My child’s bastard cough!!!

[Fruityb]

Posting for traffic.

My son gets coughs every now and then which basically means I get a shitty nights sleep and he goes all the way through while coughing in an irregular pattern which means at no point can I relax or ignore it. I have been awake this morning since about four am and have been in and out of his room - given cough gloop and a drink and absolutely no bastard difference has been made.

I have tried vicks on his feet, chest, back; basted him in the stuff. Covered his bedding in olbas oil, bowl of water under the radiator, hot water with vicks in. And still the bastard cough continues.

He is currently in our bed with dh still doing the dry pointless fucking cough: I know it’s not his fault but I have barely slept last night and I was awake in the night the night before listening to it. I can’t sleep in the spare room because I haven’t seen the bed in there for about three months as it’s just covered in DH’s shite.

Anything I haven’t tried? I’ve also used the calpol plug ins but as they are so stupidly expensive with no alternative I am loathe to buy them again. A quid a night for a room spelling like a spa that seems to dry him out even more is more than I feel like right now.

Apologies for the frustration here - I know it’s not his fault. He’s three and has been like this since birth - but I can still hear him coughing while I’m getting ready in the next room and I am so tense my hands are like claws. Writing this was hard. I teach a full day today including a bottom set who are horrific and I have been dreading that since about four am....

Honey. Neat honey off a spoon to coat his throat? My boy has a medicine induced cough ( can’t change meds) and his consultant said to use just plain honey when it’s bad. Or a drink with honey and lemon just before bed but we find the best honey works best. Not massively great for his teeth but needs must. He is old enough now to take it himself and prefers one in a squezzy bottle that comes with lemon in it

Neat not best

I would have repeated bouts of coughing and bronchitis as a child. My mum eventually worked out that my room would get very damp (Rising damp in the walls). This caused an allergic reaction. Still as an adult I struggle in damp/mouldy places. Get an allergy test then address any sources. As pp have suggested antihistamines and inhalers will help with symptoms, but try and discover the source.

High grade Manuka honey 3-4 times a day! It cured my 2 months of misery and I've been giving it to my 4 year old at any sign of a cough and so far he's been fine this season!

My DS has this. An inhaler sorted it, he's allergic to a few things but this was a post viral wheeze I think. Hope you get to see the GP and don't get fobbed off with Olbas oil this time.

Bronchostop is an excellent syrup for all types of cough, and they now do a Junior version.

I’ve been to doctors and it’s viral - isn’t it always - but have been to buy a few bits and have got that broncho stop. Also have a ton of honey I will be giving him!

Cough has got a bit better since getting up and am going to give his room a good do over at some point. He’s watching Peter Rabbit quite happily.

Couldn’t get any anti histamine as the one on the shelves was for 6+ and he’s 3. Big queue at counter and ds was over excited so we left.

He’s stopped coughing for longer periods now so am hoping it’s settled now: I couldn’t hear it anymore without getting pissed off!! I know it’s not his fault but when it’s all you’ve heard and you just can’t sleep it’s shitty isn’t it!

So after a few more hours of arrrrggghhh!! I went and bought a humidifier and some anti histamine as well as getting amoxicillin from the docs: anti histamine taken and no coughing. I am so happy.

The calpol plugin is on and the humidifier is primed for bedtime with the pad ready. Hopefully tonight will be better!

Thanks for listening to my crazed ravings 😂

Sounds like post nasal drip as well. Try Sterimar nasal spray too. You can get it in the Pharmacy - it's saline water and they do a kids version. Stops my son's post nasal drip.

We've all been there OP and it is upsetting to hear a kid cough constantly.

DC2 has a cough on and off for most of winter. She doesn't check all the boxes for asthma so my GP won't assess her.

I've recently been told the anti histamine tip and I'll try it next time the dreaded cough hits!!!

My three year old had a persistent cough. Went to the GP who said it could be lactose intolerance and to try him on lactose free. Cough cleared up in days and has not returned after six weeks lactose free. Apparently lactose intolerance can be caused by an infection. Never heard of this before.

Has anyone got a blue inhaler you could try him with? Normally wouldn't recommend any such thing without a doctors involvement but it's just ringing all the bells for asthma. It's how mine starts and eventually I end up at A&E if I leave it untreated.

I don't think you should surpress a cough,so maybe your trying too much to stop the cough when we cough for a reason,so you are surpressing it all the time and it seems to have short term effects in stopping it but nature intends us to cough to get rid of whatever it is.I have never suffered from a cough ever as I never take cough remedies as they are not natural

Haven't RTFT but what about a humidifier for his room?

I give mine liquid antihistamine and it helps the coughing massively

Op I can totally sympathise. My DS was exactly as you describe.
Like you I tried everything but nothing really worked. The doctor was adamant it was asthma but I was never convinced. None of the inhalers or asthma medicine made a blind bit of difference. There just didn’t seem to be any reason for it.
I drove myself insane looking for cures. I even went down the homeopathic route even though I don’t believe in it - I was just so desperate for it to stop.
I felt constantly worried / exhausted / frustrated / guilty.
In my stressed sleep deprived state I would shout at him to stop coughing, even though I knew he couldn’t help it. I still feel terribly guilty about that now.
Then when he was about 8 it just stopped. No rhyme or reason at all. It just literally stopped. Maybe he just grew out of whatever it was that caused it. I have no idea.
DS is 13 now and touch wood has never had this issue since. However, I have been left with massive health anxiety specifically related to coughing. I have developed a proper phobia and I flinch every time I hear someone cough to the point where I have to leave shops/restaurants etc, because I start to have a panic attack. I have to turn the TV/radio off if I hear someone cough. It’s very debilitating. I had CBT for awhile but it didn’t help.
I hope you get some answers for your DS and I hope you manage to look after yourself too because I know how horrible it is.

DS2 had a regular dry night cough as a toddler and ended up under asthma care. He had bronchiolitis at about 6m.

He still has inhalers at 6, but we don't need them frequently now. Mainly when colds go to his chest or the weather is particularly cold or warm and humid. He's still more coughy than his brother.

I’m also surprised cough variant asthma hasn’t been mentioned by GP.

Often after a cold I’ll get an absolutely awful cough that lasts weeks. The type where I get violent coughing fits and even vomit sometimes. Last time this happened my boss actually suggested maybe I should see a doctor about it (I’m the type not to go unless on death’s door) and they told me yes it was a post viral cough but with my history it was worth trying an inhaler. It really did help.

The anti histamine seems to have capped it - he’s in bed and I haven’t heard a single cough this evening. He stopped about ten minutes after I gave him it. He’s also had the humidifier on which seems to have helped.

I have borrowed an inhaler tonight as well but he’s not used it - he fell asleep during his bedtime story! He was so tired bless him. I will keep the humidifier on regularly and have spare calpol bits (fuck they’re expensive).

Will also give him an anti histamine again! They were only Boots own but it seems to have helped. It was so nice to have him stop coughing - poor buggerlugs was really struggling ☹️

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I couldn’t get him to take the anti biotics as it tastes minging! I’ll try again tomorrow. I don’t know what he needs them but we’ll see.

Gah what a day!

I see a nurse practitioner every time I go - I don’t believe I’ve seen a GP. Seems common at ours - I usually see one myself.

@fruityb, we've got a similar problem apart from Dd can't sleep through it, up 4hrs last night and coughed herself sick 3 times. Anti histamine you say? I've got piriton in the cupboard??

Wow well that tip has totally made my year 👍

@Fruityb

Pleasey LG is having exact same issue which piriton did you use for him age 3?? My Girl is 2!! Every cough destroys a little bit of my soul shes been on antibiotics twice it's always at night! Ringing dr tomorrow but god it's bad!! Bronchostop def helps but gonna try everything you did x x