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Original poster

What does croup sound like? Ds has cough that sounds like he's choking.

36 replies

fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 22:48

He is trying to sleep at the minute but he keeps waking up coughing.

He has had a runny nose & been in really bad form for a few days now.

He has a cough that started yesterday, but nowhere near as bad as it is today. The c/minder said he couldn't eat his tea as he kept coughing

He is coughing as if there's something in his chest/throat that's making him yell when he coughs.

Has anyone any ideas? I got him a cough bottle but tbh he spat the spoonful out that I give him....

dd is on asthma inhalers.... but she never coughs like ds is coughing now

OP posts:
Original poster
fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 22:52

He's just choked up a load of phleghm

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LynetteMistletoe · 03/12/2007 22:53

Croup sounds like a sea lion bark, sort of a really big noisy cough.

Cough medicine won't do much good.

Keep the room moist. Wet towls on the radiator might help. You might want to invest in a steam humidifyer.

Keep up the Calpol tommorow.

pinkbubble · 03/12/2007 22:53

To me, when I heard a child who had croup it sounded a bit like a seal barking. (mind you that was a few yrs ago!)

MerryKerryXmas · 03/12/2007 22:54

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WhenScoobyGotStuckUpTheChimney · 03/12/2007 22:55

Loud dry hacking cough & contant coughing is a sign!

madamez · 03/12/2007 22:55

Poor little thing. FWIW croup tends to sound like a seal barking. Put a bowl of boiling water in his room (obviously not near enough for him to grab it), or, if he gets really bad, take him into the bathroom and turn on the hot taps - steam is supposed to open the airways etc. And I would definitely advice seeing the GP tomorrow.

If you get scared or if he appears to be having real trouble breathing (especially if he is under 1) then call NHS direct, they can give helpful advice.

MerryKerryXmas · 03/12/2007 22:57

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Original poster
fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 23:00

Thanks everyone.

Madamez, unfortunately NHS direct don't cover NI.

I'm not sure if he sounds like a sea lion, just as if there's something tickling the back of his throat & he can't breathe.

He's getting really irritated

I don't have the heat on in his room at the minute, so would damp towels do any good? I usually have some in the hallway when dd is bad with asthma/night coughing.

I won't give him cough bottle anymore, but if he keeps this up all night he is going to get no sleep He is a wee pet, I just went in his room as he had a really bad cough & he was sat there with his mouth clamped tight.. it was full of phleghm again... he didn't want to ruin his bed covers, he's such a sweetie.

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Original poster
fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 23:00

He's almost 3 Kerry.

If he was struggling for breath, would dds inhalers help?

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Twinklemegan · 03/12/2007 23:01

Croup is unmistakable, and really alarming if you've never heard it before. If the first thing you thought of when you heard it was "barking" then it's almost definitely croup.

I'd echo Madamez's advice about the steam etc. But I would consider calling NHS Direct in any case and getting him checked out if he's very young. HTH.

WhenScoobyGotStuckUpTheChimney · 03/12/2007 23:03

My ds has been admitted to hospital with sever croup.

Things to help, could you take him into the bathroom & get it steamy & sit in there with him with shower on?

Or take kettle to bedroom keep boiling it with wondows doors shut, get room steamy as you can.

If he struggles with his breath & you worry please call an ambulance straight away, this happened to my ds, the abulance men said we did the right thing, he was taken to hospital put on a nebuliser & given some steroid medicine which was a miracle, the airways can close up & this opens them again.

Make pillows high is well.

Twinklemegan · 03/12/2007 23:04

xposts Firefly. That doesn't really sound like croup to me. I reckon a warm, moist atmosphere would still help though - it sounds like his chest and throat could be really dry? Perhaps boil a kettle in his room, or if you've enough hot water take him in the bathroom, put the shower on and shut the door.

WhenScoobyGotStuckUpTheChimney · 03/12/2007 23:04

Is the cough contant?

LynetteMistletoe · 03/12/2007 23:05

I have heard of children having difficulty breathing, and parents taken them to A&E, but thier breathing magically eases once they are out in the cold damp air. Keep a close eye on him, but don't panic, as it might seem worse than it is.

I have a vivid memory of my parents leaning over me as a child as I inhalled steam, and looking up to see absolute terror in their eyes. They weren't nervous parents atall, so I found it quite funny, as I didn't feel too bad.

Your poor little Ds will probably be really tired tommorow.

MerryKerryXmas · 03/12/2007 23:08

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MerryKerryXmas · 03/12/2007 23:09

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Original poster
fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 23:11

We have a nebulizer (is that a bit like the dome dd uses when she takes her inhaler???)

It is constant yes. Though he gets a few minutes between bouts.

I have given him another pillow now & he is in the kitchen with his daddy who is boiling the kettle & running the hot water tap, the heat has been on so the water is really warm

I might ring my SIL, though it's v.late... She's a nursing consultant & she also does shifts at the out of hours doctors... maybe if I text her, as she might still be at work.

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CloudAtlas · 03/12/2007 23:13

is his chest recessing?

Millarkie · 03/12/2007 23:16

Ds had croup last week - came on very suddenly in the night, cough sounded just like a seal bark. He also has asthma so we gave him his asthma meds first then we called NHS direct who then called an ambulance since we were so worried about his breathing. The paramedics were very reassuring and told us to put him in bathroom with the shower on to make it humid. Thankfully he was breathing normally by the morning.

MerryKerryXmas · 03/12/2007 23:18

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Original poster
fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 23:20

Then nope, we don't have a nebuliser.

His chest is going in just below his ribs.. I bet they hurt And I bet his wee throat is sore too

He's on his daddy's knee now & isn't in bad form, he has a santa claus that's blowing bubbles

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Original poster
fireflyxmasfairylights2 · 03/12/2007 23:25

Have texted my SIL to see if she's still up, if I get no reply I will call out of hours doc, maybe if they can hear him coughing on the phone they will know??? Or is that niave of me to think that

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CloudAtlas · 03/12/2007 23:27

if he's recessing, I hate to say it, but I would be tempted by getting in to an a & e. So sorry if that's bad advice and you're not close enough to one, but get some help asap

CloudAtlas · 03/12/2007 23:27

if he's recessing, I hate to say it, but I would be tempted by getting in to an a & e. So sorry if that's bad advice and you're not close enough to one, but get some help asap

CloudAtlas · 03/12/2007 23:27

sorry for double post!