PLEASE help me stop my boy coughing

[Sparklydiplodocus]

My boy is really unwell. He’s been put on steroids and antibiotics. He cannot stop coughing for a single minute. I’ve tried honey, elevating his pillows, vicks on his feet, everything. HELP!!!

The benilyn night time medicine is good to have in.

Good news @Sparklydiplodocus well done for standing your ground!

Can I ask what the second dr diagnosed the cough as? Both my son (3) and I have very similar - dry cough with retching that’s been going on for weeks but not covid and he’s too young to be diagnosed with asthma I think. Just wondering if they said there was a nasty non-covid virus doing the rounds or if antibiotics were warranted or whatever? Thanks in advance

My asthma is coughing type and only rarely wheezing. It's sometimes been a struggle with doctors who don't know that sometimes asthma makes you cough and not wheeze. I know that sounds surprising and you would think all doctors would know that but there are some who don't.

@Sparklydiplodocus

Just got home. The first dr we saw there wanted to send him home to use lemsips and honey!!! I was like are you kidding me- he hasn’t stopped retching and coughing for even a second! I stood my ground and thankfully a second paediatric dr came in who was awesome and immediately gave him the strongest steroid dose possible and anti-sickness medicine to stop the constant retching.

It’s all calmed down a bit now and he got a few hours sleep.

Well done you!

Sometimes you have to stand your ground.

I don’t have asthma but have just got over the most horrendous cough I’ve ever had. Constant coughing to the point of retching, thankfully after 2 weeks I’m finally feeling better so my sympathies to OPs wee boy it really is horrible. Hopefully he will over it soon x

Gosh well done OP.

Good on you for standing up for him. I’m glad he got some rest and I hope he’s on the mend now with the steroids.

@TreadLightly3 he said it was croup. Ds is carrying on with steroids and antibiotics at home.

I haven’t read the previous replies so apologies if someone has already suggested this - get a vicks humidifier for his room - you can get vapour pods (vicks or the calpol ones work) if you want to use those although you don’t necessarily need them - my daughter went from continuous coughing one night to nothing absolutely no coughing at all - it’s a miracle worker!! She’s nearly 2 if that makes any difference.

Thanks @Sparklydiplodocus I’m trying to get hold of the GP now too. Hope your son gets much better soon

Good luck @TreadLightly3!

bless him, coughs like that are so awful

I could be wrong but I'm sure codeine used to be used to ease coughs - could he have an age appropriate dose of something codeine related maybe? Could you get a doctors phone call to check if anything along those lines (or something else) could help right now as opposed to whenever the other meds start kicking in

My DD had this at about 13/14. It was an anxiety cough. Lasted for about 2 months. Paediatrician told her you just have to stop coughing yourself. She stoped about a week later.

My dd is coughing badly at night she's on antibiotics and not retching yet..
Just gave her inhaler and she's OK for a bit

@tulips27

How odd I never knew that either. Dd not officially diagnosed yet but every winter gets an endless cough

@tulips27

My asthma is coughing type and only rarely wheezing. It's sometimes been a struggle with doctors who don't know that sometimes asthma makes you cough and not wheeze. I know that sounds surprising and you would think all doctors would know that but there are some who don't.

I'm surprised doctors don't know that too! In young children, coughing can be the main way that asthma presents.

It would be useful if teachers knew this too actually. It was written in my children's school asthma plans for years, as well as mentioned by me, but still got forgotten. Luckily, the DC became better at managing thenselves as they grew older.

Well done for standing your ground OP. Croup sounds like a seal coughing. Hopefully he won't get it again but at least if he does you'll recognise it straightaway next time. Hope he feels better soon.

My ds had a cough like this recently. We had to deep clean his room, including pulling back his bed etc. keep him calm, get a warm hot water bottle and get him to hug it to his chest. Maybe distract with watching tv etc in bed. Keep him fully propped up in bed

You have to go back to old folks who recognise and feared croup. It's nasty. They used ipecac then