Sorry this is quite long! Wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation with their child and - if you get as far as the bottom - do you think we should be pursuing it at paeds respiratory or ENT?! We have seen so many different GPs and it is hard to get the full story discussed in a short telephone app!
My son is 4, nearly 5, and since he was a young toddler has been troubled with what doctors all along felt were respiratory/early asthma issues.
As part of any simple cold or flu type virus, he always develops a very severe, hacking cough and a shocking amount of watery nasal discharge alongside it. The cough sounds alarming but we can get past that - it is just so incredibly problematic for him given intensity and frequency of coughing fits in a flair up. He often wretches or vomits in a bad spell. The coughing is accompanied by profuse, clear, watery nasal discharge that runs out of his nose freely. Both of these symptoms develop about 2 days after the onset of the initial usual cold symptoms and always appear together.
Initially we were advised he may have asthma and he was given a gradual scale of asthma therapies, reaching the maximum dosage of brown inhaler/montelukast/antihistamine and blue inhaler as needed. We persisted with this course of action at the top level for about 18 months with no improvement. Interestingly, no "viral wheeze" was ever discovered in his chest during a flair up.
Eventually last year we decided to see a consultant specialising in paediatric respiratory issues. We saw her twice, once for a general app during which he had a chest xray (clear) and once for allergy testing. No allergies were found and based on everything we told her, she believed that it was actually very unlikely he had asthma.
He was gradually taken off all asthma therapies and his issues remain - no worse - which is a helpful sign to suggest it isn't asthma.
He only ever suffers from this issue when he has a virus. He is perfectly well in between. I guess just at 4 he gets a fair few viruses so it feels almost constant.
Upon looking up his nose she noted a lot of inflammation and put him on flixonase nasal spray. He has been on this for about 9 months now. We don't notice much if any difference when a virus hits - always the same, the water nasal discharge and intense coughing begin again.
We will likely go back to the consultant again but, as a mum desperate to solve this for him if I can, I am beginning to wonder does he actually have a fairly severe case of non-allergic rhinitis - at which point, should we be pursuing respiratory or in fact looking for referral to ENT? I know a child with a cough seems completely typical and to be expected - but not at this level. I have an older child of 9 and I teach a class of 29 four year olds. I know coughs and runny noses! And I know this isn't normal!