where she would cough for attention. My niece, is 10 and still does it occasionally (although unconsciously now) just as a result of all the attention she would get..."oh no, coughing baby! poor little angel..." Even if she also coughs at night when sleeping you might consider it, b/c if she's deliberately coughing during the day, it could be irritating the lining of the throat and causing a kind of self-perpetuating cycle. If that's a possibility, not sure what you can do except to talk to her about it, at 3 though, not sure how helpful that would be. Maybe a little squirt of cloraseptic before bed time would help break the cycle??

I can relate with you....have you taken her to a "Nose,Ear & Throat " specialist? If it's post nasal drip they should be able to help. I had that about three yrs. & it drives you crazy. I got rid of mine by going to a doctor of natural medicine. Dr. Heather Walters is in Jenks w/the Jenks Health Team and does wonders....it's no more expensive than what a regular doctor. It's nice to not have the hacky cough anymore...!

I agree with some of the others, that she may be coughing now just for the attention. I went through a phase like that when I was young, and I remember it, so I know I was coughing for attention, and I would also cough when I was nervous or upset. I have to be careful, or I still catch myself coughing when I am upset. It happens most often when I have already had a cold and then I just continue coughing and it takes me forever to get rid of the cough.
Hope this helps!

Hi! It may be asthma, and the specialist is right. Not treating it is dangerous and could cause permanent damage to her lungs. Don't be so worried about the steroids. There is a misconception about inhaled corticosteroids, because of the bad reputation that anabolic steroids have. But as you can see by the name, they are different. Inhaled corticosteroids do not cause near as many problems as the other kind do. They are anti-inflammatory (anti- asthmatic) drugs that can really help people with hyper-reactive airways (asthma). You do not say how long you were giving the steroids. Please understand how they work. It takes about two weeks for you to start to notice any difference. They have to be taken long term to help, and then what they do is prevent some of the inflammation and swelling that occurs inside the airways of the lungs. This makes the airways less sensitive to the "triggers" that cause asthma attacks. What you need to do is look at common triggers to see if any of these things could be contibuting to your daughters cough. Dust, allergens such as pollen, mold, mice, cockroaches and dust mites are common household triggers. Smoking is a big trigger and should never be done around people with asthma. Other triggers include cold air, exercise, pet dander, strong emotions (like crying or laughing too hard), strong fumes, perfumes, and smog. Take a look around and see if you notice a trend in your daughters coughing. Does she always do it when she goes outside to play, or is it when she is in the house. You will have to be a bit of a detective, but if you can find her triggers and then eliminate or limit her exposure to them she will be helped. And don't give up on the corticosteroids too soon, they may be helping more than you realize. It doesn't seem like she has a respiratory infection, because the antibiotics are not making a difference. I would look further into the asthma possibility. A good website for information is lungusa.org by the American Lung Association. Check it out, you will find valuable and reliable info there. Good luck to you and your daughter. D., Registered Respiratory Therapist

How frustrating L.! My daughter suffered from something similar when she was about 5 years old and we were in and out of the doctor office every few weeks. Sometimes the doctor would not prescribe anything and then we would get home and two days later she would have bronchitis and then they had to act quick to make sure it didn't turn into pnemonia. One time we made an appointment to see the doctor and her normal doctor was not available so we agreed to see another doctor in the office. She spent a few minutes examining her and diagnosed her as having "cough variant asthma" and gave her a new inhaler (maybe Advair?) and it completely solved the problem. In fact, after battling this for years it seems like once she was diagnosed and treated that it completely went away and we have never had to buy another inhaler. I know you have already tried different inhalers and asthma meds but my suggestion is to see a different doctor. Our first pediatrician was a well known and respected one in Tulsa but I often felt like he was easily dismissing the problem and it was very frustrating, especially when she was losing so much sleep (as was the whole family!) because her cough was worse at night. You may just need a new person to check out the situation and give you a fresh perspective. My daughter had no other asthma symptoms and once I did some research I found that this cough variant asthma diagnosis was exactly what she had. Here are a few good articles to get you started in case you want to read up on cough variant asthma:

http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/cough-variant-asthma

http://www.nlhep.org/books/pul_Pre/chronic-cough.html

http://www.cfpc.ca/cfp/2002/aug/vol48-aug-cme-2.asp

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tweens/twhealth/0,,3q4p,00....

This is just my experience with a similar situation. It sounds like you have tried many different things already and I am hoping that you find something soon that works. Good luck!

L.

My 2 year old coughs instead of sneezes with allergic reactions to inhalants. We have been through many of the things that you have been through with your child. Recently, she had a rash that was diagnosed as excema. She was given a cream and Allegra. She has been on the Allegra since Easter holidays. No cough, no runny nose, nothing! Not even a rash! She takes 1/2 tsp. twice daily. I wish that we have been given Allegra sooner. It has been wonderful!

I had something similar to that a few years ago. I always had ad tickle and coughed. It wasn't a deep cough, just a tickle. My husband at the time worked 3rd shift and he always got ready for work and then when he left I went to bed. I got to where I always took Robitusin before I went to bed so I wouldn't keep myself awake coughing. Then, found out hubby was having an affair, moved out, and the coughing stopped. Then I had to wonder...was I allergic to my husband? :) Then it occurred to me that when he showered and got ready for work, he used spray deodorant. I started avoiding aerosol sprays. Lysol, certain hairsprays, certain cleaning supplies, etc. I have had no problems since. Went to get my haircut once and the hairdresser used an aerosol hairspray. Coughed for 2 weeks. Then I read in a magazine that there is a certain chemical in aerosol sprays that are a trigger for some asthma people. Don't ask me what it was...it was 4 inches long! Maybe you should try avoiding aerosols and see if that helps.

Do you have a mother or mother-in-law or sister or someone who could take her to their house for several days or a week to see if she clears up away from your house?

If she clears up when she is not in your house for a good period of time, that would suggest that you have mold or other fungi growing inside your walls or somewhere she spends a lot of time. Could be up in the vents in your ceilings or walls, could be on the inside of the drywall where it isn't even visible until you pull it open.

Many people are sickened every year by mold growing in their home. Most are not even aware that there is mold there, since it tends to grow in dark places.

If your daughter clears up when she is away from home, have a mold specialist come into your house and give it an inspection. You never know. Even the cleanest homes in the world can grow mold, so don't feel upset if you have it, it doesn't mean that you are dirty people (who cleans behind the drywall? No one!)...

Good luck to you.

Have you had her tested for TB? It has been going around in Oklahoma for a while. Also put a drop of garlic oil in each ear & see if that helps. I preferr all natural treatments.

Yes I have been through it a time or two with my 4 yr old. I would say that they are for sure giving her way to many medications. Steroids should not be used for extended periods of time like that especially if she is not responding to them. My daughter does not have asthma but has had multiple cases where we have had to use inhaled steroids for bronchial issues. There is a new inhaled solution available that worked for her the last time that she had croup. I did not hear you say anything about croup in your message. We moved from Colorado here several months ago and there it is a common problem due to the elevation. Here in TX not the case as much. Anyway she had croup again and I knew what it was as soon as she got it. If your daughter did have croup from the beginning the inhaled solutions and everything that you have given her would have cleared it up, but a cough from having it (without wheezing- if wheezing is occuring for sure go to the dr.) can last weeks after you have completed treatments. I really just got tired of giving her cough medicines and the over the counter ones did not work for her! We found one prescription cough medicine that worked and I would only give it to her at night to help her sleep while running the cool mist humdifier. I am not sure what is wrong with your daughter I am not a doctor, but I will say maybe she just needs a break from the meds to give her system time to heal. As long as she is not running a fever, cannot breath, wheezing for breath, have green/yellow mucus, or complaining about something hurting I would say let her be for a week or two. See if she heals on her own.

L.,

I fully understand your frustration and worry about pumping your child full of prescription medication not to mention all the side effects of prescriptions. We battled for years our daughter's being sick with asthma and respretory infections and using some of the same prescription medication.

We spent $400-600 a month on medications on top of doctor appointments and even ambulance rides. We came across an amazing liquid nutrition program called Vemma and the change has been absolutely AMAZING !!!! Since we put our daughter on Vemma she no longer takes any of the previous prescriptions and is in great health...this has made such a change in our family life. You can go to my website www.myvemma.com/karenivene to find out more about it and my phone number is on there if you would like to try it 100% empty bottle money back guarantee.
My best to you and your family. K. R

my 5 year old was standing around and snoring and i figured asthma so took her to the doc for 10 days of steroids.. cleared her right up so i would look into something for that also do mark out allergies and asthma a combination of the two.. she may need a pill for asthma and musiane x (spelled wrong) anyway my nephew has both and coughs this dry can get anything up kind of cough and he takes a asthma pill allergy medicine and takes breathing treatments.. also if it gets too bad fill the bathroom with steam and sit in there with her for at least 30 mins.. good luck

I know this may sound weird but many of us here in Lower alabama have had strange coughs since fall. We around here have summed most of it up to the high mold count and pine pollen count.The only thing I have found to work is a netty pot the make a version for kids and you can get one a twal-greens or other drugs for about 15 dollars. When I started using this faithfully the inhaler and steroids went out the window.

I had a friend whose son did the same thing. DRs could find no cause. She started the child on probiotics (not sure of the spelling) and digerstive enzymes and after a short while the cough went away. Turned out with all the antibiotics he had taken his system would not digest his food. thus cough from the being toxic to his foods. Just a suggest. Most health food places carry both digestive enzymes and probiotics. M. W

L.,

Here in Ok, we have had tons of this because of the dead trees lying around after the ice storms this winter. There is a mold that grows on decaying bark and as they burn the trees, the wind blows etc it is irritating to most people. I would have her x=rayed to check the size of her adnoids. When my son was 2 he would have a very distressing cough and distinct breathing pattern an it would be agrivated by wind, being outside for extended lengths of time, dust etc. Turned out his adnoids where huge. had them removed and no more problems. till now at age 8. had compacted sinusus and chronic cough, ear infections, and 3 rounds of streph. We are now having tonsils out in 3 weeks. Good luck. DOn''t stop now.

If there has been unusual stress in the home it could be an unconsious neversous tic. I had cancer 4 years ago and still have some mystery complications from treatment, etc. My son started having uncontrolled/unconsious hicups. What a painful time. we started seeing a play therapist and wow, what a difference. Don't give up, see a Pediatric infectous disease specialist, an ENT, a Allery specialist ( not just an md that does allergy work but a specialist!), keep digging, she is too little for this. A good DR will recognize the difference between a consious cough, an unconsious one and illness. good luck dear.

Does she cough anything up??? If not, it could be a habit or a way she has found to get attention. Doctors love to run the tab up even if they suspect it's nothing. You're willing to try anything and they rake in the bucks.

Just a thought. I've seen this situation a couple of times before.

Good luck!

Hi L.,

I had the same problem personally. For almost a year I had this persistant cough that would come in bouts. It sounded like I was barking (it wasn't croupy). The fits would last several minutes and would come and go. At first, I was told it was asthma because I was also wheezing. I was put on Pulmicort and later on Advair and Singulair. The wheezing would go away, but it didn't help the cough and it kept coming back. I was using saline sprays and OTC cough meds, but nothing helped. It wasn't until much later that I was told that it was Pertussis (whooping cough). I was then put on Prednisone and it went away. Did your DR explore this possibility? I know that she was already on steriods, but I would ask your DR and rule it out. I hope that you come to a conclusion soon. Good luck and God bless.

Have her blood tested for microplasma

Is the cough wet and wheezing sounding? I went through this with my son. He coughed and was sick from 3 months of age on. He was on numerous antibiotics that lasted for months at a time. We were sent to an asthma/allery doctor who put him on about 6 different medicines. He was taking breathing treatments every 4-6 hours. It was a nightmare. We just wanted him to get better. We were told that he had Reactive Airway Disease. We even had to have him tested for Cystic Fibrosis! Imagine our panic!! FInally, we were very frustrated and asked to be referred to an ENT. Our ENT was wonderful. We tried an antibiotic, but nothing helped. He finally told us that it was his adenoids and they had to come out. He was almost 2 when he had them removed. Afterwards, we were told to stop ALL medication. His adenoids were HUGE. THey were blocking everything and were coated with gunk. No medicine could penetrate it. He is 3 years old now, and he is a healthy little boy. No more meds, breathing treatments, etc. I would ask about your child's adenoids. It couldn't hurt to check on that also. If we had only known, we could have saved ourselves and our son so much misery.

I went through something very similar with my son. He is now diagnosed with asthma and allergies, but none of that medicine seemed to take care of his "tickle" in his throat. Even dried up on all the meds. I agree, the steroids are not fun and not always the best avenue. I was on many many growing up with my asthma. I know this sounds crazy, but what helped my son is MonaVie. It is 19fruits mixed into a health drink. I can't tell you how or why, but since he has started drinking it on a routine basis, he does not have that constant nagging cough. He is not excessivly tired like he had been. Don't get me wrong, he was/is very very active, but he always seemed kinda drained and if he laid his head down, he was out for a nap. It has helped me in many ways as well. Check out the website Monavie.com and do some research. It sure could not hurt to try! Feel free to contact me. I will be glad to get a bottle to you. ###-###-####

Have you tried any allergy meds? My youngest gets a horrible cough when her allergies act up - her mucus glands kick into overdrive. My suggestion might also be a systemic fungal infection - especially with all the antibiotics she's been given. A lot of docs dont give this credit, but I can tell when both my girl and I are developing one, and it causes some drainage too. you can google "candidiasis" for more info and symptoms. I also had a cough and congestion since the fall with no other syptoms. Being in treatment for breast cancer, they had to run me thru the whole regimine, including a PET scan and pulmonology tests. Nothing came up, and eventually the congestion went away. I agree with you about having to have your kid on all those meds - and steroids really are dangerous biz, and can even exasperate the issue. I know of a case where they were given improperly to a child and he developed pnemonia. He was being treated for asthma and what he really had were severe allergies. He was also around several smokers - his mother even smoked with him in the car. With the smoke cleared away and regular allergy shots, he was perfectly fine. I hope this helps :}

Give her a spoon full of Real Bee Honey one in the Morning and one in the Evening. Bee honey helps with asthma and other respiratory problems. As long as she isn'e allergic to it or has a problem while takeing it.

HEY L.!!
I want you to know that it is hard as a parent to watch your child stay on medication that may or may not work! However, my daughter went through that and come to find out that it only took me getting rid of the chemicals in my house to clear her problems up! I had always wondered when we would go to certain stores why her eyes would water and she would begin to sneeze. There was nothing around to cause it, but the fact of the cleaners they used had harsh chemicals in them! I will continue to use the products that I do that are better for my family!
Please let me know how things go!
Thanks
C. Stork
www.forourkidz.fourpointwellness.com