4 year old sudden chronic cough...

[Glitterzzz]

Hi I’m a little worried and not sure I need to be. My little boy who has just turned 4 was slightly coughing yesterday morning then seemed fine but since he woke today it’s chronic and sounds quite deep. He’s coughing and making a choke sound but he has no temp and no other symptoms. He’s not struggling to breathe and has no other medical problems ... do I just keep a eye on it? Is it the corona if he then also gets a temperature ? Do I need to call anyone? We have been inside for the last three days

Everyone in your household needs to self isolate for 14 days

I'm sorry to be a bit short with you but the guidelines are fairly easy to understand.

How do you still need to ask this?! FFS.

Op didn’t say she was going out!
Just treat as normal, lots of fluids, steamy bathroom, stay propped up, calpol if needed not ibuprofen. Find for advice if you’re concerned he’s really ill but not just for reassurance.

Whole household self isolate for 14 days. That means you stay at home all the time and don’t go out at all. No visitors. If you need supplies then you need to arrange a contactless delivery from a business or friend/family (ie they leave it on the doorstep and you don’t meet or touch).

Chronic means long-term by the way, not severe - symptoms overnight cannot be chronic.

*phone

Is your google broken?
111.nhs.uk/covid-19

Everyone needs to take a second to read these posts and digest what they're saying before jumping in and telling people off.

The op is clearly asking for advice about management of symptoms. Nowhere has she asked whether she should go out.

Yes, you manage his symptoms at home like you normally would. If they become worse or you feel he needs to be seen call 111. If it is covid, he'll likely have a mild dose due to his age so try not to worry too much.

WHy are people being dickheads ?
The op is asking sensible questions as it is obviously scary to suddenly have these symptoms in your home. Especially a four years old?
What happened to be kind? Idiots

Take Coronavirus out of the equation for a minute. Would you normally seek medical attention for a child who simply had a cough? (With the added caveat I am referring to this one particular cough, because obviously if they wake up barking with croup or something then you do) make your decisions re medical attention based on the severity of any symptoms. Now you can add back in the virus and now you have to self isolate, but still no need to see the GP (if that's what you decided reading above)

You dont need to call anyone.
The whole household needs to stay totally inside, and dont see ANYONE. No visitors, no nipping to the shops, no popping over the the neighbours, no leaving something on Grandmas doorstep.
Treat the cough as you would treat it if Corona wasnt an issue (no ibuprofen/nurofen kids tho).

My son has been coughing since Monday. Dont know if its Corona, but he is still fine, just coughing.
Keep calm, keep away from people. Call 111 if he cant breathe properly.

Good luck for the next 14 days. Use the garden if you can, and get some windows open.

Keep an eye on it OP. If he gets a temperature, give him calpol, not ibuprofen. You, your DS and anyone else in the house will need to self isolate for 14 days. You don't need to call anyone unless he seems very unwell, his temperature peaks and won't come down with calpol or he gets short of breath.

The main thing you need to do now is make sure your DS is comfortable and that you have enough supplies for 14 days or 7 days then another can be done in 7 days. Can you ask a family member to go and get you shopping then leave it on your door step? Can you get a delivery slot for shopping? I would spend today planning and working out a strategy to keep you all in the house for the next 2 weeks.

Best of luck OP

Thanks for the constructive responses. I am not going out like I said we have been in for the past three days before the cough started , I’m more worried as a mum if I need to be contacting anyone because he’s young and I’ve never dealt with this virus before ;-)

No need to contact anyone unless you’re very concerned about his temperature going up and not coming down with calpol or he’s struggling to breathe. It’s a scary time but the phone lines need to be kept clear for very ill people.

Treat as you would any cough. If he worsens and he might need to see a doctor, call 111 but don't go to gp or A&E unless they advise you to do so. And self isolate the whole household for 14 days.

It could be covid 19 even if he doesn't get a fever.

Only other thing is to practise meticulous hygiene across the household. If it is c19, then its highly infectious and it would be likely that the whole household will catch it. But handwashing after you touch him, not using areas where he's been sitting/lying, disinfecting surfaces regularly, and staying a good distance away would be advised if he were an adult. As he's 4, this is still good advice but near impossible! Keep siblings away though if you can.

I hope he's well soon

Look after him as you would with any other cough. Call 111 if you’re worried. The only difference is you need to isolate for 14 days.

Also, you won’t be able to tell if this is corona or not. So even if he gets a fever too, don’t assume he’s had it after this and will be immune. If this happens again, you’ll need to self isolate all over again.

Hope he gets well soon xx

Thanks everyone , stay safe and well to all