Slache Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 He's been coughing a few times every 30 seconds to minute in a half for the past 2 days. We've given cough drops and cough medicine as per doctors orders, tea, lots of fluids. He can't sleep, he's exhausted. He's 4. What do I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Have you tried honey (raw, organic)? Some people say that really helps them. Or whatever the child equivalent is to Delsym (not sure if they have child kind, but it is effective)? Hoping he gets over this soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Did the doctor say what could be the cause? Could it be hay fever? Is it a dry cough or phlegm cough? ETA: weird as it is, taking a break from cough medicine helps for me if I had taken cough medicine for a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Have you tried honey (raw, organic)? Some people say that really helps them. Or whatever the child equivalent is to Delsym (not sure if they have child kind, but it is effective)? Hoping he gets over this soon! Yes, no change. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Did the doctor say what could be the cause? Could it be hay fever? Is it a dry cough or phlegm cough? ETA: weird as it is, taking a break from cough medicine helps for me if I had taken cough medicine for a few days. No, phlegm, we'll keep that in mind, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Depends on what the cough is like, but steamy shower? Vick's ( plug-in is nice)? Sleep with two pillows? Sorry for your little guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather7 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Can you get him to drink a warm tea? We make tea (herbal or whatever you think he would like) and mix in a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and raw honey (enough to help youngsters drink it). Our 4-yr-old will drink it with a straw if he gets a cough. Helps reduce coughing and also breaks up congestion if that develops. On a side note, there is an atypical whooping cough that doesn't have the "whoop"; more of a prolonged irritating cough. Feel for your little guy either way. That has to be hard on him (and you). If you have Vicks, put it on his feet at night with socks. If you prefer not to use a petroleum based product, you can melt coconut oil and mix in some drops of essential oils that will accomplish the same (lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, others...). Aura Cacia makes a mix called First Response that we will use on their feet, chest, & necks. Hope you find something that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 This was me recently. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with cough-variant asthma. (Didn't even know there was such a thing) I got an inhaler, and have been MUCH better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Can you get him to drink a warm tea? We make tea (herbal or whatever you think he would like) and mix in a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and raw honey (enough to help youngsters drink it). Our 4-yr-old will drink it with a straw if he gets a cough. Helps reduce coughing and also breaks up congestion if that develops. On a side note, there is an atypical whooping cough that doesn't have the "whoop"; more of a prolonged irritating cough. Feel for your little guy either way. That has to be hard on him (and you). If you have Vicks, put it on his feet at night with socks. If you prefer not to use a petroleum based product, you can melt coconut oil and mix in some drops of essential oils that will accomplish the same (lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, others...). Aura Cacia makes a mix called First Response that we will use on their feet, chest, & necks. Hope you find something that works. I will do the ACV & lemon juice with honey. Thanks. We do put Vicks on our feet at night. Thanks. I need to make a list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Albuterol is the only thing that helps here when we get to that point, but we're asthmatics....my other tips are: Epsom salt bath....magnesium is a smooth muscle relaxant. acv + lemon juice + honey slippery elm and horehound are the natural cough drops that I tend to buy For a dry cough I diffuse eucalyptus, peppermint, and thyme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 My first thought was cough variant asthma, too. A virus can really make that flare up. DS was 4 when we found out about his cough variant asthma - which started as part of an illness (pneumonia after a virus). What helps here (and has been mentioned above): the nebulizer with albuterol; steamy shower (or just sit in the bathroom while the shower runs); humidifier. But our choices are limited due to asthma. It could be that he needs an inhaler to get through this illness, but won't have asthma permanently. I often need an inhaler when sick, my doc calls it in. Other than that - no inhaler for me. If he's coughing this much, you might want to check with the doc - they can check his pulse ox (do you have a unit at home? We check at home, and want to see a blood oxygen over 95). I always worry about oxygen levels. If you think there's any chance it might be turning into pneumonia, he might need a chest x-ray. :( DS had his first round of pneumonia at 4, and I worry any time there's lots of coughing. Hoping he feels better soon, and you all get some rest! Oh... What about Sinupret? I've not used it, but have heard good things about it. Something to try. Amazon has it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 My vote is that his airways have become "reactive." Take him to the pediatrician, describe the symptoms, and ask for an inhaler or (because he's so small) nebulizer treatment plan. You don't have to use steroids or albuterol--there are alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Our son was coughing a ton (and seemed fine otherwise)... turned out he had a sinus infections (post nasal drip, so we couldn't tell. No fever). Antibiotics cleared it right up and the coughing went away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'll second (third, fourth?) Vicks on the feet. It actually works. Even my highly skeptical BIL tried it, after much eye rolling, and declared himself converted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'll second (third, fourth?) Vicks on the feet. It actually works. Even my highly skeptical BIL tried it, after much eye rolling, and declared himself converted. Yes, we put Vicks on all of our lymph nodes. Neck, armpits, feet. We're all quite sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thinking of you and your kiddo, and hoping that you'll get some rest tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krsmom Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'd research cough variant asthma and then make a DR. appt. armed with that info. It was the only thing that helped my child (albuterol and steroids). I do hope you find a solution soon, it is heartbreaking to see a little one go through this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thank you all. We threw everything we could at him and he's coughing once every 10 minutes. We'll go to the doctor if he doesn't get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 cough drops really don't do much, except coat the throat to keep you swallowing so you theoretically won't cough. is this associated with a virus - or allergen? how bad is the cough? a frequent light cough is generally one that is tiresomely unproductive, a frequent deep cough is a bigger concern. as for cough syrup . . . seriously depends upon what is in it. (and the cause of the cough) I rarely have better results with rx cough syrup than other methods. how do his lungs sound? (and has the dr actually listened to him?) does he have acid reflux? (yep - it can cause frequent coughing) he doens't have to "feel" like he has heartburn to actually have heartburn. for a 'general' virus related cough that simply won't go away- I use sudefed (the one behind the counter) to dry up the drainage, musinx to thin it, and lbruprophen to reduce tissue inflamation. and lots and lots and lots and lots of water. no dairy, as it affects mucus. I do not use premade "Mixes" cold remedys. I need to tailor mine, and I almost always have better results. eta: someone mentioned vicks. sounds wierd -but put it on the bottom of the feet. it works. I'd forgotten about that. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Have you tried doing a saline rinse of his sinuses? I know at 4 that can be hard but it works wonders on me and the kids to sooth a cough. I do them a few times a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I have occasionally had success with Benedryl when a cough wouldn't let me sleep; this worked when I had the flu. I agree with the others about talking to a doctor about asthma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 cough drops really don't do much, except coat the throat to keep you swallowing so you theoretically won't cough. is this associated with a virus - or allergen? how bad is the cough? a frequent light cough is generally one that is tiresomely unproductive, a frequent deep cough is a bigger concern. as for cough syrup . . . seriously depends upon what is in it. (and the cause of the cough) I rarely have better results with rx cough syrup than other methods. how do his lungs sound? (and has the dr actually listened to him?) does he have acid reflux? (yep - it can cause frequent coughing) he doens't have to "feel" like he has heartburn to actually have heartburn. for a 'general' virus related cough that simply won't go away- I use sudefed (the one behind the counter) to dry up the drainage, musinx to thin it, and lbruprophen to reduce tissue inflamation. and lots and lots and lots and lots of water. no dairy, as it affects mucus. I do not use premade "Mixes" cold remedys. I need to tailor mine, and I almost always have better results. eta: someone mentioned vicks. sounds wierd -but put it on the bottom of the feet. it works. I'd forgotten about that. . Virus. We all have it, but he's the only one coughing so frequently, so I do want to have him tested. It rotates between light and deep. Thank you for the advice. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 A couple of my kids and I require albuterol for the cough associated with a cold. For such a little guy, they can give a mask or nebulizer to make it easier to get the albuterol into him. If he is wheezing at all, I'd ask for albuterol. If it's from post nasal drip, a steroid nasal spray can fix that. One of my boys walked around doing little throat clearing coughs frequently for a while, and when I asked the doctor, she gave us the nasal spray, which helped quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 When DD was small, we had this problem on a recurring basis. For DD, the cough was a sign that a sinus infection had developed-again. Your poor baby! I hope that he feels better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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