Temp and barking cough in almost 2 year old

[elm26]

DD is 2 in May, DH took her to GP yesterday after 3 days of coughing and crying with a pain in her lower back.

GP prescribed antibiotics and said it’s a tract infection in her chest.

Today, I can’t get her temp below 39, maxed out on calpol now and her cough sounds like a bark. Still crying with pain in her back, lethargic, red bloodshot eyes and generally sad and not herself.

When should I seek extra advice? Does this sound like croup? How will I know if she needs a dose of steroid? (I’ve seen that children struggling with croup can be given a steroid to reduce swelling in airways).

Is she pulling in below her Collar bone or ribs when she breathes. As in can you see the skin being sucked in? Or is she breathing more than 30 breaths per minute?
If so i'd definitely go to a&e

In fact id probably go anyway. If her temperature isn't coming down despite paracetamol and her cough is like a bark she probably does need to be seen.

My DC had croup a lot during primary school and the bark was the tell. They usually ended up needing a nebuliser in hospital

I'd call NHS & ask advice. How many doses of antibiotics has she had?

A barking cough does sound like croup, which may need steroids. If you phone 111 you'll be told to go in, because it can become serious. A&E I'm afraid.

The steroids work well, and with mine it was always a quick resolution.

Good luck.

Record the barking cough if you can. My daughter woke suddenly with croup for the first time ever last summer, it was terrifying. We called 999 and got transferred to a paramedic (or someone medical…not a call handler) who recognised the noise and said it was croup. She got seen and had steroids, but when it occurred again I recorded the barking cough to show the receiving doctor (we headed straight to A&E that time) who could immediately diagnose croup again and get her steroids quickly.

I hope your little one is okay, it’s so horrid and scary when they’re poorly like this :(

Thanks so much everyone, they worry the life out of us don’t they!

She’s managed some salmon, new potatoes and peas after refusing food all day and had lots of wet nappies/drinking plenty although I’m bribing her with a tiny bit of squash at the minute to get more into her.

She’s on her 5th dose of antibiotic now, next one tomorrow morning. She hates it, again I’m bribing her with half chocolate button but needs must!

She’s had a bath and will do her temp again in 15 mins before bed (1 hour after calpol) to see if it’s come down, if not I may call 111. Will record the cough.

Thanks again.

Just to add I’ve been watching out for pulling under her ribs and near her collarbone, no signs thankfully. Will keep an eye on it though.

Nurofen for a temp everytime. Calpol doesn’t touch them ime

Croup

The good news is if it is croup, the steroids work really fast - one of my son’s had repeated bouts of croup and one dose of steroids would stop the barking almost instantly. I took him to the out of hours GP once as I knew he had it again, but for some reason he didn’t bark the whole time we were there and the GP obviously thought I was worrying over nothing. We stepped into the waiting room afterwards and my son gave the biggest bark - the GP came running out after us to apologise, we had a prescription for steroids about 10 seconds later 😂

I’ve been alternating @pleasepackitin😊

Don’t mess around with croup. I’ve never been the same again since one of the kids had it. They weren’t even that young at 4.

My DS had laryngitis (croup) frequently when he was younger. Only steroids helped to ease his breathing. Sometimes with ventoline in a machine as well. It's quite impressive. If you see that she's struggling to breath you have to take her to hospital if your gp is not available.

ahhh okay. In that case I’d be getting her checked out, a temp that you can’t get under control is worrying