4 year old constantly coughing

[Ilovecrumpets]

Just that really. He has a bad cold so I expect some coughing but he literally coughed constantly all last night ( so didn’t sleep) and is still constantly coughing today. I really do mean constantly - maybe 2 minutes at most between coughs. He vomited twice last night from the coughing.

He doesn’t have a temp and is fine in himself, doesn’t seem particularly wheezy. He is always very bad with coughs at the slightest cold and had croup when he was little. Far more than my eldest who I would say gets a normal amount of coughing with a cold.

I guess I’m just wondering how much coughing is normal? It’s obvioulsy exhausting for him.

Sorry appreciate this sounds like a silly question!

I'd see the GP, my 4yo had a bout of non stop coughing during the night and the GP prescribed an inhaler. She wasn't wheezy and didn't have a chest infection but the Dr said something along the lines of the constant coughing would tighten her windpipe which would make her need to cough more etc so it was a vicious circle. The inhaler did help and she hasn't been like that again.

My son gets this, a blue inhaler during dreadful nights does help so might be worth seeing a GP. Like you say it's not the cough that's bad it's the exhaustion of no sleep.

Somehow mine sleeps ish through it and never complains but I would be miserable. Sometimes he comes in to our bed and we're exhausted too.

My DD (5) was like this for about 18 months before being finally diagnosed with asthma last September and getting steroids and inhalers which made an amazing difference. This is the first winter without her needed to be hospitalised and on constant antibiotics. She had the same constant cough even when she was well, it was especially bad at night and kept her up most nights. I would go to your GP and speak to them as it sounds like it is not just a normal cough from being ill.

Thanks everyone - I’ve booked an appointment. Will try to push things beyond ‘its just a virus’. It isn’t that I think it needs antibiotics but that his reaction is so extreme if that makes sense

One of my DC has asthma, with viral infection seemingly the only trigger. In hindsight, bronchiolitis twice as a baby and an episode of post-viral wheeze requiring hospital admission should’ve raised concerns, but we were never told of the link. I wish I’d had that information sooner.

Best of luck with getting it sorted, OP.

Bit of a frustrating doctors trip. Saw the GP who could see his history of visits for this over the last few years. He was coughing a lot in the surgery. GP was looking to prescribe something for when coughing fits bad. Head GP came in and over rode her and said I need to keep a cough diary for 8 weeks and then come back before they would do anything and to give local honey. I know this means a least 3 weeks this episode of DS coughing all night and vomiting etc. I wish now I’d gone in each time it had happened this winter but didn’t want to waste time etc.

I do completely understand they need to be very cautious with giving little children drugs but it does feel like if he was an adult with these symptoms it would be taken a bit more seriously (tbf the original GP obvioulsy felt very sorry and was apologetic).

Could you see another GP?

If it’s virus-triggered, I’d think a diary over the winter months would be more informative, as the respiratory viruses tend to drop back a bit in spring, don’t they.

And wouldn’t local honey be for desensitising to local pollen, ie pollen allergy trigger rather than viral trigger?

Yes SomethingOnce I agree re the honey ( they also suggested the usual raise the bed which almost makes me want to cry as obvioulsy I’ve tried all these things).

I agree as it is virus triggered - usually lasts about 3 weeks so not the month head GP wants to see and it seems a bit pointless at this point. I really wish I’d gone in with him all the other times before but I’d actually seen head GP last winter and she’s said not to visit unless longer than 3 weeks.

I don’t think another GP at the practice would do anything as it now has head of practice GPS comments on it. I really like a couple of the doctors at the practice but head GP I’ve always found very dismissive of any concerns.

My son had this. After a virus he had constant coughing. It's allergic asthma in his case so dust makes it worse. He's on antihistamines, and asthma meds. Triggered by pollen in summer too.

Sorry double post - I’ve asked for one to be deleted!