My poor daughter has had this cough since October. I took her to the doctor in October and November and in November since the cough didn't go away on it's own and she had phlegm in her throat, he told me to give her Mucinex for kids but just a small dose. I didn't feel OK giving her that because it's not for kids under 4 but as November went on and she didn't get better, I decided to give her some. In December, she got her first ear infection. I knew it was from the cold and the phlegm because she never lays down to drink. So the antibiotics cleared the infection up and her cough as well. 3 weeks later, she was coughing again with the phlegm and running nose. On Feb. 9, we picked her up from day care to find she was running a fever of 102.8, since we were going to get around 15 inches of snow the next day, we took her to the predication right away. Here she had a duel ear infection and was giving a breathing machine because she was wheezing and had a bit of asthma. I took her back on Saturday because she was still running a fever and they found she had a lung infection. We took her back on the 22nd of Feb. so the doctor could check her and make sure she was better and she was. On 3/3 she started to cough again with the clear discharge from her nose and you could hear the phlegm in her throat again. On 3/7 I stated to give her the breathing treatment because she was wheezing. On Tuesday to Wednesday night she woke up with a fever so I gave her Tylenol and took off work to take her to the doctor. The doctor looked really good in her ears and listen to her lungs really good and said she just had a cold, her ears and lungs were fine. I bought one of those machines that suction her nose to help clear that up, I started to give her 1/4 tsp of Mucinex for kids every 5 hours but she is not coughing the phlegm up. How do we get it out? I'm worried this is going to turn into another ear and lung infection and I had his mom threaten to harm me if anything happened to her because she said I wasn't being serious about her being sick - his mom had her yesterday and it was way past her time for a nap and was crying a lot but I guess she told his mom her ear hurt but in the past 24 hours, she hadn't acted up once. No fever, no pulling of the ear, she is sleeping just fine right now. But we know we need to help her get this phlegm out but we don't know how. Any help would be very helpful.
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The illnesses you describe are what my kids have constantly, especially while in daycare. Wash hands, Vicks, humidifiers and acidophilus are all great and I use them all, but getting sick for a 2 yr old is unavoidable. I'm always concered however, about giving little ones meds off label. Also, I would insist on a chest xray, especially if there is a lung infection and fever.
I would be taking her to an Eare,Nose and Throat Specialist. She could very well have tonsillitis or an inner ear infection. Mucinex is just something you buy off of the shelf, why isn't the physician giving her antibiotics. Anyways another item I would buy is a Steamer, you put it in her room and buy some liquid vapour for the Steamer. This will fill the whole room with the vapour. While she is sleeping it will help to loosen up the phlegm. There are as well cough meds for children to loosen phlegm up that are for her age. I would as well get Vic's, put it on her chest,back and as well on the bottoms of her feet with a pair of socks over her feets. This draws the cold down through the feet. Believe me it works and it won't hurt her either. This seems to have been going on for some time and I think its time that you took her to a specialist. Some MD's just don't look into it far enough.
As for someone saying that you don't look after her "Wow" thats a slap in the face when you are so worried about her. Hubby should be saying something about that. It makes you feel inadequate being a Mother. That is so rude!!! Anyways try the above, I sure hope it works for you. A steamer I believe would be in the range of about $30.00 and the liquid mentholatime I think would be around the $10.00 mark. As well try having her sleep on her stomach so that the phlegm can get up. If she sleeps on her back its that much harder to get up. Give her lots of water, you can't give her enough. It as well loosens phlegm.
Good luck and don't ever let anyone tell you your not looking after her!!
Been there... but you and your child are not getting very much sleep because of the coughing...
My son has a form of asthma that he only gets when he is sick. The first winter in daycare was absolutely AWFUL! He was sick all the time with recurrent ear and sinus infections. Sinus infections are hard to diagnose and rare in children, but go hand in hand with asthma. We see an asthma and pulmonary doctor. (Main Line Allergy, Asthma & Pulmonary - they have 3-4 locations around the area and are affiliated with CHOP.) The Asthma doctor said that many doctors do not give a strong enough antibiotic or give it long enough to knock out a severe sinus infection. My son takes a daily inhaler in the winter only and has a rescue inhaler. We started this when my son was two... he is four now and our winters have been much healthier.
A bath before bed when he has the cough helps when he is sick. Steams him up and loosens up all the mucus. Also a humidifier in his room when he is coughing helps as well. This year I also started adding more foods high in antioxidants (germ fighters) to his diet. http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/nutrition/antioxidant-foods...
Have you tried an air purifier in her bedroom? Our 19 month old daughter was in the hospital twice within a month due to breathing difficulties (each time it started with a cold she brought home from daycare). We did/are doing the breathing treatments, but her presistent cough wouldn't go away until we tried an air purifier. The ENT is probably a good idea too. Good Luck!
Get a vaporizer, for hot water not cold, and set it where she can't reach it. I would leave it on and just refill the water when needed. I used a vaporizer a lot for our kids. Also a teapot on the stove on low gives a little steam to help moisten the air. Can you keep her home from the daycare with this much problem - she really needs time to get well. God bless.
Rita D had good advice concerning the Vics and humidifier. I would add that one thing you can do with the humidifier is fill it with 4 parts distilled water to one part hydrogen peroxide. This really helps combat bacteria and free up the breathing. I usually just dump in the peroxide, then fill the container 4 Xs with the distilled water.
You should also look in your natural foods section for live culture acidophiles in the liquid form to give her as this will replace the good bacteria that the antibiotics destroyed, otherwise it is easy to end up on a cycle of never ending earaches.
You sound like a very conscientious mom and I know this will resolve.
Did you ever get her tested for RSV? Although it's just a simple "cold" virus it can be very persistent...especially when you have a little one dealing with the phlegm. Unfortunately it is just a virus that has to run it's course but that doesn't mean you just have to deal with no help other than Mucinex. They do prescribe the breathing treatment tho for kids with asthma.
I too would look into an ENT specialist just to rule out anything more than a virus that's turned bacterial.
The reality is that little kids have zero hygine and this IS cold and flu season. Some kids are "protected" for awhile being at home and no subject to daycare. For kids who are in daycare, it's just a petridish and they catch EVERY cold there is - back to back to back, as you know.
Good luck
Sounds to me like they should have given you a breathing machine to take home of your child is wheezing. I also find it strange that your ped prescribed Mucinex as I have read that young children should not have that type of medication. If I were you I would get another opinion.
Ok, my son has severe astha and that was how he started. Well, due to this I am in school right now getting an associates in advanced respiratory Therapy. We have been through alot with him. When he gets the ear and lung infections, They had to give him a steriod also or it wouldn't kick it. It also sounds like they are not giving a strong enough antibiotic or using the same one too many times and your child is building a tolerence to it. I would suggest a different one or a stronger dose. The tricky thing with lung infections and ear infections is they are very hard to get rid of and when a DR can't figure out why they won't go away the just blame it on a cold. That is why they have Respiratory Therapists to specialize in it. You should also run a cool mist humidfier for the cough. That will work better for the breathing and cough then a regular vaporizer. You can give very small doses of delsym. But only about 1/4 tsp for around 30 pounds of weight. Only 2xs a day though. This is what we had to do to get rid of it for Evan. He had it for Months.. The fever you can rotate tylenol and motrin back in forth every 4 hours and it will work better them on or the other. I know it seems like a lot of meds but This is really stubborn to get rid of. I also suggest changing your vitamins to ones with extra immune support to keep her from getting them back again. I hope this helps alot and I would look for a new doctor if I were you. Yours doesn't sound to care very much. You can do alot without meds but it sounds like she at least need the nebulizer, humidifier, steriods- which will help clear phlegm out of throat and lungs (short treatment-5days ONLY), vapor bathing soap from johnsons, vics on the chest, make her hot drinks like hot decaf tea with little milk and sugar will also break up phlegm. My son will be 3 and he still has really bad asthma but it acts up alot less now and he gets sick less often. Your mom in law needs to chill out. Kids get sick especially in day care. It will take about 1 1/2 years for her to not get sick all the time in daycare. I do agree mucinex is too strong for a baby that young and delsym is also strong use in caution. It isn't saying it will be safe. I would try all other methods first before adding cough syrups they are so easy to overdose per child is different. They can also give you a inhalate steriod for her lungs for the nebulizer called pulmacort. It is a 14 day treament with is milder then liquid steriods. She can use in conjunction with alberterol. It works wonders with clearing everything out. I hope this helped you out I know it is alot to take in. I would recommend trying to see a specialist. Maybe an ear, nose and throat pplus an lung specialist for confirmation on getting her better. Good luck and I hope she feels better.
This sounds like my son's situation this winter! It's just something you have to get through, and keep taking her to the doctor if it doesn't get better. I too would recommend lots of hand washing and probiotics-- Florastor for Kids when she's on antibiotics (it is a yeast and so not killed by the antibiotics) and Culturelle when she's not on antibiotics. Also a mulitvitamin and as much time outside as possible. When she goes to school she'll be one of the healthiest kids there because she's had everything!
As for your mother-in-law, I'd have your husband deal with her.
