dreadful chronic cough in 4 year old

[ohbugrit]

Poor DS, he had weeks of it after Christmas and ended up on steroids, then with terrible fights to get him to take inhalers twice daily. He was coughing until he was sick, coughing himself awake every night, exhausted and tearful. He couldn't go out because the change of air set him off and he'd vomit. Eventually after an awful week of steroid and salamol inhalers he improved and over the last ten days has been loads better. Then today it started again and he's been awake in tears already :(

He went through hell last year having hid tonsil and adenoids removed and yet he still keeps getting this cough. There's family history of asthma but the doctors say the wheezing is inspiratory and so they don't think it's that.

I just want to help him, what can I do? :(

Hi, my daughter had a dreadful cough from 6 months to 2 years which ended about a year ago, nothing would ease it, was really affecting quality of life, docs told her she had asthma blah blah. Went to a homeopath, expensive but well worth every penny. She eased coughing the next day, spluttered the next, nothing from then on in. Miracle. So might be worth looking outside the box on this occasion? I never thought I would but we haven't looked back.

Thank you. I guess we will start to look at more "woo" stuff if we can't get it sorted soon. It keeps seeming to shift but then every time he has a whiff of a cold it returns. So sad for him.

We have this with one of our DCs. As you have had a history, at age 4 your doctor may prescribe a preventer as well as your salbutomol reliever. We found this helps a lot.
Also, a well-meaning acquaintance has told us (over and over again - you know the type!) to make contact with the child osteopath centre who apparently do miracle cures for everything and cured her son blah blah. I think they took him when there was the slightest whiff of a cold. Also she put certain essential oils on a hanky hung round his neck that the child learnt to sniff when he felt breathless. Frankincense and sandalwood were included.

My 5 year old is like this - he started coughing at 6 months, and never stopped till he was 13 months old, then everytime he gets a cold we have non stop coughing.
Initially it was that he had impacted mucus which had collapsed part of his lung, and he had to have long term antibiotics, inhalers and physio to clear it. Subsequently, it seems that he is just very mucusy, and now has medicine to dry it up once he gets a cold which has reduced his chest infection rate a lot.

My sons (who is now 8.5) paed gave him Azithromycin 2.5 mls 3 x per week as a preventative over the winter months (so Sept to March) for the past 3 years and it has made an amzing difference to him.

He has mild asthma too but has had dreadful coughs/upper respitory tracts infections since birth.

If your son is under a paed, its worth a try...or if you have a good relationship with your GP ask them?

Really helpful, thanks. I've made him an appointment with the GP on Thursday and hopefully we'll get somewhere this time. He's being sick again so will miss more nursery :(

Oh poor love

My son would retch and vomit - but just phlegm/mucus usually.

He def needs diff meds.

Good luck x