Toddler’s never ending cough now got worse with a cold - HELP

[Reesewithafork]

Toddler 2yo has had a cough for a month, after a three week break from it (previously had a virus with a cough). It was starting to get a bit better but now he is full of cold, hoarse throat, and the cough is back with a vengeance and sounds productive sometimes and dry other times.

he had his chest checked last week and all clear, his glands were up a bit in his throat but no sign of infection so most likely viral again.

I’ve tried vicks on his chest, calpol plug in, spoonful of honey, honey and lemon before bed (I swear this kid is living off honey at the moment), broncho stop. Nothing helps.

it only seems to bother him when he’s coughing up gunk which is usually when he’s got so blocked up over night as he doesn’t know how to blow his nose yet.

DH and I are exhausted as we wake whenever he coughs and even when he goes back to sleep It takes us ages and then he starts again.

any tips gratefully received. I am cursing nursery at this point. He’s “been there” nearly two months but has probably attended only half the time.

He’s had a temp since Friday. It seems to have started to break now though. His diet is generally very good although he has low iron so takes a supplement. I do give him a multivitamin drop when I can get it
into him.

it could be post nasal drip, I’ll ask about that too (taking him back today just to check it hasn’t turned into an infection as the cough is constant - last night was terrible)

My 1yo DD was in intensive care last year with pneumonia. In my area they do not check for asthma until 5 years old because younger than this, children can’t do the peak flow test. She had coughs for about 6 months, had pneumonia, then a cough for another 6 months!

Oh @Lovelystuff what a nightmare. What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

how long does ventolin take to work does anyone know? Sae the doctor today and got given antibiotics and ventolin which he absolutely hates - he likes playing with it and putting it on his animals but screams blue murder when we try it on him so I’m not sure if we are getting enough in him. We didn’t notice a particular difference though? Maybe he was coughing less about an hour later? I think I was expecting it to be a magic cure that stopped the cough completely! 🙈

@Reesewithafork sounds exactly like my DD, 18 months. GP has referred to paediatrician but appt is not until September. DH and all his family have severe asthma, all starting in childhood, DD also has eczema so I am expecting an asthma diagnosis. In the meantime weeks/months to come of hideous cough, coughing up gunk and generally disturbed sleep. Fingers crossed your DS starts to feel better and sleep better soon.

That’s great you have antibiotics! It should clear it all up. My DD was totally fine except her cough and then one afternoon was breathing extremely deeply and was sucking her tummy in. However, consultant said that lockdown had caused a lot of viruses to mutate because everyone had come out of lockdown at the same time. Making viruses a lot worse so this shouldn’t be a problem for you hopefully.

Oh that’s so scary @Lovelystuff :( I have been keeping an eye on his tummy and breathing - he’s breathing more
noisily today because he’s got a blocked up nose but doesn’t seem to be struggling apart from when he’s having a coughing fit and even then he’s not breathless as such he just can’t make it stop.

@StyleDesperation its so horrible when they’re little isn’t it? Has she been given ventolin to try?

@StyleDesperation does she vomit with coughing? We’ve had a few incidences of this

My 2 year has just gone back on Ventolin after being off it for 6 months, when he starts coughing in the night I can often sneak in and do his inhaler without him really waking. He gets relief from the cough within about 10 minutes of using it.

@bloodywhitecat thats interesting we didn’t really notice a difference after using it, but he got himself upset using it so was then coughing if you see what I mean.

we are going to try again before bed if the cough is still very persistent and continuous like he has been, in the hope it will help him get some rest while the antibiotics kick in.

@Lovelystuff he has previously been on antibiotics (he’s had so many ABs since starting nursery due to catching bloody everything!) but none seem to have properly shifted it. Hoping third time is the charm.

@bloodywhitecat also when you say he gets relief from the cough does It stop completely or does it just ease off a bit?

@Reesewithafork yes to vomit. When the cough starts (if it ever finishes) or gets worse with a new cold/virus we have vomiting after a couple of hours in bed where the congestion has built up.

The GP said she wanted her to see a paediatrician rather than prescribing herself. Just a shame that the referral made in April will take until September.

My 2.5 yo twins are the same with the cough. It never leaves for long. Dr told me antihistamine every night at bedtime so they have the Boots own, plus Broncho stop when it's bad. Nasal drops if they're blocked up. They also still have gaviscon in their milk for silent reflux to rule this out. If he's snotty, the snot will be dripping into his throat making it worse. It's a bloody nightmare and my two don't even go to nursery

@Reesewithafork With this little one it stops completely, he sometimes needs two puffs then 10 minutes later another two and it can take up to an up to an hour for complete relief but it usually shows signs of stopping within the first 10 minutes. He is now back on a brown (preventer) inhaler too but that takes a good couple of weeks to kick in and once it does I am hoping he won't need the Ventolin at all.

My birth daughter was a very different story even now, as an adult, she doesn't respond well to Ventolin and uses a different inhaler as a reliever.

Maybe it isn’t asthma if the ventolin isn’t having an affect then. Although if the cough is caused by throat irritation at the moment I guess ventolin wouldn’t work? I don’t fully understand how it works!

it truly is horrendous. He has spent the afternoon just continuously coughing. The doctor said his chest was clear but that he has an upper respiratory infection, not sure how that works I thought you would hear something if there was infection in the chest, but that’s why he’s got antibiotics

Oh @Reesewithafork I hope the antibiotics start working soon. Sounds miserable for all of you!

The doctor said his chest was clear but that he has an upper respiratory infection, not sure how that works I thought you would hear something if there was infection in the chest, but that’s why he’s got antibiotics

Chest (lungs) would be a lower respiratory infection. Upper means sinuses, throat, common cold, etc.

@NewYorkLassie ah thank you, feel like a bit of an idiot now for not knowing that!

just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who said ask for ventolin. I didn’t think it was working tbh but doctor said to give the full two puffs four times today and although it was an effort as he really fights keeping it on after the ventolin has been puffed, he is sleeping right now and I haven’t heard a cough for half an hour. He’s still coughing on and off but this is nothing short of miraculous to what it has been.
I know it can’t be the antibiotics as they won’t have had time to take effect yet.

I don’t think it would have occurred to me to ask and although it could be a fluke, after last night and how he’s been today I don’t think it can be.