dd has barking croup type cough what can I do to help her?

[Piffle]

DD 3.5 has been ill with fever, runny nose and wheezy cough (she has ventolin for when she has a cough although she is not "asthmatic per se)
She has been well ish in herself today - the barking cough is dreadful at night, she is ok with it, calm...
I guess I will take her to the doctor tomorrow but what will help the bark?
Anything?
I did steam with her last night but as soon as she came out of the bathroom she started all over again, she is sleeping with me - for comfort.
Is this croup or does that just affect babies?
I would google but bloody parental controls are on as dp has done something stupid and I do not know his bloody admin password and he is overseas
ARSE.

[frumpygrumpy]

I had a thread on croup a little while ago asking for help for my DT2 who had croup. He was 20 months at the time but my DD who is 5 had very similar so I think it can affect older wee ones too.

I can't do the link thing but I'll see if I can find it to re read the replies. I remember that cold or fresh air is almost as good, if not better, than steam. Poor thing, its awful.

[Piffle]

I'll try archives although they have been a little ahem difficult lately
thx wasnn;t sure if 3.5 was too old to have croup, dd is size of 18 mths - 2 yr old though!

[frumpygrumpy]

I tried archives for my own thread but can't find it, I found very little helped, only that it was much worse at night. The cold air helped a bit and i used all the usually suspects (Calpol (I use medised through the night), Nurofen, olbas/vick, plug ins etc, I'm sure you're doing it all). For my DT2 it lasted about 3-4 days in total. Keep bumping and good luck.

[swedishmum]

I had croup for years - certainly remember attacks in the night aged about 6 or 7. Then it just disappeared. Problem was, my mad mother used to make me drink salt water as a cure (DON'T try this at home!!) - I hated it so much that I would hide my croup attacks in the hope of avoiding the cure!
My patented method with dd2 was:
Put wicker chair in bathroom
Put shower on hot and shut the door
Go downstairs, make tea
Collect dd from dh and go to bathroom
Try to fall asleep on chair with her on top of me
Also did massage/tapping on back with her face down.
Hope she's OK tonight

[Skribble]

My two had it really bad but as they got older they don't get it.

Sometimes they had to go to A&E to get teatment, with instant relief I must add.

Steam can help, I had kettles in their room but only if I was there, propping them up can help too, I put extra pillow under the mattress to bring them up a bit but not too sguidgy.

here is some \link{http://www.emedicinehealth.com/croup/page6_em.htm\advise}. \link{http://www.webmd.com/hw/raising_a_family/hw31937.asp\more} \link{http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/croup.html\more again} seeing as ou can't google .

[Lact8]

When I was given this advice I thought it would make DD cough worse but it gave her instant relief

at night time, wrap her up nice and warm and take her outside, weather permitting!

We would walk DD up and doen the street at 2 in the morning for 5 - 10 mins and her cough would just stop

We also had all the bedroom windows open, heating on with wet towels on the radiators and we'd all be able to get back to sleep

[Alipiggie]

2 tsp's honey mixed with warm water and make her sip it. Honey juice as my two call it. Works every time for my two ds's. Also found that giving a sachet of calpol works a treat by lining their throat and stopping the irritation to the larynx. Last time my little one received salbutamol in liquid form for self-administration, beats a trip to a&e at 3AM. Hope this advice helps, the more natural the better, as long as it works

[Piffle]

:( god what an awful night :(
Did the shower at midnight as she was really struggling to get breath back in. This helped instantly, I got two puffs of ventolin/salbutamol in but this had zero effect, so we went to the living room all wrapped up and slept with the french doors open til 3 am when her breathing calmed right down, we fell into bed we were asleep for two hours when she started vomiting again with coughing, not cropup this time tons of phlegm
Called doctor out as it was streaked with blood, he said her coughing has burst a blood vessel and he has given me a sedative to give her tonight if she is as bad, he says if she struggles to breathe call an ambulance
Today she is knackered, high temp, but up and about, had some brekkie, watching tv with me now.
Dp is away, our car has no exhaust unti friday it is pissing down with rain, blowing a gale and COLD - I have no milk so am going to have to do entire online shop now just so I cna get milk and bread!

[expatinscotland]

Piffle .

She should see a doctor. It could also be pertussis.

Yes, even if she is vaccinated, there is a strain of pertussis which the vaccine doesn't offer immunity, although it can lessen hte effects.

[Gloworm]

piffle, I dont know if you want to try this, there are several online shops where you can buy it, i'll google and post for you if you're interested.

Bioforce ivy-thyme drops are fantastic for all types of cough. they thin out the phlegm and make it easier to cough up, they stop the irritating non-productive part of the cough, they act as a tonic for the chest/lungs and generally help strenghten the lungs.
you add 3 or 4 drops to a spoonful of juice (or squash or yoghurt or honey or anthing). take it 3 times a day, save one of them for bedtime.

manuka honey is also fantastic. I know any honey will help, but manuka is antibacterial and really can make a huge difference, especially at nightime. it must say "active 5+" or higher, on the label.

our ds, age 4, is very prone to catching all sorts of coughs, often coughs enough to vomit etc. we have found these 2 remedies to work everytime and always have them in the house. (the drops will keep for a long time once they are opened)

let me know if you want any more info.

hope you both manage some rest this morning

[foxinsocks]

piffle, you poor thing. We get a lot of croup in this household but it's quite unusual for it to last longer than a few days so if it keeps on going, I would definitely take her back to the doc. Try and get her loaded with ventolin before she goes to bed in an attempt to catch it before it gets bad.

There are some horrid colds going around at the moment (no doubt triggered by this weird warm one minute, cold next minute weather). I hope you both get some kip tonight.

[Piffle]

I'm a kiwi and was brought up on manuka honey
DD however hates honey although I can get it into her at night no problems.
I use bio force echinacea which reduces the cold symptoms - less runny nose etc
Her temp is down slightly today she is perking up the doc said croup peaks at about day 2-3 then usually subsides although eh said he suspects she has a bronchial infection too. But she had pneumonia at xmas and was on such powerful antibiotics, since then she has been hospitalised with severe tonsilitis and irritable joint problems, so the doc said as she was getting the mucous up ok and wheezing contrlled by ventolin he would prefer not to prescribe antibiotics, to which I agree.

She ahs always been susceptible to these things, she is very small weight wise (she has rare genetic syndrome which keeps her low weight and petite but is otherwise happy and healthy)
Arrghh just aaarghh, she is such a little trooper bless her, not a moan from her the whole time.

[expatinscotland]

Aw, Piffle! ((HUGS)) to your daughter. It's frightful when they're ill. I hope she gets better VERY soon. Poor lamb!

[Gloworm]

oops, cant believe I tried to introduce a newzealander to the wonders of manuka honey talk about preaching to the converted

oh well, maybe it will help some other MNetters.

[Piffle]

LOL Glo worm
Ahh the news gets better
Had to pick ds 12 up from school he has got sore throat and chunder bug
Oh joys

[frumpygrumpy]

Piffle, sounds like my house a few months back. Such a shame for you and yours honey. My DD was very ill at Christmas in hospital and her convalenscence took a while. I was advised to use those bio drinks (Danone things) to build up the good bacteria again, esp since her wee body will have had it all knocked out with the antibiotics. Best of luck with it all. Remember it is a moment that WILL pass, its just shitty getting there. Order lots of wine and chocolate for yourself.

[frumpygrumpy]

My post didn't make sense (not unusual). I was trying to say that your DD might benefit from the drinks, I used them for about a month and then top up now and then if she's been ill.

[chapsmum]

piffle, cold are can be just as beneficial as moisture.
If the steam helps and you still have an old steam striliser fill it up half way and leave it on (in a safe place in her room) be aware that this may strip your wall paper.
Additionally brufen (if she can have it) works to reduce the inflamation in the airways.
Otravine nasal drops are good for decongestion and always find with the chap that a dose of vitamins (a syrup which acts as cough syrup) works wonders at night.
Additionally if the cough is hurting her throat you can disolve a cube of her fav jellyin hot water whenever she is uncomfortable.

HTH

[chapsmum]

cold air

[expatinscotland]

chapsmum
what vitamin syrup do you use for chap, if you don't mind my asking? i'm always in the market for these things :).

[chapsmum]

I actually use the sanatogen syrup (it is based in glycerine) and one of the very few syrups for babies that does not contain arachnis oil (SP???)(peanut extract).
A the chap is atopic we were advised to steer clear of nuts till he was seven.

[Piffle]

I use pure acidophulus powder when dd has antibiotics which she now has after getting wheezier today
Doc this afternon says she has a very distinct crackle on her lower left lung that could be prone to infection (after pneumonia at xmas) so he says in this case he would feel safer with antibiotics. if she continues to get this crackle every time she has a cold, he would refer her as it could suggest permanent lung damage [gulp]
She is pretty chipper though day time, eating a little and drinking, watching tv and chatting, easily tired but happily restful.
Will use the honey tonight she wakes frequently for drinks - vitamins ahh she has been on those for months now.
Might have to invest in a homeopath I think :(

[Piffle]

ps thanks for all the tips everyone, very helpful

[Skribble]

Never thought about the probiotic drinks for the kids when they get antibiotics, when I have to take antibiotics I have to have bio yogurts or I get terrible thrush. So I suppose kids must be effected too and need their good bacteria boosting.