My son has had a chronic barking type cough, this winter.Ive tried a humidifier, cough meds and now Clariten 12hr, its been going off and on since the first of Dec or so...Ive taken him to the Drs and they did the listening to the lungs thing and said it wasnt asthma because he isnt wheezing and he doesnt cough at night.Gave him some antibiotics and sent him on his way, this was right before Christmas..He is still coughing but it does go away for a few days but comes back full force all day long.He's been coughing for at least a week now This is affecting our schooling.He is always tired and taking deep breaths(which I think is because of his nose being plugged).Hes even pee'd the bed 3 times this last week(he is ten and this is a first). Does anyone have any helpful suggestions? He does have a thing hanging off his tonsil that kinda dangles but the Dr doesnt want to take it off.I dont know if thats causing the cough or not... Anyway Im at my wits end, my son is really disgusted with the cough and says he sometimes tastes blood...I am thinking of going to different Dr in another town for a second opinion.But it costs alot so if someone has had experience with this or has suggestions Im up for anything.
You definitely need to see a new doctor because all asthmatics do not wheeze. My daughter and I are two people who cough but do not wheeze. My husband is not a cougher, not even at night, but he is a wheezer. I can't say your kiddo has asthma but Ems developes a barking cough when her asthma acts up. Asthma is not easy to diagnose. Sadly, it is often diagnosed when a person is taken to the emergency. This happened with my daughter. Since she was born, she was constantly misdiagnosed as having bronchitis. Then one day at church she was turning blue. The doctor listened very carefully and asked me many questions about the past years. She said Ems was diagnosed too many times with bronchitis for it to have been bronchitis. She gave her a shot and treatment and Ems lungs opened and she fell asleep on the cart. We could barely wake her up. The doctor said that her body was exhausted from struggling to function without enough oxygen. The on and off again coughing your son is experiencing sounds like asthma. Again, I can't say it is. Even if it cost a lot of money, take him to another doctor. Asthma is nothing to mess with. Even if it is slow in reacting, asthma attacks slowly scar the lung tissue. Over long periods of time it can cause serious, permanent damage or death.
New doctor for sure. My dd12 was diagnosed with angio edema as a toddler because of allergic reactions (swollen throat, but not anaphylaxis). Her chronic symptom, though, was a barking cough (everyone would ask if she had croup). Have you tried benadryl? She had to have benadryl as needed for reactions, claritin daily, nasonex and singulair at night. Sounds like a lot, but she has grown out of most all of her symptoms now.
Has he been tested for Whooping Cough? A friend of mine's son didn't have the "typical" whooping cough, and the doctor tested him even though he was "sure" that wasn't it, and it was. Just a thought!
My dd13 has a barking cough with allergies. The doctor that diagnosed says she most likely has asthma, too, but that's never been formally diagnosed. She sounded like a 80 yr. old smoker. People stared at us when she coughed in public. Singulair kept in under control. I've weaned her off it (no health insurance now), and she seems to be OK in the new environment. TX was terrible for allergies! I agree. Find a new doctor. He shouldn't be coughing that much for that long!
Yes, get a new doc. Sounds like either whooping cough or asthma to me. My younger son only wheezes when he has RSV. Otherwise, his asthma is the coughing kind.
Thanks everyone.Scary stuff really.I am taking him back this Monday.Ive gave the Claritin 3 days and its done nothing. I dont know that its whooping cough.Would that last for a few months? Either way he is going back to the DR on monday and if I dont like what they tell me Im going to make an appointment out of town for a second opinion...
Sometimes it takes allergy meds a couple of weeks to really kick in. My daughter took Claritin and singulair for 2 weeks to knock out the cough. Then she just took singular to control the allergies. Still see a doc. You need to know what you are dealing with.
A friend of mine, even older than I am, developed a persistent bad cough a few years ago. Her RN daughter told her to go get a whooping cough shot, and she did, and hasn't been bothered with it since. Was it whooping cough? I don't know, but the shot fixed it.
I agree with what someone said above, not all asthmatic will wheeze. I have severe asthma and I dont wheeze all the time. Its worth getting a second opinion. If it is asthma, that is nothing to mess with. Below is a link the the Asthma and Allergy foundation, they have a host of infromation for you. Thought~Is the cold winter air triggering it for him? I have to wear a scarf to cover my mouth and nose to warm the air before it goes into my lungs. There are different types of asthma and triggers: Allergy asthma Non-allergy asthma Cold air Wind Chemicals such as cleaning products, candles, perfumes Low barometric pressure Hormones Hope your son feels better. Keep us updated! Also, if you have private health insurance and your son does have asthma, there is a foundation available to help with asthma co-pays for insured people. http://www.aafa.org/index_noflash.cfm
New Doc soon. Could be any number of things and this doc does not seem agressive enough with treatment and follow through. Could also be pnuemonia that did not respond to antibiotics the first go round. Either way, this coughing is tiring, stresses the heart, and is a symptom that needs addressed.
