4 year old has a dry cough. HELP

[Naz2009]

Any tips it's been 10 days my DD has a very bad cough. She been given antibiotics as doc said it could be chest infection. Antibiotic finishes tomorrow. She still coughing away like crazy. To the point she throws up.
She had a covid test last week. It was negative.
Please can any mums advice what I should give her to help her.
She hardly is sleeping as it's worse at night.
I've tired vicks on chest and soles of feet. Inhaling stream, honey before bed and even offered a warm drink
What should i do. Please advice

Sounds like you need to go back to your GPand see what else they can offer. I hope she is better soon, it sounds miserable.

Thank you for replying. I'll call my GP first thing tomorrow morning.

I’d totally go back to your GP after ten days of it and a course of ABs.
In the meantime maybe try the calpol plug in near her bed if you haven’t already done so?
I know a lot of people have had success with a humidifier too?
Sounds like maybe she needs steroids to help her really xx

Broncho Stop Junior works really well for our child and also piriton at night seems to help with the coughing.

@Hartleyhare1206 yes I was reading up on humidifiers. Thank you for your advice. I shall discuss further treatment with GP
He did say last Friday I should take her a&e if she doesn't get better.

@ramblingsonthego thank you. I never get cough medication as my GP once said they make it worse. But I shall get the syrup you have mentioned. I have antihestimine, I'll give her one now. She is gagging and coughing right now.

I haven’t got one but put a damp towel
On the radiator in her room to achieve a similar result and it does sometimes help xx

Has she had a cold too? If so I’d second the earlier post about piriton xx

@Hartleyhare1206 that's such a good idea. I will for sure leave a damp towel on the central heater in her room. The heating comes on twice in the night. So it should help.
No she hasn't had a cold. She just threw up and is still coughing away.
It's a horrible cough. She makes this horrible barking like sound.
I'm tempted to go a&e right now.

Could it be whooping cough? My cough lasted for months with that

I would take her back to the doctor and say she’s no better.
If she is still coughing so badly after 20 days they will want to keep an eye on her.
She will get better OP but keep taking her back to the doctor

It's not croup is it? It's a virus so antibiotics won't have touched it. It's a real seal bark of a cough and definitely needs checking out if it's gone on this long. Hope she feels better soon

How is she this morning @Naz2009

@Hartleyhare1206 coughing away with a few minutes break in between as I write this.
I rang 111 at around 3am and they said I can go to a local emergency care centre but it opens at 7am
They also said a doctor will call me back.
Around 4am a lady rang me back and said after seeing notes left by triple 1. Entire household isolate for 14 days thank you. Bye. I was quick to stop her from ending the call.
I told her my DD has had a negative covid result on Tuesday. I already informed 111 of this. I said she has been on amoxicillin for 7 days now. I feel she might have something else. I need help. She is worse. She said "oh ok. Hmmmm, a doctor will call you back"
And I've had no call from no doctor.
I can't even go A&E as they will refuse me entry due to her cough unless my GP sends us.
Patiently been waiting for 8am to call up surgery.

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/cisca-easy-saltpipe-60098296
I saw this last night. I'm thinking to purchase it. It could help my DD
Also bought humidifier
www.argos.co.uk/product/7261330

Hope you managed to get through to the surgery OP.

It does sound very similar to the cough I had with whooping cough.

@Naz2009 covid is making it all so
Hard at the moment isn’t it? You must be going out of your mind with concern and frustration. I’d get on to your GP and insist on a review. Really does sound like steroids in some way shape or form will be helpful whether that’s oral or inhaled.
Great idea with the products you’ve ordered too - hope they help.
Good luck and well done for all you’re doing to
Help her, it’s so hard watching them struggle, especially when you aren’t sleeping well yourself to care for them, you’re doing a fab job. Keep us posted xxx

@Doodlepip23 hi, I have and I'm waiting on a call back from my GP. Should be between 9-12 this morning.

@Seeline I will be mentioning to GP could it be whooping cough.
I did look it up last night when you mentioned it.

My ds used to get terrible coughs.

We did

Hot drinks to help loosen mucus - warm squash or lemon and honey

Humidifier at night (it will set off your smoke detectors if you have them in the bedroom though!)

Sitting in bathroom with shower on before bed

Calpol plug in

Raised head of bed

We used to always keep a small bowl in the rooms as they were often sick

Luckily they all grew out of it!

Of course a check up with GP if you are concerned

Not a medical solution but I'd cut out dairy while you wait to be seen as its possibly the mucus making her vomit. Omitting dairy means the mucus will be thinner and less likely to clog. But does really sound like she needs to be seen. If you're not happy with GP response I'd take her to walk in centre with a copy of her negative covid test.

I haven’t read all the posts so someone may have suggested this but in the meantime if you run your shower boiling hot for about ten minutes with the bathroom door and windows shut to get the room absolutely full of steam, you can get her to sit in there and it helps a lot with their breathing with a bad cough! Like a giant steam room! It works really well for babies too and is a bit more comfortable than steaming over a bowl. I hope you have been able to get the hospital referral, I second the people that said it does sound like whooping cough alright and i would say to the doctor about that suspicion.

@lorisparkle @Yummymummy2020 I have done the steam in bathroom twice for her this week. I felt it really did help for a while. I added olbas bath into the water.
Hopefully the humidifier I've ordered will help her during the night.
@lorisparkle thanks for the tip about the smoke alarm.
@sausagerole she doesn't have milk. After 2 years old once I stopped breastfeeding. She refused fresh milk and would throw up if she did have it. Only Dairy she has is cheddar cheese sliced up and natural yogurt, thank you. I'll stop it for now and see how she gets on. It's more of a dry cough I believe.

@Naz2009 we discovered about the smoke alarm in the middle of the night - amazingly ds1 did not wake up but me and DH were wide awake with lights on, windows open, waving towels around madly to clear the air.

Hope your lo feels better soon xx

@Hartleyhare1206 thank you for such uplifting words. I'm trying my best.
The pandemic has made simple things such as seeing a GP hard.
GP rang back. She said to hold the phone near my DD, so she could hear her cough. She said sounds like croup and has given an appointment for 5.15pm to go to some health centre.
She said croup can get better on its own but sometimes kids need to be admitted into hospital and only a doc can see and decide what's best for her
For now. Keep her upright and plenty of fluids.
I asked for steroids she said it wouldn't work.
@Seeline GP said as she isn't wheezing it's not whooping cough despite the barking cough. However I will mention whooping cough to the Doctor this evening.
As I'm not convinced with my GP