Croup

[jgriffin]

How long is croup contagious for? E was diagnosed with it Monday, and he's been out of daycare since. The ped was kinda vague on that (she said he was contagious, and that he might have symptoms for up to 10 days, but she either didn't say, or I can't remember, how long to keep him home for). He doesn't really have any other cold symptoms, just some funky breathing and the occasionally honking when he cries. I don't think either of us can take another nap-free day at home....

TIA!

Jen

[o_mom]

Croup is just a symptom that comes with some upper respiratory infections - like fever, runny nose, etc. So, whatever their policy on colds is you can go by that.

If you haven't researched croup yet, do a search in the lounge. My kids tend to get it and very badly (think ER visits), so we have alot of experience with treating it. Hopefully he will only get it once, but it seems like some kids tend to get it with every cold.

PM me if you want to hear our story!

[jgriffin]

Don't take it personally, but I'm not sure I *want* to hear bad croup stories (my imagination gets a little too wild sometimes). This is his first case, and from what I can tell it's extremely mild. I've got a humidifier running in his room, and DH has taken him outside at night if his coughing seems to get worse.

I'll be taking him to daycare tomorrow, then, and we'll both get a nap, thanks!

[o_mom]

As long as you know what to look for, you will be fine. I didn't know the first time and it was very bad. Did your ped go over signs of respiratory distress with you? If not, look it up and keep it in the back of your head. At this point you are probably in the clear, but if he gets it again it is good to be prepared. :-)

Get some sleep tomorrow!

[SnuggleBuggles]

This link has the incubation/ contagious periods for illnesses, very handy. They have croup broken down into viral and bacterial:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_incubate_hhg.htm

I sent ds to school after missing just one day from croup last year the 2 times he had it. He had no other symptoms and was really happy during the day.

I hope that it passes soon. I am always amazed at how well humidifiers, steamy bathrooms and cold night air help!

Beth

[nfowife]

DD has had croup 2 times in the past few months. Both cases were very mild, with a cold first, then the barking cough. She was put on an oral steroid course and by the 2nd day, the barky cough was gone (but the normal junky cough remained a bit longer). I sent her to MDO both times within a day or 2 of starting the meds as long as she seemed happy and playing normally. She was breathing fine too, so I gave a decongestant/antihistamine at night with the ped's blessing to help her get some sleep.
However, both times she ended up with ear infections (her only dx ones to date), so if your DS gets a fever or seems uncomfortable (or not, my DD had no symptoms whatsoever the first time!), you might want to get his ears checked to be sure.

[jgriffin]

Thanks for everyone's advice! E's croup has turned into a typical cold (stuffy/runny nose, some chest congestion) with just a little bit of honking when he coughs. Still not great, but a definite improvement!