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Chronic dry cough in 6-yr-old - ideas please

5 replies

jessia · 28/01/2010 14:20

It started off in late Nov. as a common-or-garden cold. No problem, cleared up catarrh, dried up cough, and ever since then she has had a silly little dry cough.
She is coughing literally every few seconds, especially if she is not engrossed in something. It is not made worse by exertion, and if she is totally engrossed in something (usu. physical) - and when she is asleep - she hardly coughs at all.
She has had lots of upper resp. tract infections - bronchitis, laryngitis, etc. and is described as "mildly asthmatic" but this cough is not the wheezy asthmatic or barking croupy type cough or chesty that I have seen in her before. She has a nebuliser and at the moment is on Pulmicort and Berodual (don't know if these drugs are used in the UK, we live abroad). Her allergist (who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, can't get in touch with her) also prescribed her Ventolin, but for attacks of coughing that leave her breathless, which these are not, so I am not using it.

Atm her GP has put her on a course of antibiotics "just in case it is a bacterial infection", but I can tell she is a bit lost. She wants to see her every few days so she can monitor where the cough is going but she is the sort who will listen if we put forward our own theories so wondered if any paed/allergist types have any ideas what we could suggest. She says she can't hear anything in her chest...

This is not (I hope) serious but it is really tiring us all out, and poor DD most of all. Any ideas anyone? Could this possibly be a nervous cough, and if so, what to do? She is not in a new setting, there is no tension at home (except around getting out of the house on time in the mornings ), teacher says she is happy and popular at preschool. We are stumped.

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PixieOnaLeaf · 28/01/2010 15:04

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jessia · 28/01/2010 19:32

Thanks for your answer Pixie. Yes, we have asked, I even went through all my usual questions today again, but she says she doesn't know. I even try to think of what it might feel like (tickly? no. As if s'th is stuck in there? weell, a bit. And as if you're coughing to get it out? No.)
At first she said it felt tight inside her chest so I did give her Ventolin, but now she says it doesn't any more.
I am seriously thinking you might be right about the tic, in fact we are back to the dr tomorrow and that is one of the things we are going to ask about. I am almost desperate to refind my allergist too, as I think the GP is out of her depth.
BTW, when you give her preventer inhalers, do they make her cough more straight afterwards? Because our DD seems to cough even more when we do our inhaling/nebulising routine...

Thanks ever so much for your help - anyone else?

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PixieOnaLeaf · 28/01/2010 20:19

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frogetyfrog · 28/01/2010 20:23

Can you give her something to suck on continuously for a few days to break the habit, wet the throat and see if it stops it. Maybe very small sweets (tic tacs?) to suck on. I suffered from a cough through childhood and my dsis still talks about it now!!! It annoyed the hell out of her. I am prone to dry tickly coughs and if I get ill, always get a cough. But also have a bit of a habit too.

jessia · 28/01/2010 20:33

Girls, thanks again. Pixie that's interesting about the coughing. After I answered your last post I went and gave her Ventolin again as she was in bed and coughing terribly. And guess what - she was asleep within 5 mins... She was worn out, but still - a result!

Frogety - that's an idea I'll try too (and she'll be over the moon - her sweet intake is normally strictly rationed!). In fact DH suggested someting similar before I came on here this eve, and I pooh-poohed it a little, I have to admit, but I tend to believe a Mnetter!

Will be back when I learn more tomorrow...

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