croup

[topsi]

Sorry am sure there has been many posts on here about this subject before.
DS (3) has had a 'virus' over the last 3-4 days, he saw the practice nurse on Tuesday with swollen glands and a rash bit of temp.
He has croup now and sounds awful it really scares me. Question is do I take him back to GP again?
I feel like I might be wasting their time and that I might be over reacting to a normal chilhood illness.

this is normal my ds has had this since a baby it really sounds worse than it is although they do feel under the weather with it its inflammation of the voice box hense the nasty seal sound cough but unless having trouble breathin g steamed room keep window slightly open if rads are on and keep giving calpol or nurofen

it only lasts 3 nights the cough normally gone by day 4

but it really is just horrible sounding ther enot chesty etc just voice box making horrible noise my ds still gets it but the older his getting the symptoms are lessoning

sorry for typos trying to multi task in time for school run lol

you will get used to croup - it is likely he will get it every time he gets a cold for the next few years. It is just the way some react to colds (one of mine did).

Things that worked for us to help stave off an attack at night. Put a bowl of water in the room with a few drops of karvol in. Prop the pillow up or if you can the whole bed or mattress. Apparently laying flat makes it worse because the throat closes up a bit, and it drys out if they are breathing with their mouth open. Also having a damp cloth hanging near the bed helps to keep the humidity up.

If you get an attack sitting in the bathroom with the shower on helps. We didn't have a shower at the time and running the hot tap is just not as effective ! For some taking them out into the cold night air for a few minutes helps too.

Staying calm is important because it is very scary for the child (and parent until you get used to it). You being calm helps a lot.

The time to worry is if they start pulling in the chest trying to breathe, or start going blue around the lips - then call 999. We had this first time round and had to have nebuliser and steroids.

As bubblagirl says it usually only lasts 3-4 nights and the nights are the worst.

Thankyou I will try all those tips tonight.

by the way - they grow out of it. Mine got it first about 3 and he is now 7 and I don't think he has had it for at least a year - maybe longer.

i forgot to say about propping head up it opens air waves i have always left his bed propped with pillow under mattress since he was a baby lol and i always have ice water or very cold water at hand as he gets so dry and have a bowl of water on top of radiator all the time too

just keep calpol or something going as all the coughing will give sore throat apart from that its just riding it out as my sons got older its gone down to maybe 2 nights and then just a cold i have found he always gets something after having croup so keep an eye on any ear aches etc my ds has always got a secondary infection whether ear or throat or maybe just rotten cold