Allergy induced cough

[KrystalS]

DD has really bad fall allergies. It has been really windy here and it is making her allergies act up. She takes Zyrtec and Singular. She has had a really bad cough for the last 2 weeks. No other symptoms, just the cough. I know there are lots of moms on here that deal with the same issues so I wanted to ask, when do you take them back to the doctor?

I've had several people comment about her cough, telling me I need to take her to the doctor because I have a newborn in the house. I guess a lot of people are being cautious because of the whooping cough outbreaks. I really don't think she has whooping cough but she does sound bad. I'm having to get her cough syrup at night and before school because her teacher send a note home that she was coughing constantly all day.

[lablover]

Is it a dry cough or a wet cough? If it is a dry, tight sounding cough I would take her in to make sure it isn't an asthmatic cough.

[Indianamom2]

Yeah, I think I might take her in to make sure that she doesn't have signs of allergy-induced asthma. DD had a persistent cough like that all last school year and we discovered that she had allergies and was actually wheezing (though we couldn't hear it with our ears).

An inhaler might be just the trick if that's the case.

[HIU8]

One other thing to consider. When my kids have a cough for that long (they both have rear round post nasal drip) it means it has turned into a sinus infection (they get 2-4 a year right now). That would be mostly it if was more of a wet cough, not a dryer cough.

[bubbaray]

It sounds like asthma to me -- no other symptoms other than cough is exactly how my DD#1's asthma first presents. FWIW, fall is the worst time of year for asthma.

[ShanaMama]

The pp have more experience than I do, because thankfully the one thing we have not dealt with is asthma. However, I have severe seasonal allergies. For years, I have been getting "sinus infections" around the fall season change & "bronchitis" during the fall or winter. Until about two years ago when my new dr. refused to give me antibiotics. He insisted that the congestion, sinus pressure, wet productive cough & chest tightness were all secondary to my allergies and antibiotics weren't indicated. He told me to take Mucinex, nasal spray & an inhaler (albuterol IIRC). I have blessed him since that day & self treated the exact same thing this year. I felt and sounded horrible but truly did not need antibiotics.
Again, I don't have asthma so I can't speak for that part. But if the cough sounds like post nasal drip it's probably allergy related.
Semi on topic PSA is that the same dr. told me the way to prevent the whole mess is to use the nasal spray 2 weeks before the allergy season begins. Now if only he'd call me & tell me when to start....

[HIU8]

My kids and I all do exactly this starting about 2 weeks prior to the season all the way through (and DD all year round). We do a nasal rinse, nasonex and claritin or zyrtec. For the most part it keeps things at bay. Since last March though, the 3 of us have had 2 sinus infections each (even with this regimen). So we each have been on antibiotics 2x since March. We still do the regimen though and it does help us to cut down on the amount of times things blow up into a full blown bacterial infection.

[ett]

Agreeing with PP's to take her in to the ped to see if it's asthma. If she's wheezing, an inhaler or nebulizer will help.

[TamiRuns]

It sounds like asthma to me -- no other symptoms other than cough is exactly how my DD#1's asthma first presents.

This is exactly how DS1 was diagnosed, just a bad cough....we are still dealing with "it" - I say "it" b/c while the allergist thinks its allergic asthma and/or the type induced by colds/viruses, we're still not sure. All he has is the nasty cough...you definitely want to get DD back to the doctor so you can figure out what's going on. We're learning that it takes time.....and trying to find what works for DS.

Good luck!

[egoldber]

Yes, I agree it could definitely be allergy induced asthma. We had to step up older DD's inhaled steroid dose a couple weeks ago. It's been a bad fall allergy season!