My DD keeps waking between 1am to 4am and coughing for an hour and sometimes being sick

[MyCatIsAFleaBagNoMore]

This has been going on for about 5 days. We are all shattered and I really need to find something to help (she is sat next to me whinging and yelling about everything because of tiredness.. bloody lovely)

She started with a cough about a week ago and since Tuesday has been waking in the night, coughing and then throwing up. We have tried linctus (she is nearly 4 so can't get anything too strong useful these days), steam in her room at night, nurofen (advised by Dr), keeping her off dairy products but nothing at all is working.

Been to Dr twice who palmed us off helpfully told us it was a virus and there was nothing he could do.

We are all shartered and I could really do with some advise on how we control the cough. Help, anyone.

Anyone?

Should also say that she is often sick from coughing (whenever she gets a cold she seems to cough in such a way as it makes her wretch and she tends to swallow the snot etc, which upsets her tummy).

has she got croup?

it could be an allergy. Post nasal drip. The doctor heard a wheeze and gave her an inhaler of ventolin. In time it worsened and she was given a steroid one. Now she only has these symptoms when recovering from a virus and a blast of her steroid one at bedtime keeps it away.

poor thing
try propping her up with extra pillows, or raising the head end of the bed if you can
DD used to do this a lot, it got better when I took all the teddies out of her room, she literally had dozens
sounds like you are doing all the right things, you might just have to wait it out.
I think some coughs can take weeks to go, so be prepared for long drag

rubyslippers I don't know. She has been to the doctors who didn't say anything about it. She's not too bad in the day, just coughs if she's been runing around.

foxytocin - I did wonder about an allergy (I had asthma from dustmites as a child) so I've vacuumed her room and dusted it like mad, boil washed all the bedding (inc quilt and pillows) and aired the room. Dr listened to her chest, twice and heard no wheezing. Also I've got a bit of a cough now, so I'm assuming its a virus of some sort.

purplepurple I did try the pillows, will try again tonight. I hadn't thought about the teddies. SHe has about 3 in her bed that she sleeps with. I'll try that tonight.

I've just dosed her up on Minadex in the hope it'll give her a boost.

Thankyou for your replies (feeling a bit desperate here because of tiredness so good to talk to someone about it).

I

how about trying an antihistamine?
i had such prob with my dc and antihistamine helped a lot.

iliketurquoise - which would you recommend? She is 4 in October.

a pharmacist can tell you the best one i guess.

i used tablet form as far as i remember.

and i gave it once a day, before going to bed.

do you have a wet-vac (steam vacuum cleaner, not sure if i am using an american term)? you can wet-vac/steam clean her bed as well as carpet. I think when we have the money to remodel i am getting rid of carpet upstairs and have rugs and runners.

DS started doing something similar when he was about 4.5 (coughing in the night but not during the day, apart from when he was running about when the air was cold, which made him cough and complain of pains in his chest), and the doctor eventually diagnosed mild asthma and prescribed a preventor inhaler called Clenil Modulite. Not sure if this might be what your DD is suffering from, but might be worth considering?

I know how desperate it feels when they get night coughs. You have my sympathies.

Things that have helped us on and off (dd does have asthma but some of her coughing is not asthma)

• One of those big humidifiers that are more like fog machines.

-piriton or clarityn or sudafed -warm honey and lemon drink -honey on a spoon -dark chocolate -iced water -windows wide open

good luck.

Thanks everyone. Your comments have made me feel better - been really tired and miserable today!

I haven't got a wet vac, but I think my sister in law has so I'll get over there and pinch borrow it.

I have got the humidifier on in her room so hoping that will help.

I've also got piriton and medi sed (I know she's too young apparantly now - but the bottle I've got says 2+yrs, so I'll use that).

Dark chocolate - surely that's for me

I'm thinking she's got into a habit of waking now too, so maybe the medi sed / piriton might help her sleep and break that too. I hope so, it's hard enough being up with DS.

if this is a new problem,of recent onset then consider asthma or whooping cough.
Whooping cough can occur in a milder form in vaccinated children or in children in whom the vaccination did not result in effective immunisation.
It is hugely under diagnosed in primary care.

I just had this with my DD. She had swine flu in mid July, then a persistent cough since then.

We were sent to the hospital on Friday as my GP thought she may need a chest x ray but the doctors there diagnosed it as a post viral cough residual from the swine flu.

She was given an inhalor which has really helped. Has your DD had any illnesses recently?

Hello, thank you for your responses

labyrinthine She doesn't cough all the time, mainly at night but also when running around. I've also recently come down with a cough, but mine is around all the time and I don't do running around in the garden. What does whooping cough sound like? This doesn't sound whooping at all. I am wondering about asthma though but would that come on suddenly?

MrsSaxon - This is the only illness she has had as far as I know. She's still coughing at night - but wasn't as bad or as for long as last night but is quite tired a lot during the day.

I'm going to tkae her to the doctors again if there isn't any improvement. It'll be two weeks tomorrow (I think, it all blurs into one!)

When we went to the hospital they listened to my daughters chest, gave her the inhalor then listened 1/2 hour later.

It had completely cleared her chest, so we went home with the inhalor.

Seems pretty easy to establish if an inhalor would help.

MrsSaxon - the dr has listened to her chest twice already and said it is fine. She didn't wake up last night but we had a humidifier and sudafed plug on in her room. She was still coughing this am though.

Pixie - I used to have asthma - allergic to dust mites. I still get it if I have too much dairy product so I have been keeping DD off that too (although she does love milk so I'm letting her have a little bit) but I no longer use an inhaler at all.

I'm going to give her another night and day, see if she sleeps through again and if not I'll take her back Thursday.

THankyou for your responses and I will tell you how it goes.

Yes second a great bug humidifier here, if you can half an onion and put it in the room that will help too - sounds crazy I know. Loads of honey and lemon warm drinks (cold drinks freeze the chest and constrict you need to open up her chest) and a bite of dark chocolate.

Also when DD was like this I would rub vicks on her chest and them put a large patch of cotton wool over it and then her vest and PJ. I also used to put vicks on her feet and put socks over.

These things all worked for DD.

Jujubean - thanks. I'll give it a go (I'm all up for alternative things) but why the onion? I'll get some warm honey and lemon and dark chocolate (what does that do btw?). I'm off to buy her vests now. We do put her in a nightie at bed time but she takes it off when we've gone.

lol I really don't know why the onion works - I think it releases a really spicy smell which seems to calm the coughing reflex like the dark coco bean. I really hope she gets better soon I know what it's like you will try anything to give them a bit of relief!

Thanks Jujubean (still thinking positive thoughts for you). I went out today and completely forgot the dark chocolate (very unusual for me to forget chocolate!) however, onion cut and in her room. Lets see how it goes.