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Original poster

10 year old chronic cough

31 replies

mummyl2013 · 02/02/2024 11:43

Hi all,
My 10 year old seems to have had a chronic cough on and off since summer last year. It's got worse again recently especially in the morning and evening. Sometimes it sounds dry sometimes more substance to it. Asthma was suspected and he was given an inhaler but don't think it's doing a lot. He's had a chest xray in the past that was fine. He's also got coeliac disease and under active thyroid. I asked at school and they said he doesn't cough at school. Starting to get paranoid there is something wrong with our house 😩 anyone got any advice?

OP posts:
OneSmallPieceOfCheese · 02/02/2024 20:23

If he doesn't really cough at school, does it start as soon as he gets home?

Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 08:03

OneSmallPieceOfCheese · 02/02/2024 20:23

If he doesn't really cough at school, does it start as soon as he gets home?

Hiya, pretty much! It seems to be mornings and evenings when it's at its worst then throughout the day just now and again

OP posts:
OneSmallPieceOfCheese · 03/02/2024 08:36

It might be worth keeping a symptom diary so that you can spot parterns linked to what he eats, where he is etc. Do you have pets?

Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 08:44

OneSmallPieceOfCheese · 03/02/2024 08:36

It might be worth keeping a symptom diary so that you can spot parterns linked to what he eats, where he is etc. Do you have pets?

Yeah good idea I'll do that. We have a dog and 2 cats they have been around since he's been born though.

OP posts:
Mandarinaduck · 03/02/2024 08:50

Wonder if it could be psychological / stress / a kind of tic or habit cough.

AnnaMagnani · 03/02/2024 08:51

Back to GP. If it is asthma, it isn't controlled on the current treatment.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 03/02/2024 08:52

It sounds like how my daughters dust mite allergy related asthma presented. She was two but it can happen at any age. Has he had a peak flow breath test done?
I’d throughly hoover and damp dust everywhere, especially his bedroom: walls, floors, mattress, furniture, remove any teddies etc. and see if there’s an improvement. I changed her bedding to anti allergy type, put mattress and pillow protectors on under the sheet and pillowcases. got rid of any feather filled pillows or cushions.
Dd was given oral ventolin at first for a month to see if it helped, it di then after a while she had an inhaler.
It could be your pets, even though they’ve always been around he could still become allergic to them. Pet dander. I think you should take him to the gp for further investigation.

SoulMole · 03/02/2024 08:53

My son's turned out to be GERD. Same age.

yikesanotherbooboo · 03/02/2024 09:53

Was the inhaler a blue reliever or a brown preventer?
Asthma is definitely a possibility as it is particularly bad in one place eg house dust mite or cats triggering it.
There are other options though and I would discuss going back to your GP.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 03/02/2024 09:56

AnnaMagnani · 03/02/2024 08:51

Back to GP. If it is asthma, it isn't controlled on the current treatment.

Absolutely, sounds like uncontrolled asthma ,he might need a different inhaler.

Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:48

Mandarinaduck · 03/02/2024 08:50

Wonder if it could be psychological / stress / a kind of tic or habit cough.

Hi I did wonder this but it's quite a violent cough not like a little clearing throat cough now and then

OP posts:
Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:49

AnnaMagnani · 03/02/2024 08:51

Back to GP. If it is asthma, it isn't controlled on the current treatment.

Yes it's a job for first thing Monday

OP posts:
Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:52

Daffodilsandtuplips · 03/02/2024 08:52

It sounds like how my daughters dust mite allergy related asthma presented. She was two but it can happen at any age. Has he had a peak flow breath test done?
I’d throughly hoover and damp dust everywhere, especially his bedroom: walls, floors, mattress, furniture, remove any teddies etc. and see if there’s an improvement. I changed her bedding to anti allergy type, put mattress and pillow protectors on under the sheet and pillowcases. got rid of any feather filled pillows or cushions.
Dd was given oral ventolin at first for a month to see if it helped, it di then after a while she had an inhaler.
It could be your pets, even though they’ve always been around he could still become allergic to them. Pet dander. I think you should take him to the gp for further investigation.

Edited

Hi, thanks for your message. In the summer he did a peak flow test and it was fine. He doesn't have any issues coughing when doing exercise etc and he's not wheezy. It's so strange. It's such a loud violent cough keeps us awake at night. Our golden retriever moulds heavily and he has dust mite allergies too 🙈 I will definately try all the things you suggested: he also came out in hives recently so makes me wonder if there is some allergy going on. One of the cats keeps getting on his bed so I will keep her out his room. I was going to go back to the gp Monday struggled last week to get an appt

OP posts:
Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:54

yikesanotherbooboo · 03/02/2024 09:53

Was the inhaler a blue reliever or a brown preventer?
Asthma is definitely a possibility as it is particularly bad in one place eg house dust mite or cats triggering it.
There are other options though and I would discuss going back to your GP.

Gp first thing Monday. He has a blue ventolin enhaler we use but it doesn't do a lot. I will have to have a good clean and dust in his room and see if it helps at all. We were considering getting him to sleep in a different room tonight and see if there is any difference

OP posts:
Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:54

SoulMole · 03/02/2024 08:53

My son's turned out to be GERD. Same age.

I have wondered this too. He had reflux as a baby. I remember the doctor giving us something once for it years ago. He does cough more after eating. What does your son take for it?

OP posts:
Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:57

Daffodilsandtuplips · 03/02/2024 08:52

It sounds like how my daughters dust mite allergy related asthma presented. She was two but it can happen at any age. Has he had a peak flow breath test done?
I’d throughly hoover and damp dust everywhere, especially his bedroom: walls, floors, mattress, furniture, remove any teddies etc. and see if there’s an improvement. I changed her bedding to anti allergy type, put mattress and pillow protectors on under the sheet and pillowcases. got rid of any feather filled pillows or cushions.
Dd was given oral ventolin at first for a month to see if it helped, it di then after a while she had an inhaler.
It could be your pets, even though they’ve always been around he could still become allergic to them. Pet dander. I think you should take him to the gp for further investigation.

Edited

Could an Antihistamine help maybe?

OP posts:
yikesanotherbooboo · 03/02/2024 12:07

You probably need a trial of a preventer inhaler for a month or so. In the mean time damp dusting and ensuring that pets don't go in his room , wash hands after touching pets etc is worth a try and harmless . It might make a difference but trial of inhaler will probably be diagnostic and if it is asthma it is important to be diagnosed and correctly treated. There are many levels of asthma and not all DC need inhalers year round but it isn't really a condition ( if it turns out to be the case) that can safely managed without medical advice.if it feels alarming to you don't forget that it is very common and most DC with it are really well managed and do not come to harm by taking regular medication if this is what is needed. You cannot get 'used ' to the medicines in an addiction sense.If there is an asthma nurse at your surgery they might be the person to see; it rather depends on when you can get an appointment.

AnnaMagnani · 03/02/2024 12:10

Thing about a peak flow test is it just says what your personal peak flow is.

Mine is always in the normal range. With hindsight I've had asthma since childhood but only diagnosed in my 30s.

If my asthma is really really bad my peak flow will drop about 10, and I feel really scared. But it's still well in the normal range. And nobody has ever heard me wheeze.

Clues looking back were that I coughed at night and after a cold, the cough would linger on and on and on.

Coincidently I have chronic urticaria. Taking a daily antihistamine sorted that and helped the asthma.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 03/02/2024 12:11

mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 11:52

Hi, thanks for your message. In the summer he did a peak flow test and it was fine. He doesn't have any issues coughing when doing exercise etc and he's not wheezy. It's so strange. It's such a loud violent cough keeps us awake at night. Our golden retriever moulds heavily and he has dust mite allergies too 🙈 I will definately try all the things you suggested: he also came out in hives recently so makes me wonder if there is some allergy going on. One of the cats keeps getting on his bed so I will keep her out his room. I was going to go back to the gp Monday struggled last week to get an appt

Show quote history

You're describing exactly how my son's asthma presented.

AnnaMagnani · 03/02/2024 12:12

Another thought - does he have a spacer with his blue inhaler? It makes a massive difference.

Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 12:14

AnnaMagnani · 03/02/2024 12:12

Another thought - does he have a spacer with his blue inhaler? It makes a massive difference.

One of those funnel things to breathe through? He does have one. I don't think he would use it without 🙈

OP posts:
Original poster
mummyl2013 · 03/02/2024 12:16

yikesanotherbooboo · 03/02/2024 12:07

You probably need a trial of a preventer inhaler for a month or so. In the mean time damp dusting and ensuring that pets don't go in his room , wash hands after touching pets etc is worth a try and harmless . It might make a difference but trial of inhaler will probably be diagnostic and if it is asthma it is important to be diagnosed and correctly treated. There are many levels of asthma and not all DC need inhalers year round but it isn't really a condition ( if it turns out to be the case) that can safely managed without medical advice.if it feels alarming to you don't forget that it is very common and most DC with it are really well managed and do not come to harm by taking regular medication if this is what is needed. You cannot get 'used ' to the medicines in an addiction sense.If there is an asthma nurse at your surgery they might be the person to see; it rather depends on when you can get an appointment.

Thanks for this information. Hopefully the gp
Will try the preventer inhaler or refer me to someone this time as we just got given an inhaler before with no information on how to use it properly. We did see an asthma nurse but the peak flow was ok so she wasn't bothered

OP posts:
Daffodilsandtuplips · 03/02/2024 12:35

Just remembered that my grandson (13) had a cough just like his mothers when he was about three or four, it happened if he’d been running about a lot. I recognised that bark/cough and told dd of my concerns. She took him to the gp who said asthma is difficult to diagnose with children, he didn’t have a wheeze and he didn’t think it was asthma. It kept happening until she had an appointment for him about another illness with a different doctor, he’d been running about outside and started coughing as soon as he went into the room. The doctor asked how long he’d had this cough. dd told him the history, result was he did have a wheeze and needed a steroid inhaler as well as a preventer.
DH had a bad cough when he was a child, he says it was always bad in winter and foggy weather, nothing was ever done about it. He seemed to grow out of it until he was about 45 when he had a chest infection after cold. He’s now got both brown and blue inhalers. Apparently this can happen, seems to go away them come back when older. He’s ok though, 70 in May.

thinkfast · 03/02/2024 14:14

Has he had an allergy test? Sounds like he's developed allergies to your pets.

Whiteandgreen6 · 03/02/2024 14:21

It sounds like how myself and my daughter cough when we’re exposed to lots of dust mites (we’re allergic). A skin prick test from an allergy specialist will confirm if theyre allergic or not.

We’ve found the following helpful; dust mite covers on mattresses, as well as duvet covers and pillows, removing duvets from out beds each day and hanging on a drying rack (mites hate sunlight), damp dusting our bedrooms every week, then other rooms as much as we can.