Coughing and Barfing...

Updated on April 20, 2009
D.M. asks from Clayton, CA
7 answers

Hi Ladies...

Ok, I am stumped! I am on kid number thee here and have never in my life been so stumped! First off, let me say I am not one of those Moms that runs to the Dr. with the first sign of illness. So, with that beign said...let me explain..
My 20 month old daughter has been coughing for 10 weeks. I have charted it, looked for common foods, wheather, etc etc. It started out as an ear infection. About a week into the antiobiotics (fyi - in case it matters, I do also give her probiotics) we moved to another area about 20 miles from where she lived the first 19 months of her life. The ear infection went away no problem, but the coughing is still here. She gets to the point of gagging from it. So about 4 weeks into the coughing the Dr, hit her with another round of antiobiots, albuterol in a nebulizer, and vicks with socks on the feet. I will admit the coughing lessened, but not one day has gone by where she hasn't coughed. To throw another factor out there, she started Day Care for the first time right around the time the ear infection showed. Just this week I worked from home and kept her with me all week to see if it might be enviromental at the day care. But no, the coughing is the same. she can go hours without coughing, then wham..she gets hit with this coughing attack. When this happens i give her melted honey in hot water. that makes the coughing spell stop, but another one is bound to happen the next day. Ok, so the last dr appt was 3 weeks ago. She said, do the nebulizer and put her on baby Zyrtek (sp?)...the Zyrtek helped the coughing, especially at night. I hadn't slept a full night in weeks, so thanks heavens for that! But the coughing still will not completely go away. I am to the point where it has to be allergies, because the Zyrtek had the best affect. But here is where i get baffled, the kid just out of no where, starts barfing....I mean projectile (sp?) vomit. Ew... :( Now, my question, is the barfing and allergies related? Has anyone had a baby that had allergies so bad? Is this bad? or am i just not used to it? My oldest daughter was and still is a barfer, when she gets a fever, coughs, gets nervous or anxious...you better not be standing in front of her..So, if this was just barfing, I wouldn't think anything of it, other than I won't feed her what I fed her for a while..lol...As I type this I am listening to my baby cough and cough in bed...it is so heart breaking...and yes she barfed twice today...My oldest daughter has peanut, melon and envirmental allergies, but nothing a little benadryl didn't fix. Any my middle daugher has hardly ever had a cold, let alone much else. We are all very healthy, active, athletes, that eat very well...so, I am just so confused and frustrated that I can't fix it. I can't make it better...I am brought to tears now when I talk about it because i just don't know what to do. i know it's a bit extreme, but as a mom, i feel like i am failing even though i am doing everything i can think of...any advice, experience, wisdom, tricks, similar experiences...anything will help...please ladies...I need to figure out why my baby wont stop coughing and why she barfs once a week?...(or some reassurance that i am over reacting will work too.. :) again, I have never ever dealt with anything like this?)

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So What Happened?

First off, I wanted to thank all of you lovly ladies for your thoughtful responses! We FINALLY have a diagnosis....Mycoplasma. It is the bacteria that causes Walking Phnemonia. It presents itself like a cold and/or allergies. My daughters vomiting is from the high fever which, the high fever is a symptom of the Mycoplasma. It takes a while to diagnose because it also causes ear infections, (which is the first thing she had), and also sinus infections, (which she was also suspected of having on her second dr visit.) They perscribed her Zythromax, which cleared up the Mycoplasma perfectly. The runny nose, fevers and cough were all gone within 2 days. Then it came back!!! AARRGGG...but the dr also said that unlike other bacterias, you do not become immune to this one, so you can get it back easily. However, apparenlty she said my daughter has a strong immune system because it did not cause the walking phnemonia. I printed the info I found on it a gave it to my daughters daycare, and come to find out there is another child there that has the same symptoms, and his dr chalked it up to allergies. So, at this point..all is well and she is finally healthy! Thank you all again for your wonderful support! :) xoxo

More Answers

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K.C.

answers from San Francisco on

My 28 month old son went through the whole coughing problem and the doctors thought it was asthma at first and we did the whole albuterol in a nebulizer thing too. He is now on zyrtec (for about a year) and it took time, but it made a huge difference. My son's cough was a wet sounding cough and has gone away. He still gets congested, but it isn't like it used to be. We never had a vomiting issue though, sorry I can't help you with that. Good luck! K.

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J.C.

answers from San Francisco on

We have some similar issues. (coughing, and also food allergies). One thing that has worked wonders for us is Hyland's brand C-Plus Cold tablets. It is natural, not a drug, and it seems to help the congestion/coughing right away. (ours seems to be caused by post-nasal drip mainly). They dissolve easily in the mouth even when sleeping!

We've also used mangosteen juice w/ some success for the asthma symptoms and now rarely have to use the inhaler.(but this is a much pricer venture).

Also, you may notice a lot of aerial spraying (big X's in the sky)of something going on (weather modification?) that seems to cause these kind of symptoms in people. That may or may not be the problem, but it's one possible cause.

We too had major food allergy problems and weekly throwing up for a while. But, for whatever reason, now we're not having that problem now they're a little older. For us, that seemed to be food-allergy related, but not sure.

Anyway, hope some of this info helps you somehow. Best of luck to you, and hope you figure out the problem.

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A.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Do you have animals? Her coughing could be allergy related. She's too small to tell you if she has a tickle in her throat. I have asthma and allergies and I'm allergic to cats, dogs, horses, certain kind of trees and of course dust. If I get that tickle in my throat I'm on a roll, it's miserable!! Doctors love to medicate and like to try different things. I've tried every nose spray possible and none of them work. I went to the health food store and got something from there.

My girlfriends little girl used to throw up when she coughed as well. (she has asthma though) Is that when it happens? Good to hear you gave her probiotics with the antibiotics. I don't know what else it could be besides allergies. Was she throwing up before the doctor gave her the zyrtek? Maybe it's not agreeing with her. I hope she gets better I know how you feel.

A.

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Z.B.

answers from San Francisco on

My recommendation is to take your daughter back to her doctor and have her tested for TB, allergies, and even possible fungal/mold infections. I'm not sure of your family history but I would make sure to rule out any genetic factors as well. Because you have moved and started a new daycare finding the source of her symptoms is incredibly important. TB is especially fatal to young children if not treated properly. Knowing what you are up against is much more proactive then worrying and guessing and trying loads of alternative methods. If it is mold/fungus it could be your new house in which case for the entire family's health you'll want to correct the problem in the home. If it is truly allergies then finding the source and ruling out asthma is important too. Medication in conjunction with alternative methods and lifestyle adjustments may be enough to keep the symptoms in check. If it is something as serious as TB then knowing and addressing the problem sooner as opposed to later is very important for all of you. My concern when reading your post is the use of two different antibiotics with no effect on the coughing. If she has been vaccinated then I would rule whooping cough out, if not then there is another possible connection. Excessive mucus and drainage can cause vomiting so the secondary response/symptoms concern me as well. Allergy attacks can also cause vomiting if they are extreme. Still, do check her for TB especially if she goes to a daycare with a diverse population and/ or if you or a family member have traveled recently. Just my gut feeling on this and hope it helps. You are your baby's best advocate so get your Dr, to order the tests and rule out the worst. 10 weeks is a long time for a 20 month old to be coughing.

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E.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Asthma?

Even if it isn't, temporary use of some kind of inhaler might help her get past this.

Also, I think it can be important to teach kids to relax when they are coughing. My son can ramp up a coughing fit, or he can concentrate on slowing his breathing and sometimes get himself out of it.

Best of luck. Hound the pediatrician, or find a naturopathic doctor if you want options other than straight pharmaceuticals. (There's at least one here on Mamasource; Sarah Slaughter. I haven't met her, but I do like her advice here online.)

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M.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi D.,
My daughter had similar scary symtoms of a cough that did not go away along with coughing fits leading to vomiting.
You may want to check with your doctor if your child should be checked for Whooping Cough. It used to be called the 100 day cough and it is on the rise again because many families are choosing not to vaccinate, and all vaccines are not 100% effective (also apparently the vaccine wears off after about age 10). If it is whooping cough, I was told that the antibiotics will only make you non-contagious but will not cure it - it has to run its course.
Good Luck!
M.

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N.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi D.,

It sounds to me it could be a combination of allergies and environment.

I am a wellness consultant and we address a wellness home.
Healthy air without ozone, clean water with added minerals and nutrients, whole food nutrition and sleep. That is the foundation. It covers total health.

I also look at not just the food you are feeding her, the cleaning products, laundry soaps, dish soaps, body soap, shampoo etc.

Today we have more chemicals in our food, water and air that cause many health challenges for our young ones as their immune systems are just starting to develop and not strong enough to fight invaders.

If you are interested in learnng more on how to keep your family healthier and to rebuild the immune system naturally let me know.

Wishing you and your family wellness.

N. Marie
____@____.com

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