Anyone hwith an older child who's had severe croup (requiring hospital)?

[Catherinedeneuve]

My DS is five and a half and on Saturday night frightened us to death by waking up unable to breathe properly. Had to call 999 and went off to hospital, where we stayed for two days. To cut a long story short, they said it was croup but had something called stridor, which is a particular sort of wheeze, and he had to have steroids and oxygen and all sorts of other stuff for breathing diffs. Had a rocketing temperature the second day, even though the stridor was gone, and now just has horrible cough. Have read croup can strike up to six but got the impression it was unusual and unlucky for such a big child (he's physically big for this age too, looks older) to have this so badly. Just wondered if anyone else had any esperience of this...

He's asthmatic so I have to be really careful what I'm using. This is part of the reason I took him to the hospital. He was barking/coughing at the same time and couldn't breathe in enough to use his inhaler. He was fine by the time I got him there though, still barking a bit. It's always the way! They gave him the steriod medication incase he started barking at home when he had gone back to bed.

Oh poor little chap. My ds seems to have gone further downhill since yesterday - no wheezing, thank goodness, but temp and very snotty-grotty.

Hope you have a decent night, Phantom.

That's a long time to have temp. Maybe he has flu.

But would that actually affect how I treat him, do you think? I mean, he is having all the usual things anyway...even saw the doc yesterday and chest was clear. Do you think I should get more med advice then? Sorry to bombard you with questions, googgly!!

I see you've already gotten answers, but I just wanted to commiserate. DS is the same age as your DS, and he's gotten croup every time he gets a cold. We can mostly avoid the hospital, we just tend to have a miserable night or two.

DD (3) had croup for the first time earlier this month, and she had it worse than DS ever had, and had to go to the hospital. I was really afraid DS would get it, and his doctor gave him steroids, which was a lifesaver, as I'm sure without them he'd have ended up in the hospital this time also, as he was so bad off, I had him in the steamy bathroom at 3 PM instead of AM. Whatever they got this time around was awful, because they had a temperature for several weeks, and although they're not croupy, they still haven't totally shaken the cough.

I hate it when they have croup. I can hear it coming in DS' cough before it actually gets croupy, and it makes my heart stop. I am really worried how long he will have it, as I had it until I was almost 10, because I had a bent trachea.

I'd just keep an eye, and keep going to the doctor if it doesn't improve. Mine tend to get secondary things - tonsilitis, ear infections, whatever, when the bug drags on.

DS2 had croup at 4.5 and was hospitalised briefly - wasn't as bad a case as with your DS, though; mine was home that night after an afternoon on a nebuliser thingy. Had a high temperature and cough for a while afterwards.

The scariest bit was actually how quickly it all happened - at 12.30 he was having a pub lunch with us, by 2pm he was in hospital.

Hope your boy gets well soon.

Has he had all his jabs? Is he still barking now? Any drooling?

my sympathy to you catherine, croup is truely terrifying, especially the first time. ds had an attack 3 months ago aged 15 months and was hospitalised. the first night was the worst for coughing so i hope your boy is better tonight. i found that a humidifier - from argos- seemed to help, as did sitting him up to sleep against me.

my DD1 was in hospital with croup at 7, so yes, it does happen.

even my DS2 gets it still, very badly, and he is 6. we now have a supply of prednisilone ready for him as he gets croup regularly still.

DD1 got is right up until she was 9, and at 14, gets laryngitis (the adult version) quite often too.

I was such a child and so was my db. I think his last attack was when he was about 8 or 9.

Phantom, yes to all jabs and no to drooling. Still has terrible sounding cough and a temperature so taking him back to the GP this am.
Thanks so much everybody - I really appreciate all these answers. Does sound as though this is rarely a one-off though

Well, the GP has given us some antibiotics because the chest sounds a bit dodgy. Am wary of having these too often because of all the resistance problems, but must admit that it is a relief to be given something that should hopefully make noticeable difference.