croup always = doctor? UPDATE in 10...this ok?

[lmh2402]

We are in it to win it tonight.

DS has been sick w cold since last weekend. Things took a turn for the drippier and more congested sounding yesterday

Today his spirits were actually great, yet he was very emotional in a weird way. And spontaneously said he was not feeling well. When i asked what was wrong he cheerfully told me everything hurt except his fingers and toes. He has never complained of feeling ill when it was unwarranted. Last time he told me his ear hurt, he ended up vomiting all over the doctor from the pain and she said the infection was horrendous.

I took his temp in the aft and it was totally normal. Appetite normal. Energy level normal. He just kept saying everything hurt out of the blue/without me asking.

Then at bath he suddenly said "i feel better." DH and i just sort of shrugged it off. Went to sleep fine and normal.

And now he's been up for last hour + crouping like crazy.

Doc tomorrow? No school? Regardless of fever or spirits in AM?

[ged]

The bath(steam) may have made him feel better...as that can help with croup. I would say he is good to go to school tomorrow if he sleeps well enough, has no temp., etc. My daughter has croup often and we usually never go to the doctor for it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We have only gotten help when there was the stridor or indrawing (only 2 times; croup probably 7 times between the kids).

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/croup

[GvilleGirl]

Normally I don't go to the dr for a cold and let it run its course, especially for kids when then they are acting fine. But last time we got a steroid from the dr. which help a great deal. I say no to school since it is contagious.

[MommyAllison]

We only go in for croup if the meds we have aren't working. DD1 has had croup a ton since she turned 2, so we have oral steroids and inhaled steroids here to treat her, and rarely need to go in now. She skips the cough and goes straight to stridor, and we do keep her home from childcare situations (she is homeschooled) until she stops waking up in the night.

[o_mom]

We only go in for croup if the meds we have aren't working. DD1 has had croup a ton since she turned 2, so we have oral steroids and inhaled steroids here to treat her, and rarely need to go in now. She skips the cough and goes straight to stridor, and we do keep her home from childcare situations (she is homeschooled) until she stops waking up in the night.

This is us as well. Until recently they got it frequently so we would use the nebulizer and inhaled steroids at home. As far as school - it depends on the other symptoms. It is no more contagious than any other cold, so if they don't have a fever and are up to it, they go. Usually within 24 hrs the cough is diminished. OTOH, many times they are cranky from lack of sleep the first night so they stay home to rest (also depends on how many days we have missed prior to it).

[edurnemk]

DS had croup with almost every cold from 11 months to around 3.5 years. And DD just had her first episode at 7 months. I only took him to the Dr. once (because we were on the 3rd night of croup and we were traveling 2 days later). If the steam / cool air is working, even if we have to keep doing it all night, we don't even call the Dr.'s office.

If there's stridor, then, yeah, I'd call. If he had a bad night, I'd keep him home from school, 'cause he'll be too tired. But it's not really serious if he's not having trouble breathing.

[okinawama]

For us, every single time he has had croup, he's also had stridor. So, yes, we've been to the ER/doctor every single time he's had croup, however, if there wasn't any difficulty breathing, we'd just treat it at home.

[lmh2402]

thanks, guys

he did have some stridor

i just stuck his head in the freezer last night and then the cough was fine during day today

we're going to the ENT tomorrow though b/c i'm just so sick of him not being able to kick this ever-loving/never-ending cold/drip. and he gets a croup cough at the drop of the hat too. it's ridiculous. so not bothering with pedi.

anyway thanks

[lmh2402]

Ok back again bc i just went to check him before going to bed myself and he's wheezing in his sleep. V loud. It's def not snoring. It's a wheeze. This ok or do i need to be worried? He stirred while i was in there and tried to talk to me, but his voice was almost gone/so froggy. And he's wheezing on every breath

[edurnemk]

Ok back again bc i just went to check him before going to bed myself and he's wheezing in his sleep. V loud. It's def not snoring. It's a wheeze. This ok or do i need to be worried? He stirred while i was in there and tried to talk to me, but his voice was almost gone/so froggy. And he's wheezing on every breath

I'd call the Ped.

[Philly Mom]

I'd call the Ped.

Me too. Hope everything is ok.

[jbbhb]

I'd call the Ped.

:yeahthat: I was going to say to count how many times/minute he is breathing but then I had a faint memory that you are/were a nurse, is that right?

[lmh2402]

:yeahthat: I was going to say to count how many times/minute he is breathing but then I had a faint memory that you are/were a nurse, is that right?

Oh no, I'm def not a nurse. Just a paranoid Mom. Waiting on call back. I HATE dealing with this kind of stuff on my own. I hate DH's job. Hate it.

[jbbhb]

Oops sorry, for some reason I always thought you were a nicu nurse :)

In that case, it's not a bad idea to count breaths per minute so you can let your ped know when they call back.

Sorry you have to deal with this alone :(

[PZMommy]

We were always told wheezing equals go to the ER, but my son has some other risk factors. Now if he wheezes we do a neb treatment, and if continues or restarts in less than two hours we need to go to ER.

I'd probably take him in, but I tend to err on the side of caution. Hope he feels better!

[mum-to-be]

Our ped said that if he can sleep through it, let him. That said, we usually go to the ped the morning after the first croup night so we can get steroids. The second night is usually worse than the first if you don't get the steroids.

You can never be too careful though, and I would hate something terrible to happen to your son because of advice you get from strangers online. Trust your mommy instinct! Can you sleep in his room tonight if you don't take him to the dr?

[Tondi G]

Just know that the oral steroid meds taste AWFUL! Like the worst liquid medicine I have ever tasted awful. My DS was prescribed them after his first bad bout of croup... he was only supposed to take maybe a tsp and I couldn't get more than 1/4 tsp into him before he would vomit it all back up. If he wakes or is having trouble sleeping do the steamy bathroom then bundle up and take him outside into the cool night air. It might do the trick and you can avoid a trip to the ER.

[lmh2402]

thanks all

pedi said to use DD's neb and do two treatments back to back

if he didn't improve than head to ER

treatments definitely helped breathing

but they made him vomit?

and he was super shaky. and weepy

and the noise of the machine made him hysterical - he's very noise-averse

so it was a three hour ordeal from start to finish by the time he was settled and back to sleep

i checked him twice more during he night and the wheeze was back slightly toward morning

but he was sleeping soundly and it was only another hour or so until he was getting up

i left him and we're heading to the doc shortly

ugh.

[gatorsmom]

thanks all

pedi said to use DD's neb and do two treatments back to back

if he didn't improve than head to ER

treatments definitely helped breathing

but they made him vomit?

and he was super shaky. and weepy

and the noise of the machine made him hysterical - he's very noise-averse

so it was a three hour ordeal from start to finish by the time he was settled and back to sleep

i checked him twice more during he night and the wheeze was back slightly toward morning

but he was sleeping soundly and it was only another hour or so until he was getting up

i left him and we're heading to the doc shortly

ugh.

Oh you poor thing. Sounds like a very long night for you. :hug:

He might have been shaky from the wheezing. Or the neb treatment. I think that's normal. My asthma meds make me shaky if I don't take them everyday (and the neb treatments are steroids, aren't they?).

Hope you get some answers this morning at the pees.

[Momit]

Thinking about you guys! Good look at the ped. office.

[o_mom]

Oh you poor thing. Sounds like a very long night for you. :hug:

He might have been shaky from the wheezing. Or the neb treatment. I think that's normal. My asthma meds make me shaky if I don't take them everyday (and the neb treatments are steroids, aren't they?).

Hope you get some answers this morning at the pees.

The nebs were probably albuterol, which will make them shaky, especially a double dose.