Croup Experiences??

[Newmummy133]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could tell me their experiences with croup please? 15 mo has had a bit of a cough since he started nursery in October, didn’t bother him in the slightest until Monday just gone (4 days ago) when it became incredibly chesty and productive, and his nose became really really stuffy. Had a slight temp for a few days but that seems to have resolved itself, but he’s not been himself at all. He’ll have bursts of energy where he’s happy, playing normally, eating and drinking normally etc. and then the slightest thing will set him off and he’ll be inconsolably crying.

Fast forward to yesterday he didn’t eat much, did eat all his tea but couldn’t drink because his nose was so blocked! In the end we took him to A&E because we were getting quite worried that he wasn’t getting better. Dr on reception at A&E heard him coughing and the hoarseness of his voice and instantly said he had croup so they gave him a dose of steroids. We wanted to stay to get him checked out to rule out anything else going on but the wait times were insane and nurse advised that as his temp was back to normal and he wasn’t showing any signs of infection we could take him to the walk in the next day so we decided to come home.

Today he’s slept ALOT (but he did only get to sleep at 2am last night), he’s eating little bits here and there and drinking much better than he was yesterday which suggests to me the croup is getting better? But he is still going from being happy and playful to then being really miserable and lethargic and his cough is still bad. Tried the walk in centre this evening but they’re not doing any treatment, we’re at my mum and dads in liverpool and his gp is in Birmingham so can’t get him in at a doctors here and I’m just at a loss over what to do!! How long do the symptoms of croup tend to last? Is a chesty cough normal with croup and if his temp been normal all day can I rule out anything more sinister?? Any advice welcome!

Ds had bouts of croup.

A couple of things to be aware of:
Firstly, one of the best ways for quick relief is a steamy room. Take him into the bathroom and put the hot tap and shower on hard and let the room fill up with steam. Used to find that Ds' breathing recovered fairly quickly. If he doesn't then get to A&E-an ambulance may be a good idea if the wait isn't too bad as they can immediately get oxygen on him rather than take him in a cold car where it may get worse on the trip.

Secondly is that it's often worse at night. Ds would have a bad night, then seem not too bad during the day, then I'd wake around 2am to that barking cough again. Apparently this was quite typical. So don't panic if he gets worse overnight.

I used to find that I'd wake to him coughing, and get him straight into the bathroom and he'd often fall back asleep in my arms in the steam. It seemed to help more than anything.

But croup is something not to play around with, so if you are in any doubt whether he's needing medical attention, then get him to A&E or call an ambulance. You can see your parents' doctor as a visitor as well. If you feel he needs to see a doctor then request a visitor's appointment.

This is really helpful, thank you! I steamed up the bathroom last night and sat in there and he immediately brightened up, had a snack and a little play before bed.

I’ve been keeping an eye on his breathing and for the most part it seems fine - noisier than usual (but he does have a really snotty nose) but not breathing fast and no chest recessions etc. Hospital checked his heart rate and oxygen levels and said they were all fine too. It’s more the chesty cough and hoarseness that are making me a bit worried but he seems much better in himself today.

Really interesting that you’ve touched on how serious croup can be because the hospital really downplayed it along with everything I’ve read! So thank you for all the info because now I know I still need to be on the alert