Should I Seek Second Opinion for Persistent Cough?

I have a 13 month old also, and it sounds like you are describing him! Both of my younger kids were sick every winter, all winter. The 3.5 year old outgrew it, but now needs to have his tonsils/adenoids out. My 13 month old has yet to have his 1 year immunizations b/c he always has this cold. Dr. finally started him on Singulair 4mg daily through the whole winter and it does seem to help keep the pneumonia at bay and stop the wheezing. We are hoping that he, too, grows out of it. As a medical professional, I say if you are in question, take your child in to the doc. The worst that can happen is they will tell you she's okay and set your mind at ease. If you think they are missing something important, try another doc! Your ped should at least acknowledge that your daughter might be one of these kiddos who is sick all winter, and keep an eye on her for something more significant.
Good Luck!
~L.

You should get a second opinion whenever a cough wont go away. Have you considered allergies? Do you have a cat? I had a similar situation when my son was a baby and we found out from an allergist that he was allergic to our cats and he was producing too much mucus. Just a thought...hope she gets better!

Thanks,
B.

My 19 month old has it too, I call it the day care cough. I brought it up at his check up's and they are not worried about it. I have several friends who say the same.
Both my husband and I have allergies so I am starting to think it may be the beginning of his.

Good Luck.

Hi A.,
This sounds very similar to my 13 month old daughter. It's hard to tell sometimes because we are often in between colds and teething as well. But I discussed it with out pediatrician and we think she might have some allergies (her 3 year old brother deals with seasonal allergies). Some people/doctors will say they don't have allergies that young but my doctor said it's not impossible. We have an older home and try as I do I can never keep it dust free. Regardless her cough has seemed minor enough too that we have not wanted to put her through allergy testing or to medicate her. We are condering an air purifier with a hepa filter.

sounds like asthma or allergies and they are linked together. Get a allergy test. Read an article about COPD findings, over 75% of American population has COPD and doesn't know it. COPD is emphasema and chronic bronchitis, brought on by allergies and asthma. It is not detectable. You don't have to be a smoker to be exposed. Even the RADON in your home can do that. Check around on this. I am not an expert, I have COPD. A pulmonary test, is a test that meaasures your breathing capacitiy. Good luck!

You could ask her Dr. to test her for pertussis or whooping cough. The cough can last up to 90 days. Just a possibility. If she has it, they would prescribe antibiotics. Sounds like she would be over the worst of it by now. I hope you find answers soon ; )

look into cough varient asthma. Classic symptoms are persistant cough, especially during cold season and sickness. Have you tried a humidifier, this may work also.

If you are really concerned about it, I would go for the second opinion. I would try and see a pediatric pulmonary specialist. My daughter(7) had a persistent cough when she was younger and has since been diagnosed with asthma - a cough variant type. She mainly coughs and only wheezes when it gets out of control.

Good Luck and a second opinion can never hurt!

I would say if you think there is something wrong trust your self and take her in BUT my sons doctor has mentioned to me that it may seem like they ALWAYS have a cold and may seem like the same cold and its like its one right after another which it is but i guess that its normal for kids to have a cold all the time that how they get there immune system built up and since it hasnt been exposed to much at all they get sick easier and faster and may seem worse even tho its sucky its normal.. good luck and i hope everything is ok and she gets better.

I would definitely seek a second opinion. My daughter went thru something like that when she was 2 &1/2 yrs old. She seemed pretty much to only really cough at night or when she was sleeping. turned out she had a sinus infection, which only was bothering her when she was laying down, because the mucus wasn't able to drain. I say go with your gut. You are the mom

I had the same thing with my DD she had a cough all the time, mostly at night, it sounded so yucky.
I told the doc, even made special trips for it..."it's just post nasal drip" they would say.
I had a follow up for pnemonia with a Pedi we now use (we used him for the fist 2 months than had to switch...insurance, then were able to use him agian cause he left that clinic to start his own)
I told him about this cough, he too kinda ignored me till I said that when she coughs people would say "o thats just Anna's cought" Like it was part of her personality. He broke out the good stuff and begain agreassivly treating her pnemonia then started her on a asthma treatment plan. The coughing stopped. And to this day is under control, 2 years later. We are now weaning her off of her meds, since she has had a "good" winter the only thing she is on is singular, and her albuteral if she gets a cold.
I guess my point is be persistant and let them know that you feel this cough is more than just a cold symptom.
I have a great Pedi in Grand Haven MI, Message me if you want his info.

I have two grandchildren ages 8 and 4 (cousins) with similar cough. After being tested, both were found to be allergie/asmatha related. Building up imune system is critical. Find a physican/nutritionist (NOT a dietition) who believes in holistic approach. Diet is everything when building up immune response for all of us.

I have 2 children my self an 11 and 8 year old. My 11 year old had the same problems and I had to take him to an allergy specialist and found out that he was allergic to cats and mildew and dust. Tell the doctor you want to see an allergy specialist and if the doctor doesn't want to do that then I would seek another doctor.

My daughter gets what sounds like the same thing(but her's doesnt go for that many months). The doctor put her on Singulair last year for about 2 months then it cleared up. She has bronchitis now and double ear infections. The doc said that when she comes back in 2 weeks, if she still has a cough they will put her back on Singulair. It worked last time. Have you tried Tanafed? That stuff works pretty good. Any questions feel free to ask.

My 3 year old son had a persistant cough last summer for 4 weeks. After trying natural remedies - humidifier, steam treatments, rubbing vicks on throught, herbal teas - I finally took him to the Ped. Because I had asthma as a child he wanted to treat him for that to see if that was the case. He prescribed a steroid - 1/2 tsp for 5 days and albuterol - liquid version of inhaler 1 tsp 3 times a day. The steroid was to dry up the fluid that was rattling in his chest. The albuterol was to open up the airways. After 5 days, my son's cough was gone. I stopped giving him the albuterol and he hasn't had a cough like that again.

If your Ped isn't responsive to your concerns about your child, I recommend going to another one.

If I were you I would do to things 1 ask the doctor point blank why they have dismissed it.& 2 get another opinion - actually though it sounds mostly like allergy symptoms. Allergies are common in my extended family.
Let me know how things go.

YES! A second opinion never hurts anyone!! We did this for my son, similar conditions... ended up being diagnosed with asthma (not severe), but he gets some minimal medications everyday now and there is much more happiness in our house now! He'll be 2-1/2 next month, our constant cough started around the same age. We're hoping beyond hope it's just childhood asthma that he'll grow out of.

Definitely get a second opinion. I have 3 kids, 2 have asthma and allergies. A persistent cough is not normal and happening during that specific time frame could be allergies. Also, my ped says that if they wake from sleep during the night coughing it is usually not a viral cough, so you should find out the source. When my kids wake coughing in the night it is due to asthma inflamation. Look into both ashtma and allergies, both would be producing mucus (asthma produces mucus in the bronchial tube). Trust your instinct. Doctors don't know everything and do make mistakes so it's important that you be in charge of your kids healthcare and be the one to make decisions. If it is asthma or allergies, the care you give it now will determine how pronounced the illness is when your kids get older or if they out grow it so it is extremely important to address it.

I received an email about putting Vicks Vaporub on the bottom of both feet. My husband and I compared it to all the active ingredients in Walmart's similar salve and it works. Rub the salve on both feet at bedtime and put a sock on each foot. See if that helps. People who have had a bad cough had a very peaceful night with very little coughing and got much needed rest. One of my friends tried this and it was a tremendous help.
My children are all grown up but I have a 13- year old and 11- year old granddaughter and I put it on one of them and it helped.
Sincerely,

L. Cory

I would have her checked for asthama. I have a persistent cough and it's because of asthama. From your discription, I'd say we have the same type of cough. I've had it since childhood and the doctors told my parents pretty much the same thing they are telling you. It wasn't until about 7 years ago(28 years of coughing all winter!!) that I was told it was asthama. The meds work great and except for a few winters of being pregnant and not taking the meds, I've been much better. With asthama she's more likely to get pnemonia so watch that the cough doesn't slide down to her lungs. Good luck!! (if it is asthama, don't worry! It's very treatable and she can lead a normal cough free life!)

I think you should trust your motherly insticts and take her to another Dr. for another opinion! That sure is a long time for a cough!

A.,

This happened last year to my then 12month old and again this year to my now 24 month old. It was not/is not in her chest either she just has a lot of "drainage" and a that comes with a cough. It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion but I was told it would pass and she was fine once the cold weather went away.

Good luck.
S.

I had an issue like this for myself last year.I had a persistent dry cough from March to November that went away the day I went to the pulmonologist. May not be the same thing, but when I eventually went to a pulmonologist, they did some testing in which I was given some allbuterol. This stuff made me cough up whatever had been ailing me all year and I haven't coughed since.
He diagnosed me with cough varient asthma. I had never heard of it, but I had agreed that was probably what it was. Although I haven't had a problem since. Good luck.

I would check to see if it is astham. Asthma can produce a persistant cough that is most noticable at night. My children have a nebulizer that we use for breathing treatments when it gets like that. It really helps. Of course it will only work if that is the cause. I would have your doc give a listen again to her breathing and tell her when the cough is worst (if any particular time of day) and any triggers you may note. SOmetimes it can be related to allergies (pets, etc) In this case, astham can be triggered by the allergy, or it could just be an allergic reaction it an of itself.

HTH

M.

Allergies would be my first guess but I would take her to an Ear Nose and Throat doctor. My youngest who is 8 is having the same problem so that is my next step also.

When my daughter was 3 she had the same thing, the Dr wasnt concerned.I ended up switching to a pediatrician and she prescribed zyrtec due to allergies.. we also were concerned that she may have activity induced asthema, keep an eye on when shes active does she tend to cough moer when shes running around? The Dr was going to give her pulmicort turbo inhaler for her to use daily but after using the zyrtec all the poblems went away.

Hi A.,

I just went through the same thing with my 15 month old son. He was put on amoxicillin for an ear infection and then broke out with the head to toe rash. He still has the cough too, seems like the runny nose is getting better though. My daughter, who is 5, always seemed to be sick with cold like symptoms. It seemed like every other week she had a cough or a runny nose, or she was stuffed up, etc. My husband and I were turned on to a product called Mona Vie. It is a fruit juice that contains a blend of 19 different fruits. All natural, all organic, no water, no additives. Since we had my 5 year old start drinking it, she has been cold free for about 4 months now. When our son came down with the ear infection and everything else, we started giving it to him and like I said, his runny nose is almost all gone, and his cough seemsto be getting less and less everyday. The good part about it is that we only have to give them an ounce in the morning and an ounce in the evening. My husband and I also drink it and we have been sick free too. It is the most wonderful product we have ever been introduced to. We will never stop drinking Mona Vie and we will never stop giving it to our children. It seems to boost the immune system dramatically. If you would like more information on it, please let me know. Good luck!

Dear A., I am a mother of 6+ their spouses, grandmother of 18 + their spouses, great-grandmother of 14 with two more on the way. I would say it sounds to me like your daugher may have a problem with dry air in the house you might try running a cold air vaporizer in her room at night which may help this situation.
I myself have an air purifier in my house which has made a big difference in the way I feel. I had a cough for a long time after we moved from colorado to Michigan and found out it was allergys. If you have a history of allergy's in your family she may have inherited them.

My daughter has what is called "tracheomalasia" (don't know if I am spelling that right or not), but I guess it just means her trachea is too small and the mucus gets stuck there, so she sounds like she is weezing, but is in her throat and not her lungs. She has had pneumonia a couple times already this winter though (she is 23 months), so maybe there is more to it??? So far she's just been treated with antibiotics, but I think the next step is a breathing machine if this current antibiotic doesn't clear it up.

I believe a second opinion is a great idea. I've got two kids with allergies and seen several others during my time as a Daycare Mom. My son has asthma, reflux, as well as allergies. A persistent cough could be caused be any of those things. If you can get a more specific dignoises it is much easier to deal with correctly.

If it's just a cold most people recommend a humidifier. If it's allergies, especially associated with mold or mildew, a humidifier can make it worse. A lower humidity is usually recommended for allergy sufferers. My daughter has had a small cough, like she's clearing her throut, for a couple years. She finally got rid of it with the addition of Singular, which is generally an asthma medication. My son on the other had was recently diagnoised with Reflux and put on Prevacid. This has taken care of most of his asthma symtoms, although they are not gone. With my son's reflux, I did not understand how they were related until just before we tried it. With his reflux it seemed like he was always congested and coughing to clear the mucus. He had many ear infections in the past and even tubes in his ears. One of the last times I thought he had another infection, we went to the Ear, Nose, & Throught Doctor (ENT). He told me to my surprise that his ears and throat looked fine. I asked why he was so congested then and he suggested the Prevacid. The reflux in his stomach actually causes congestion symtoms. I thought it sounded crazy until we tried it with great success.

I'm saying all this because I think looking into it further is definitely worth some time and effort. I have felt my kids have been on too much medication at times, but the frustration they have felt and we have felt is significantly reduced by the use of the medications.

On the other hand if you get another opinion and they don't find any other problems, sometimes I have found a little cough bothers me as their mom more than it bothers the kids.

I hope this helps, Daycare & Pampered Chef Mom of 3&5 year old kids.

Hi,
My thought is maybe it is allergies - ? Maybe ask your dr. and if there still doesn't seem to be the attention you are looking for, get a second opinion or see an allergist. I'm not sure how they diagnose with a baby but I know both my husband and I have had allergy testing done and it has been really helpful to us. Just a thought...good luck!

My daughter is 6 and her doc. had said that if it goes for more than 2 wks. it should be checked out. I took her in and she was weezing and they did 2 breathing treatments and that did not make it better. They put her on a steroid for 3 days and the cough is 95% gone. I would definitely check into it. They thought she may have asthma and we now don't believe she does, but the medicine made all the difference. Good Luck!!