Sick Kid :( HELP!!

Updated on December 15, 2011
C.S. asks from Nevada, MO
12 answers

My daughter turned 5 in June, last night she was up coughing half the night. Tonight she had been coughing since the time she went asleep, she had been coughing during the day, but tonight it got worse. I gave her some Delsum right before bed to help her sleep better, it didn't do anything...I ended up getting her out of bed and starting the shower and sat with her, about 5 minutes after being in the bathroom she vomited yellow mucus. She was just in to see the dr about two weeks ago for pink eye, the Doctors where we live are the worst, it took us 2 visits and them bringing in 2-3 other doctors during both appointments to come to a conclusion. The closest place to see a Dr that actually knows something means we have to drive about an hour to an hour and a half, I am running out of ideas and my daughter isn't running a fever. Any advice???

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So What Happened?

As of right now, she is still coughing and still no fever, it seems just by going to the store to try to pick up some Mucinex & PediaCare, that everyone is going through this in town. It's taken me 4 trips to 2 stores and 2 pharmacies over the last two days, but I have finally found actual cough medicine!. I called a doctor we know in town, and he said if Caitlyn is still coughing on Wednesday, he'd try to sneak us in Thursday. He doesn't to take children, but he'd be willing to do us a favor. We are headed out of town tomorrow to see my in-laws for Northeastern Texas this weekend and my Mother In-law is a nurse at one of the hospitals there, need be we could get her in there too if Caitlyn gets worse.

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S.H.

answers from Washington DC on

I just took my 21 month old daughter in for this very thing last week. She was coughing all day and all night, but at night it was so much worse. She was not getting hardly any sleep. I tried everything, vicks vapor rub on the feet, honey, humidifer, cough medicine, nothing worked. After two weeks of this she started running a fever, so I took her in. Chest x-ray was clear, so no pneumonia, but they felt it might develop in to it, so she got an antibiotic and it really helped to clear it up fast.

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E.B.

answers from Beaumont on

I don't mess around when young ones get sick. In my own kids, it's gone from bad to worse in a nano-second. I'd get her to the Dr. that is an hour away. You've got Christmas coming and you certainly don't want to get the rest of your family sick. Give her a big hug for me....hope she feels better soon.

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R.M.

answers from Topeka on

There really isn't a lot to do for a cold other than ride it out...antibiotics are, in most cases, a waste of time and money.
Get some mentholatum to put on her chest....and also put some on her feet and put some cotton socks on her. (Don't ask me why menthol on your feet helps with a cold but it does!!) Get a cool air humidifier for her room...and push push push the water intake to thin that mucus and get it up and out of her system!!
Talk with your pharmacist...I have heard the pharmacists that I work for tell a lot of Moms and Dads that you don't want to stop the cough completely...that is what is breaking up the mucus and helping her to get rid of it. Of course you don't want a constant hacking cough, but you also don't want it to be completely repressed. You could also try elevating the head of her bed...to see if that helps with the night time coughs.
I am not sure if she is too young to take childrens mucinex...check with your doctor and see if that is possible...mucinex ( and LOTS of water!!) will further thin that mucus and hopefully shorten the life of the cold.
Limit dairy products as that seems to thicken the mucus....give her "comfort foods"...hot soups...hot teas if she will take them...
There is evidence that increasing her vitamin C intake will be beneficial...we always bump up the amount of vitamin C that we take when we have a cold...as do my daughters and their children.
Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with suggestions....I have picked up a lot of "tricks" during the years of raising children!!! lol
IS it possible that the doctors that you see are part of a teaching practice...and possibly those other doctors that are coming into the exam room are actually interns that are learning??? I can't imagine needing more than one doctor to decide on a diagnosis of pink eye!!!

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E.B.

answers from Miami on

My boys have a history of Croup, Asthma, bronchitis and bronculitis. Because she has the yellow flem and even though it's not a fever it could be bronchitis. Which can turn into pneumonia if not taken care of right away. Sometimes that hour drive is worth the drive. I'm sure its frustrating. But why don't you try googling other pediatricians in your area, I'm sure they can't all be that bad!

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K.H.

answers from Richmond on

the vast majority of doctors these days are glorified pill pushers, they are typically too busy cashing their bonus checks from the pharmacutical companies to even bother to ask whether they should be pushing certain drugs at their patients to begin with. (slowly pushing soapbox away), if the doctor you go to doesnt tell you what is wrong with your child, when you know there is a genuine concern, go to a different doctor, you are paying THEM after all, as far as your child is concerned, sounds like congestion, try putting the child in a steamy bathroom, to help get some of the congestion out.
K. h.

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E.A.

answers from El Paso on

Best thing you could do is keep her comfortable. If it's been rlly persistent coughing maybe she should be seen by the dr just in case. Always call at least so they know what's happening and are aware that she is not well.

My mom always gave me a tablespoon of honey with some drops of lime.. Dnt ask me why but it did make my throat a bit better..

My DD has been sick since Friday she's only 22 months and for her the
brand little noses has a Medicine that is all natural it's called honey elixir and it soothes her throat and cough for a while but she will still be fussy so I sometimes give Tylenol to help her a bit more

Eta I hope she feels better soon. I kno how hard it is when they're sick. And everyone suffers. Good luck and remember to call her pedi

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I.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My mother always used to give us honey mixed with a little bit of pepper and it would soothe our throats and help with the cough. I do the same with my daughter & have seen it work. At times the reason behind the cough is an allergy or congestion. Cover her up real good, plus once i heard a doctor say that if you have carpets in your room they also trigger cough. It's important to keep it thoroughly clean. Steam and hot water baths are also a good idea. Vomiting out the mucous is a good thing, my dayghter has had cough and when she vomited the mucous out it helped..
Moreover, if the cough persists for too long instead of experimenting it is best to consult the doc .
Sincerely hope she feels better soon !

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P.S.

answers from Houston on

Listen to her breathing...is it labored? Does her chest look like it sinks in every time she takes a breath? If not, that's ok. If so...take her in to asap.

Her coughing may be due to drainage. If so, she needs a decongestant. If she is coughing b/c she is so stuffed up that she can't breath through her nose and has to breath through her mouth, then keep up the steam showers or let her soak in a steam bath.

Try Vicks vapor rub on her feet w/socks on. I scoffed at the idea before but was so desperate one night that I tried it and it worked on my son after a whole night of coughing.

I would also suggest a humidifier if she is stuffed up and/or steam vaporizor in her room while she sleeps.

Try to slip in as much honey (for coughing), lemon juice (a natural antiseptic) and garlic(a natural antibiotic) in her diet throughout the day or so.

gl

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Yellow mucus could easily mean an infection. I would say call the docs office and ask them to call a med in for her. They can only say yes or no.

I would take her to a local ER in the evening hours the first moment she starts running a temp.

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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

Sounds like she has a lot of drainage going on. That will cause tons of coughing. Is she breathing ok? If not get her into the doc asap. A natural remedy is honey. That seems to help my kids when they can't stop coughing before bed. Also make sure you have a humdifier going. If the air is really dry then that can add to the problem.

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H.G.

answers from Dallas on

Same thing here! We were cleaning up 230 am snot puke Tuesday night. I took her yesterday to make sure it was bronchitis ir pneumonia even though she didn't have fever either. Nope, she said it was croup! I tried the steam and otc meds and lime you ut did nothing. Our pedi gave us some kind of dn cough prescription and ill tell you she hadn't coughed once since! She also gave me a prescription for a steroid in case she goes into a coughing fit she can't get out of. I would take her and demand something. There are meds that can help her. I know both if you have got to be as tired ad we are and its no fun :(

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D.V.

answers from St. Louis on

I run a humidifier in my daughters room every night in the winter. Especially when she gets a cold. You need to make sure the door is closed though. I usually leave my daughter's door open about 4 or 5 inches so I can hear her if she needs me but closing the door most of the way will keep that mist in her room. I also point it towards the bed. Doesn't need to be up close just in the direction of the bed. We put Vicks on her chest and prop her pillow slightly. You might try rolling a couple towels and placing them under the mattress if she doesn't stay on a pillow.

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