My 18 mo old daughter is very congested and and has a cough, her voice is hoarse and she just feels plain awful. I took her to the doctor (ended up not seeing her regular doctor) and he tested for strep, which came back negative. So he said that there was nothing he could give her and that just TLC would do the trick. I asked about decongestants or expectorants and he said she did not need them, to just use motrin or tylenol.
So now I have a coughing, congested, cranky little girl and it is just breaking my heart to hear her sounding so awful. We have a cool mist humidifier going in her room. We are breaking our normal rule of minimal TV so that she will rest, and she is curled up in a blanket on her bean bag. She's running a very mild fever, and the tylenol is working on that. But she is so congested (sound very wet, even just breathing you can hear it moving around - has not moved to her chest) I'm worried about her choking (using a pillow to help elevate her at night).
Should I take her back to the doc? I hate to take her if I'm just going to be told to keep doing what I'm doing, big waste of money. Please help!
Please take her to another doctor! She may have bronchitis or even asthma. At minimum they can give her a breathing treatment to stop the coughing. That is cruel to have a child that young coughing like that and not offer some type of relief. Good luck!
Try Robitussin Pediatric Cough and Cold. It works wonders. And a second trip to the dr won't hurt. If children keep a cold, it can turn into an ear infection. That she would need antibiotics for. They can also tell you what else you can use for the cough and congestion. My kids used the Robitussin and it is WONDERFUL! They could breathe and the cough was controlled. See what the dr says about it! Good luck getting your precious one well again!
call your regular doctor and ask for a decongestant she can take, or call back the dr you took her to and ask for a decongestant again. I know there are plenty of meds by RX available for the little people. If that doesn't work, ask what she can take OTC for her age.
Hi J.,
I totally feel for you. My 20 month old son is recovering from the same thing plus he had an ear infection and is getting his 2 year molars. Make sure to use the saline spray and bulb syringe as much as possible. This helps to thin the mucus and prevent some of it from draining into the throat and causing that wet cough. This helped my son more than anything, even though he absolutely hates it. Also, I used the vapor plug in his room at night which seems to help. Hope your little one is better soon!
Hey J.,
I feel your pain! My 2 boys have the same cold right now. I have a few questions: Is this a recurring thing, and what color are her secretions? If it is recurring then ask your doctor about Singulair. This helps the little guys to fight off colds during the cold seasons. My son takes it and it really does help. If her secretions are clear, then it is most likely allergies (ragweed is blooming over here in Alabama). In that case have you tried Zyrtec or Claritin? My son was 1 when he was prescribed Zyrtec 1/2 teaspoon at bedtime. It's over the counter now. It makes their secretions thick and helps them to not drain down in their throat causing that horrible wet cough that never ends. It also helps them to rest. I would definitely call her doc back and ask if any of the above meds are an option for your daughter. I hope she feels better soon!!! God bless!
I haven't had to deal with this personally yet with my baby (2 1/2 mos), but my mom rarely took us to the doctor. She seemed to just know how to take care of things. 1. We never had a cool mist humidifier and unless I am mistaken they are generally for people with asthma. We had a warm mist humidifier or we would go sit in the bathroom while someone showered. The warm moist air helps to loosen the sinuses and clears them. You also might try massaging her forehead and nose. If you take both fingers on either side of her nose and rub upward it is amazing how it opens up the airway. You could try it on yourself or your husband if you want to make sure your doing it right. She should also probably be drinking lots of fluids. It will help with the cough and help flush her system faster. I hope you find this helpful and not just babbling! ;)
Try steaming the bathroom and sitting her in it. Of course you have to sit in there with her. Steam seems to help w/congestion. They also have vapor rub and vapor baths for children. I'm told Johnson&Johnson makes a vapor bath. I'm sure you know that when I say steam the bathroom I do not mean put your child in the water I mean turn on the hot water to produce steam and sit in the bathroom w/her. It sounds crazy to have to say that but I don't want emails about someone who burnt their child w/hot water because they thought I meant put them in a tub of hot water.
Your doctor did not give you any medcine because a couple of years ag they took all dcongestants, cough, and cold medcines, for kids under 6 I believe, off the market. I would think a good doctor would have at least given you more advice than just TLC. If it has been a week and she is not better or seems to be worse, take her back. If she is coughing, I think you would want her coughing stuff up. My friends daughter ended up with pnemonia after a cold because she could not cough stuff up and it settled in her lungs.
The steam room is great, you can lay her on her stomach over your legs and pat her back a little to help loosen stuff up too.
Give her warm liquids not icy cold. If her throat hurts at all, the warm liquids are soothing and cold will be a shock and make it hurt more.
Hey J.,
That is just awful. I'm so sory to hear she is not feeling well and that the available doc wouldn't give her anything. I would not make another appt. as it does cost. But since you have already been in, a phone call should do the trick. And it's free if you have visited recently as they are allowed to call meds in if you have been seen recently. So I would call and leave a message with the nurse about your appt. and tell them the symptoms persist and that she continues to be miserable. Then ask for something to help with cough and congestion. If they ignore you again, then wait unitl late at night and call back, speak to answering service and again request meds. You have to be persistant. I understand the need to hold back antibiotics unless necessary but comfort meds are warranted if you are feeling the effects. Oh and don't expect the irritability to subside even with meds. But she should b emore comfortable. If all this fails, ask the pharmacist what you can give. But call your doctor first, that is what you paid for.
Best Wishes,
-MB
I would go back however I'd consider seeing a different pediatrician. If nothing else, I'd call your current doctor's office and explain that she's not getting any better. If they still say there's nothing they can do, I wouldn't waste my time and money there. Another thought is if you've looked into an allergy/asthma specialist. My children all have asthma that is activated by getting a cold. They have a hard time shaking the cough part of a virus without antibiotics and sometimes a steroid. An allergist can help you figure out if this is what's going on. No matter what, I wouldn't wait it out too long. God bless!
Is your daughter coughing up anything? If so what color is it? If it is yellowish to greenish (gross I know) then yes take her back to the doctor. Keep a close eye on her fever, if it goes above 101, then yes take her back to the doctor. If the low grade fever lasts for more than 4-5 days, then you should call her doctor and let them know. The steam room idea is a good one. Have someone take a hot shower and let her sit in the bathroom while they are. Make sure that she is at least drinking plenty of liquids. I hope this helps!
Get her tested for RSVP vir., also alergires May God Bless and Help you find out what is going on. B. A.
If you are in OKC, go to Akins Health Food Store on Memorial. They will be able to give you some natural alternatives for her cough & congestion. If you haven't already, try a saline nose spray or drops to help with the congestion. My 3 yr old uses an Olive based nose spray from Akins and it really helps.
http://oklahomacity.citysearch.com/profile/42839437/oklah...
As for the fever, if it is low grade, don't give her tylenol. The fever is her body fighting the infection. Just monitor it closely. You can use a cool wash cloth to help bring it down a little. If her temp does go up, you may want to call her doctor back so he can check her again.
take care!
I would bring her back if it has been a few days since you last went. It could have developed into something else. She obviously has something if she is running fever. Ask them to test her for the flu or something else other than strep. You know your child better than that doctor. Follow your gut. If you feel there is something wrong with her that there more than likely is. You can use a nasal mist for nasal congestion and vapor rub.
