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Can't stop coughing



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mandr




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:12 pm
Whenever my daughter (not 4) is sick she gets a really bad cough. Due to some structural thing, her cough sounds like a barky croup cough even though she doesn't have actual croup and no breathing difficulties bh.

So now she has a slight cold but the coughing has been insane! It's awful by day and by night, but when she's in bed it's like a few times a minute! She can't fall into a deep sleep, just this fitful light sleep riddled with coughing. I tried everything I can think of: cool mist humidifier, Zyrtec, Highland's Cough and Cold, raised pillow, more drinks etc. But it's not like she needs to cough up mucus, more like a bothersome tickle that's triggering the cough.

In a way I think she can hold herself back from coughing and it's somewhat behavioral. She's coughing so much more when lying in bed, or when doing a quiet activity by herself, I.e. when she's bored and has time to focus on it.

What can I do? Is there some magic thing to try? I'm at my wit's end because this awful-sounding cough has already shot my nerves and I feel so bad for her, she can't sleep... Dr doesn't have any advice besides for what I already tried...
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giftedmom




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:17 pm
Doctor advised me to give Benadryl. Works better than mucinex.
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amother
Moonstone


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 1:17 pm
I heard that kiwi is very nourishing for the lungs
You can blend it for her to drink
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oneofakind




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:08 pm
Having a tickle in your throat that bothers you more when you don't have distractions is not behavioral. I don't know what's kosher for pesach but try a Ricola or mint kind of candy.
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anonymrs




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:38 pm
Reflux?
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:41 pm
I had this with my son, couldn't stop coughing.
We were told to try a essential oil- called cough and chest (from the health food store)

rub on chest

ask shaila about using on pesach

it worked really nicely really quickly, feel good!
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yachnabobba




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:47 pm
I have a few observations
1. Tracheomalacia/laryngomalacia can cause annoying cough in kids who aren’t terribly sick
2. Try a Vicks water free plug in humidifier
3. Benadryl can stop a cough that has a habitual component
4. An empty stomach can help
5. A pillow under the knees can help
Pm me for more ideas
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amother
Lightcyan


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:54 pm
mandr wrote:
Whenever my daughter (not 4) is sick she gets a really bad cough. Due to some structural thing, her cough sounds like a barky croup cough even though she doesn't have actual croup and no breathing difficulties bh.

So now she has a slight cold but the coughing has been insane! It's awful by day and by night, but when she's in bed it's like a few times a minute! She can't fall into a deep sleep, just this fitful light sleep riddled with coughing. I tried everything I can think of: cool mist humidifier, Zyrtec, Highland's Cough and Cold, raised pillow, more drinks etc. But it's not like she needs to cough up mucus, more like a bothersome tickle that's triggering the cough.

In a way I think she can hold herself back from coughing and it's somewhat behavioral. She's coughing so much more when lying in bed, or when doing a quiet activity by herself, I.e. when she's bored and has time to focus on it.

What can I do? Is there some magic thing to try? I'm at my wit's end because this awful-sounding cough has already shot my nerves and I feel so bad for her, she can't sleep... Dr doesn't have any advice besides for what I already tried...

This is me. The tickle is definitely a tickle, but sometimes it's not a tickle but lots of mucus. I don't know why. Maybe I should test for covid but many of DH's colleagues have had identical symptoms and progression to me and tested negative for covid. Anyways.

1. I found that when scrubbing the kitchen I hardly coughed (and not because I wasn't thinking about it, I really was), but when I went into my bedroom it got awful. On the toilet it got better, on the couch better, at the table worse. Better with open windows (there goes the dust allergy idea), worse with closed windows. Eventually I understood that dust is a trigger (I was fine and dumped out a bin of costumes which haven't been washed in ages, and started hacking away) but that wasn't the only issue so we kept looking.

We found that MOLD was a big issue. Under windowsills, over windowsills, in the corner under the living room window, on the back of a crib mattress that isn't currently in use (where'd that come from???). Now my nose is clear almost all the time but my cough persists.

2. I did an experiment and took an OTC allergy medication before Pesach. It cleared up 89-90% of my symptoms. Meaning a lot of this is allergies but not all, I guess. (Allergy meds work on a build-up basis, meaning after taking them 2 weeks straight you are in a much better position than if you took them on Sunday and Tuesday but skipped Monday.) Maybe your DC would benefit from this.

3. It is NOT behavioral. Like I said there were clear triggers. Even though it was chol hamoed DH stripped all the beds and suddenly I and some of the kids were breathing better. (We didn't manage to switch the sheets erev chag and I figured no biggie because everyone's sheets were changed recently enough.)

4. If she is lying in bed then of course she coughs more. You always cough more lying down.

I really don't know what this is but refuah shleima to your daughter and please understand that whatever this is, it is miserable, miserable, miserable. Two of my kids are starting to sound like me and hack away, I am taking them in and hopefully the pedi can do something. (I didn't take myself in yet because I figured there's nothing to do....but my kids I take in.)
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amother
Lightcyan


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:54 pm
yachnabobba wrote:
I have a few observations
1. Tracheomalacia/laryngomalacia can cause annoying cough in kids who aren’t terribly sick
2. Try a Vicks water free plug in humidifier
3. Benadryl can stop a cough that has a habitual component
4. An empty stomach can help
5. A pillow under the knees can help
Pm me for more ideas

Empty stomach absolutely helps but if you do that for a week, you get pretty weak and tired...
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ectomorph




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 2:55 pm
It's not behavioral. She may need a surgical fix.
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amother
Azalea


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 3:39 pm
Did you try a nose frida? My daughter coughs when she has the slightest amount of mucus in her throat.

I got the Braun nosal aspirator (it's made better than the nose frida that broke very quickly). And multiple times a day we use it to suck everything out of her nose. It definitely helps her.
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amother
Yellow


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:19 pm
Are you sure it's not asthma? Some kids have asthma that presents as coughing, not wheezing, especially at night. Have you tried Albuterol twice a day? It was a lifesaver for my DD. I never realized it was asthma until someone mentioned it to me.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:21 pm
amother Yellow wrote:
Are you sure it's not asthma? Some kids have asthma that presents as coughing, not wheezing, especially at night. Have you tried Albuterol twice a day? It was a lifesaver for my DD. I never realized it was asthma until someone mentioned it to me.


That's what it sounds like to me. I would get thay short barking cough trom asthma after a cold every time and needed to use my nebulizer regularly for this. Rarely had asthma issues from anything else.
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amother
Oak


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:51 pm
Try an air purifier. And also a nebulizer.
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mandr




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:56 pm
Dr said albuterol won’t help if she’s not wheezing. And she isn’t wheezing bh. And it hasn’t helped when I tried in the past.

Empty stomach seems to be worse because her main coughing is not during the day when she’s eating on and off. It’s still there but not as terrible during the day.

She had a vocal cord inflammation that gets worse when she’s sick with an UR virus and this has been confirmed by an ENT when they did a scope.

Is there such a thing as asthma that only presents with a cold? It doesn’t look like reactive airway my other two got with illnesses (that came with wheezing).

And yes I keep her nose clean every hour or so with saline irrigation and aspiration. Can’t do much at night though!

Anyone give cough meds to 4 year old? Dr wasn’t a fan but the bottles say 4+… so I’m undecided.
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amother
Peachpuff


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:57 pm
This was my dd and she was diagnosed with viral induced asthma. She is on asthma meds/inhaler which really helped.
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mandr




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 4:59 pm
amother Peachpuff wrote:
This was my dd and she was diagnosed with viral induced asthma. She is on asthma meds/inhaler which really helped.


My dr only gave asmanex to my others when they needed steroids and albuterol too many times. He claims coughing alone isn’t asthma
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amother
Steel


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 5:07 pm
IME, cool air humidifiers are worthless. I've seen great results with warm air humidifiers used through the night.

To use properly, clean out once a week with vinegar to prevent mold growth. Ventilate the room during the day, open windows, keep door open.

Also harmless enough to try, a cut up onion near her bed. New freshly cut up onion every night before going to sleep.

After trying both of these for a week, you should see improvement.
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amother
Canary


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 5:15 pm
When my son was 2 1/2 he developed an asthmatic cough whenever he had a cold. It was worst at night. The pediatrician put him on steroids. I took him to a pediatric pulmonologist who said that a better idea than steroids would be to give him singulair. He started that and the cough greatly improved. He still needed asthma medicine once in a while but no steroids and no more scary cough.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Mon, Apr 10 2023, 5:19 pm
It can be asthma with just the cough. Maybe go to pulmonologist for help with this.
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