Final Update! Quick! DDs coughing so hard she's barfing!

[schums]

We went to the ped, and she does have post-viral asthma. At least we know what's going on and have something to help her. We came home with a nebulizer, abuterol (sp?) and a script for amox if things don't get better in a few days. The mask has a fish face painted on it, so DD is very excited to wear it. We'll see how well she likes the meds! Thanks everyone for your help! This is why I LOVE this board!
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She finally settled down very late last night/early this am. A combination of hot shower and honey-water seemed to do the trick. We're going to see the ped this am, so hopefully they'll be able to shine some light on this.

FWIW, I did call last week and speak with the nurse about the cough (and DS's horrible runny nose), and she basically wouldn't schedule a sick-kid appointment at that point (2+ weeks of DD's cough). She said they were seeimg this cold a lot, and that it would resolve on it's own within another week, and to call back in a week if it hadn't. Yes, I'll be talking to the ped about the nurse who told me that, but that's the only reason I waiting.

Thanks for all your help!

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What can I give her (when it's time for another dose of meds)?

DD's had this nasty cold bug for about 2 weeks now, mostly chest with a little sinus involvement. She seemed to be on the mend, but is coughing so hard right now, she threw up (YUCK!). I've given her Robitussin DM, Kid's Sudafed (for the stuffy nose) and Benedryl for the post-nasal drip I thought was causing the cough. She only gets these meds at bedtime to help her sleep. Nothing is helping.

Also, I've elevated the head of her bed about 6" and have a cool mist vaporizer in her room on full blast. Again, nothing seems to be helping.

Our ped doesn't really do after hours -- they tell you to go to the ER or wait until morning, and I'm not going to ER for this.

Oh, and if it matters, she's 4 (in August) and weighs about 45-47 pounds.

TIA,

[Marisa6826]

I would run a hot shower and then go sit with her in the bathroom. The warm steam will help open the bronchi in her lungs.

I've had better luck with Mucinex than either Delsym or Robitussin, but if all you have in the house is Robitussin, then Robitussin is it.

What time did you give it to her last and which one are you giving her? If it's the Infant version, according to the Robitussin site, you can give her more after 4 hours with up to 6 doses a day (24hr total).

I would NOT mix the Sudafed and Benadryl. You're overmedicating her. The Sudafed (assuming it's the "real" Sudafed with pseudoephedrine) is more then enough. If it's the 'new' - fake- Sudafed with Phenylephrine, well, forget about it and just go with Benadryl.

If she starts going into the bark-y cough in the middle of the night, try having her breathe in some cold air from the freezer. It can sometime help stop the bronchospasms.

Good luck.

-m

[WatchingThemGrow]

And maybe Vicks on her feet?

[schums]

Thanks Marissa. I'm using the "real" Sudafed, kids version. I didn't realize I was overmedicating, since Sudafed and Benedryl are for different things, but I'll not give her the Benedryl again.

Doseage wise, she got 1 tsp of Robitussin, Sudafed and Benedryl at 8pm tonight, so I'd have to wait until midnight or later to give her more. Only adult Mucinex in the house, but I could run out and get kids mucinex if I need too. I'll try the shower thing first. Glad to hear that kids Mucinex works tho.

Thanks for your help. I think it's going to be a LONG night!

[lisams]

I have no advice on meds, but wanted to suggest that you eliminate all dairy from her diet until she is fully over it. Dairy can make the mucous thicker and more of it, which makes the coughing less productive. Also, tons and tons of water, especially since she's taking a decongestant and Benedryl.

I hope she's feeling better very soon!

[ThreeofUs]

According to recently published research on a huge amount of kids, the only that stops coughing fits is swallowing. Even though I could swear the Robitussin worked on DS, they say that it's the calm swallowing that clears things.

So a spoonful of honey-water is recommended over any type of medication. Honey has antibacterial qualities, and helps give water the sweetness and body that results in good swallowing.

I was a real skeptic, but we tried it and it works.

Good luck to you and DD!

[bubbaray]

This probably isn't what you want to hear, but if she's had a cold cold for over 2 weeks, its likely run its course. Viruses are usually done in 7-10 days, according to my dr. So, either she's got a bacterial infection now or she's got asthma. DD#1's first bout of asthma at 13m presented similar to this -- had a cold first, then nighttime coughing that wouldn't stop. The dr called it viral induced asthma. We went on to see a pediatric allergist, and he did allergy tests, wanted to treat her all the time for "regular" asthma. Really, what she has is viral induced asthma. She's pretty much outgrown it now (age 3.75).

If she's coughing so hard that she's vomitting, I'd probably take her to the ER.

Good luck, hope she's better soon!

[TaChapm]

And maybe Vicks on her feet?

Sounds Crazy but I swear this works! When the kids or I have a bad cough I go and rub Vicks on thier feet and then put socks on them. Usually stops the cough within 5 minutes! Be sure to use the regular strength Vicks (not the baby). I am usually always buy the generic on everything but I dont' think generic vicks works as well either.

Try it....It works!

FWIW...Last week I got what I thought was a cold that turned into walking pneumonia. When Jaci started coming down with it I took her to the ped and they tested her for the flu. Came back positive! Our ped said this strain of the flu is causing serious resp. issues and that it is likely the cause of my walking pneumonia. I would say if your daughter is still sick after this long you should probably have her looked at.

[egoldber]

This probably isn't what you want to hear, but if she's had a cold cold for over 2 weeks, its likely run its course. Viruses are usually done in 7-10 days, according to my dr. So, either she's got a bacterial infection now or she's got asthma.

Yes, this. Any cough that last longer than 7-10 days, my ped wants to see the kid.

FWIW, my ped only recommends Benadryl, not Sudafed. But at this point, you need to take her into the ped. I don't think it warrants an ER visit though. My older DD routinely coughs so hard that she chokes and makes herself vomit. This is not at all uncommon and some kids just do this. Its disgusting, but normal. I can almost tell when Sarah is like this by the sound of her cough. Its also good to cut out or back on dairy when the cough is like this because it can make things more mucous-y.

[Corie]

My older DD routinely coughs so hard that she chokes and makes herself vomit. This is not at all uncommon and some kids just do this. Its disgusting, but normal. I can almost tell when Sarah is like this by the sound of her cough. Its also good to cut out or back on dairy when the cough is like this because it can make things more mucous-y.


Yes, my DD does this same thing. She coughs so hard that she
will throw up.

I agree with Beth about the dairy.

[Pennylane]

My dd has had an awful cough lately and the only thing that seems to help her is Delsym and Vicks Vapor Rub on her chest.

Ann

[chlobo]

My DD does the same thing as well.

[hellokitty]

Sarah we went through something very similar back in october. Worse yet we were traveling while we were sick (got sick before the trip) and the kids spent the entire wk that we were away (my brother's wedding) throwing up in the hotel pretty much everyday. It took over a MONTH for us to get over this (DH and I were sick too, but not throwing up from coughing so much like the kids were)! Nothing really helped much, it was one of those crappy colds that you had to wait out. It turns out that several other moms and kids that we socialize with had the same thing, it also took all of them over a month to get over it. If you guys have the same thing, it is just going to take time and patience to get through it. If you can find some meds that will make her more comfortable, that would be great, but what we had was not something that was curable with a med.

[o_mom]

She finally settled down very late last night/early this am. A combination of hot shower and honey-water seemed to do the trick. We're going to see the ped this am, so hopefully they'll be able to shine some light on this.

FWIW, I did call last week and speak with the nurse about the cough (and DS's horrible runny nose), and she basically wouldn't schedule a sick-kid appointment at that point (2+ weeks of DD's cough). She said they were seeimg this cold a lot, and that it would resolve on it's own within another week, and to call back in a week if it hadn't. Yes, I'll be talking to the ped about the nurse who told me that, but that's the only reason I waiting.



Glad she is feeling better. There is a really crappy cold that seems to hang on forever going around. We have all had it here, my parents had it, my sister and kids had it. However, if you called and said you wanted your child seen, the nurse should have scheduled it. I can see that she might offer the info to you and let you decide, but if you feel your child needs to be seen then they should see you.