Allergy Cough or Asthma?

[Indianamom2]

Dd#1 (6 yr) has some allergies. She's been doing absolutely perfectly fine all fall without any meds.

Saturday, we put up our Christmas tree. Almost immediately, she started coughing and she hasn't really stopped. The tree is artificial, it was brand new last Christmas and has been stored in a brand new tree bag in the dry (not moldy or damp) basement.

She did not test allergic to dust, but again, in a bag, the tree didn't seem dusty to me.

Her little brother has had a cold, but it started like a normal cold (with runny nose/head congestion and then a cough at the tail end). DD just started coughing out of the blue.

Does it sound like an allergy to something (No idea what got her) or more like asthma that is flaring up? FWIW, last year she spent the entire fall/winter battling allergies that ended up making her wheeze enough to need an inhaler. She wasn't diagnosed with asthma, but now I'm starting to wonder if there is something that triggers it. I think that what made last fall so miserable was that she was going to preschool in the basement of a church and I would bet money there was tons of mold (it smelled funky) and she tested highly reactive to molds. Since she's switched schools (nice new classrooms) she's been absolutely fine.

Any ideas?

[nfowife]

What kind of cough? Junky or just a persistent dry cough?

[Indianamom2]

What kind of cough? Junky or just a persistent dry cough?

Well that's what is throwing me. It's both. Probably leans more towards dry and persistent though. It just came out of absolutely nowhere.

[egoldber]

Older DD has allergy induced asthma, and this is exactly how hers often presents. It's like a switch turns on and she starts coughing all day and especially all night.

[Indianamom2]

Older DD has allergy induced asthma, and this is exactly how hers often presents. It's like a switch turns on and she starts coughing all day and especially all night.

See, this is what I'm afraid of. Last year she had bouts of allergy induced asthma, but something was constantly triggering it. This year, she's been great, but there was definitely something that started it. I just can't figure out what it would be.:(

[egoldber]

They can develop new triggers over time. If it was not dust before, it could be this time. My older DD did not initially test positive for dust or mold or weeds, but she did in her second round if testing when she was 8.

[Kindra178]

Older DD has allergy induced asthma, and this is exactly how hers often presents. It's like a switch turns on and she starts coughing all day and especially all night.

Same for me as well. When I read your post, I said to myself, "Aren't they same thing?" Try warm drinks, lots of fluid, have her sit next to the shower when you take one and a humidifier for now. If the coughing doesn't stop, she may require some treatment.