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Original poster

dd had a cough for 5 weeks now! advice anyone?

6 replies

mothergoingmad · 30/03/2008 23:50

Hi all, can anyone offer me any advice? My daughter had a cold 5 weeks ago and developed a cough. The cold cleared up but the cough stayed and got worse. I've taken her to gp who said chest clear (my 1st though was a chest infection)prescribed an inhaler - bricanyl, she used that for a week with no effect. I took her to the emergency doctors easter saturday as she was crying at night with a sore throat caused by the persistant cough. She didn't know what to do with herself. This doctor prescribed a course of steroids and anti-biotics to be taken together. Well the both finished on Friday and she is still coughing! The last doc we saw said we should see gp is meds didn't work as she may have asthma. I personally do not believe she is asthmatic as she doesn't wheeze and is generally healthy. I'm going to make another appointment at doctors tomorrow but wondered if anyone else experienced this before. My dd is 9yrs old.
Thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

mothergoingmad · 30/03/2008 23:51

OP posts:

Jenkeywoo · 30/03/2008 23:57

My dd and I had this before xmas - I was coughing from october half term and finally at xmas after loads of different anti-biotics the doctor diagnosed dd and I with asthma but said it is only going to be a problem when we have chest infections and coughs. He gave us an inhaler and it really sorted out the cough. Since xmas dd has been fine and has not needed her inhaler - I'm in the middle of another coughing episode now as a result of a cough and need my inhaler again but when they did a breathing test last month when I wasn't poorly I showed up as not being asthmatic. I really hope you are able to get something to sort your dd - I'm coughing right now so I know how tiring it is after weeks and weeks.

Lazylou · 30/03/2008 23:58

My DD had something similar to this last year, she's 4.2 now. But she developed a cough and cold, the cold went and she was left with this terrible cough which kept her awake all night and made her miserable during the day.

I left it a week before going to the drs, giving her over the counter cough medicine until we found she was allergic to it and then we went to the dr who prescribed an inhaler for her to use. She had her chest chekced and it was clear, although the dr did say it was probably a windpipe infection so gave her medicine (not ABs) for that.

It didn't really get any better and in the end, the dr said he couldn't find anything physically wrong with her . Eventually after much to-ing and fro-ing to the dr, the cough went, but it lasted for months and I didn't really notice it had gone until she got another bad cough just recently. The latest one has been going on for a week too and I know what the dr will say, so am trying to hold out until Tuesday before I take her up there again.

It's a PITA and I'm sory I haven't got any real advice for you.

gigglewitch · 31/03/2008 00:09

reading the title i started to wonder "err, asthma" but from reading your op it doesn't sound like it - and i haven't heard of it arriving all of a sudden at 9yo. IME with 2 children who have asthma, it isn't a permanent cough, but rather one which comes on during/after exercise, at night and when they encounter their allergen / trigger, for one of mine this is the cold germ, for the other it's more like household / toiletry things, though we haven't properly worked it out. They are unable to get "enough" breath and the big issue is breathing in, the cough is more of a result of the tightening. Sorry if you know all this already, just thought a description might help you to compare?
A lot of ds1's classmates have been coughing for the whole of the Christmas to Easter term, so i think there is a really rotten lurgy about. Have you tried giving her honey as a drink? and anything citrus with tons of vitamin c in it? My DSes like honey with ribena, the honey alone is to "strong" they say.
Another idea [probably in the wrong direction but i'll say it anyway] have you done anything like got a new carpet / changed washing powder / started using plug-in air freshener or anything? this could give asthma-like cough without necessarily going any further?

Original poster

mothergoingmad · 31/03/2008 23:57

Thanks for your replies. I took her back to the doctors today and ended up at the hopital with her having a chest x-ray. Now I'm really worried they are going to find something nasty! Probably an over-reaction on my part but you can't help wondering when they have had inhaler steroids and anti-biotics and nothing has come close to helping. The GP said if x-ray is clear she will do some tests for asthma.
dd now has stomach pains, from what she has said I think she has pulled muscles coughing and her throat is also sore. I will try honey as I haven't done yet, I'm open to any suggestions and will try anything to help relieve it. She hasn't slept through the night for weeks and is really tired and stroppy. She has been drinking fresh orange juice like it's going out of fashion - trying to get vit c into her.
I haven't made any changes at home that may have triggered the cough so I am at a total loss. As a mother you want to fix everything for your kids and it's damn frustrating when you have tried everything and nothing works.
Thanks gigglewitch for your asthma advice, she coughs all the time not just after exercise etc and I personally don't believe she has it. I'm not a doctor tho and can't be sure. I'm trying not to think too much into the x-rays, my mind is running away with me thinking of all the horrible things they could find.
Thanks for your advice and support

OP posts:

Jenkeywoo · 01/04/2008 00:03

this may not your kind of thing but the GP told me to give some medised or piriton - when sleep is being disrupted so much a mild sedative might give her a few hours respite - I know it used to allow dd to stop coughing for a couple of hours which helped with the exhaustion. I'm sorry you've been through a stressful day today and I hope that you do get some answers and that your poor dd gets a break from this all.

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