virus cough/croup in 6yr old, week 4 - am at end of my tether!

[missdduke]

(I realise many of you have very sick children with more serious illnesses so I am sorry if my post seems trivial.)

My 6yr old has a virus which has left her with a croup like cough which she's had for 4 weeks now. She is constantly barking, her whole body is rolled over in a coughing fit, she's barely eating, is thin and pale. She sleeps terribly at night and is unable to play, go outside, see friends etc because a) she can't stop coughing and b) by lunchtime she just curls up in an exhausted heap on the settee and stays there till bedtime.

I've taken her to A&E twice and they've looked her over and said it's a virus and there is nothing they can do, antibiotics and steroids have made no difference to her.

She won't take any calpol/cough medicine (gets totally hysterical if I try which causes a coughing fit).

I feel so sorry for her but also so sorry for me (am exhausted from worrying and looking after her and arguing with her over medicine) and my little boy is being totally neglected and has ended up just watching tele/stuck in house for whole of easter hols because we can't go anywhere.

Has anyone any experience of anything like this? How long will it last? Any tips?

Hi Missdduke. There are two types of croup and this webpage explains it quite well I reckon:www.femail.com.au/croup.htm

Have they done a blood test to rule out anything else it could be such as an asthmatic cough?

Hi

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cough/Pages/Introduction.aspx

This link explains a lot about coughs. The bad news is they can last up to 8 weeks!!

Try rubbing Vicks vapour rub on the soles of her feet when you put her to bed.

Sorry -my post implied I meant the blood test would show asthma! I didn't mean that - I meant it separately. A blood test to diagnose something else. Then, have they suggested it could be an asthmatic cough (ventolin would help etc)? An asthmatic cough doesn't mean she would always have asthma - my dd's cleared up with a ventolin inhaler mask.

hi

thanks everyone, we've already tried the inhalers in the past and a specialist has ruled out asthma cos inhalers make no difference.

We went back to A&E yesterday and they gave her steroids again but they've made no difference.

I'll try the vicks thing tonight, am willing to try anything just to stop this bloody coughing!

They've also referred her for blood tests next week just to see if that flags anything up.

That's more positive then. Hope you finally manage to get an answer and hope your dd gets better soon.