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Children's health

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Original poster

dd (2) coughing herself sick every night. is there anything I can do to help her?

33 replies

somethingsticky · 13/08/2008 22:11

we are planning out bed times around the nightly vomiting its the same every time she gets a cough (which is a lot) the doctor treats me like I'm stupid for bringing her in with a little cough as she is pretty much ok during the day but at night she (and the rest of us) can't get any sleep for coughing which eventually leads to vomitting.

I'm giving her medised which does help a little but there must be something else I can do for her.... cough meds seem to make no difference. I've raised the head of her bed bed but she throws herself around so much I don't have much confidence that i've raised her head rather than her feet.

please help! I'm cracking up due to sleep deprivation!

OP posts:

LadyMuck · 13/08/2008 22:15

I was going to suggest raising the bed, but you're doing that! A humidifier might help if you can borrow one (or try ebay).

ImForeverBlowingBuble · 13/08/2008 22:16

Is she Asmatic?

IllegallyBrunette · 13/08/2008 22:16

Has the doctor not suggested asthma at all ??

ImForeverBlowingBuble · 13/08/2008 22:19

Night cough is a sign of Asthma

kee27 · 13/08/2008 22:20

my son has asthma and would say it sounds like it i would see another doc . also open her window to air her room that might help . she might be having a reaction to dust to . not saying her room is dirty has the doc done a peek flow on her

misspollysdolly · 13/08/2008 22:21

I would urge you investigate the asthma issue. In some asthmatic children nighttime coughing is one of the only symptoms. How long has this been going on? How's the cough during the day?

IllegallyBrunette · 13/08/2008 22:22

My dd 2 was exactly like you have described from about 2 mths old up until her asthma got proper treatment at 2.6

ThatBigGermanPrison · 13/08/2008 22:23

My son was like this until I got him some inhalers from the GP.

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 13/08/2008 22:23

asthma is worse on a night than any other time of day and night coughing is definately a sign of asthma.

i have it and my dd2 was daignosed with queried asthma due to night coughing and was given an inhaler which has worked wonders. definately follow up on the asthma.

HereComeTheGirls · 13/08/2008 22:24

my dd has a cold and is the same, we find running the shower in the bathroom without fan on, to build up steam, then keeping her in there for 5 mins, really helps to clear her chest.

HereComeTheGirls · 13/08/2008 22:25

(if its a cold/cough and not asthma, of course)

HuwEdwards · 13/08/2008 22:25

If she is asthmatic, then maybe this isn't a good idea, but for relentless coughs in my two, I read that rubbing Vicks vapour rub on the soles of their feet at night would do the trick - and it did.

WilfSell · 13/08/2008 22:26

Ah I sympathise SO much. DS1 was like this and grew out of it. DS2 had night cough but was not sick with it.

If you search back there's a coughing and wheezing thread from ages ago that has lots of tips.

We did have an inhaler (Ventolin/Salbutamol) which helped a bit but he was never formally diagnosed with asthma and has NO symptoms now he's much older.

Little kids have smaller tubes and they don't always respond to the meds at young ages so it is difficult to diagnose asthma. If your GP does give you an inhaler try giving it early evening and before bed, as well as once before you go to bed when it is really bad.

We also found making sure they were warm enough was crucial. We ended up keeping an electric oil radiator in his room and putting it on the lowest setting helped even though the room was much warmer than recommended for kids. Or try putting them in a vest at might under PJs, or a fleece sleepsuit/PJs or a sleeing bag.

And please - just in case - give the room a good asthma clean) steam the mattress, boil wash the sheets, steam clean carpets if you have them, air the room each day.

And try and help yourselves re the vomiting: put two or three layers of sheets with waterproof layers between on the bed, and towels on the pillow etc..

Good luck, I hope these things help. My two eldest kids got a lot better at 3 and DS1 was clear of night cough by 4...

Original poster

somethingsticky · 13/08/2008 22:28

no, nobody ever mentioned Asthma.... I've been to the gp 3 times for this since xams too back to the dos's again....

OP posts:

WilfSell · 13/08/2008 22:28

I wouldn't leave the window open at night personally: this was one of the things that, at that age, made the DSs cough more...

Warm, even temps is what to aim for IMHO.

Do ask for an asthma specialist but do bear in mind as I've said they won't diagnose properly until about 4 yo...

Original poster

somethingsticky · 13/08/2008 22:34

can asthma come and go? in a way its like a cold in that she is bad for about a week, maybe more then slowly improves. but she has no symptoms during the day apart from a cough that starts early evening and is very bad through the night.

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Original poster

somethingsticky · 13/08/2008 22:36

will have to work on the cleaning tomorrow I've just started working and I can't cope with the cleaning anymore but haven't arranged a cleaner yet....

OP posts:

Sidge · 13/08/2008 22:36

If your practice has one ask to see the Asthma Clinic nurse. In young children a persistent nighttime cough not associated with other cold symptoms (eg temperature, green snot, sore throat) can be the main sign of asthma.

It's true that asthma isn't usually diagnosed in under 6s but a decent GP or practice nurse can treat it as asthma - inhalers via a spacer.

Some GPs are crap at treating asthma as most chronic disease management is now done by us highly trained practice nurses

Sidge · 13/08/2008 22:39

Just check though that there's nothing in her room that may be causing an allergy - does a cat sleep on her bed? Is a nearby pub or restaurant chucking out fumes into her window? Have you tried changing her to a synthetic duvet and pillow? Does she have lots of soft toys in her room that may be harbouring dust mites?

kee27 · 13/08/2008 22:43

asthma can be one of them things that are diffrent in all kids, my ds is allways being nebulised in hos for his.
but i was told by peds to leave the little window open in his room to let the air in as this helps but i would ask for her to have a peek flow done and mk sure they do it 3 times .also ask for a inhala just to see if that helps her i know she is only 2 . but my ds2 was giving one at 6 months same as ds1 who was 3 months . as ds 1 was allway getting bronkits and ds2 stoped breating scary . but go with the astham thing hun . or she is not having any thing at night she may be alergick to at all . is she that u can think of

Sidge · 13/08/2008 22:47

A 2 year old can't do a peak flow though Kee27 - that's why we can't really diagnose asthma in young children, because they can't do the required tests.

scoobi6 · 13/08/2008 22:53

my dd (20 mo) does this every time she gets a slight runny nose, I think it just irritates the back of her throat at night. Sometimes buttercup syrup works, its a cough syrup but has some menthol smelly stuff in it which seems to help prevent the phlegm coming back.

Also karvol plugin vapourisers - very strong smelling - sometimes help.

But some nights nothing helps and dh and I sleep in shifts, so you have my sympathy

kee27 · 13/08/2008 22:55

i see what u mean bu both my ds was diagnosed by the age of 1 as i know thay dont like to diagnos it till they r over 1 year . thats what my gp and the says any way the peds that we saw but didnt bout a 2 yo doing a peek flow as my ds 1 is 7 and my ds 2 is 1 and have both been diagnosed with astham

kee27 · 13/08/2008 22:57

sorry keys go stuck ment to say thats what my gp said and the peds that we saw lol . im not a doc but . going on my own exp lol

Original poster

somethingsticky · 13/08/2008 23:18

another vomit explosion....

If my understanding of a peak flow is right, there is no way she could do it. she couldn't even blow her candles out on her cake..... she makes a ffff sound when asked to blow.

off to look for olbus oil plug in thing.... I knew you lot would throw up things I hadn't thought of... a bit that it might be asthma though, she sees 4 peadiatricians for various things as it is! no make that 5...

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