Serious congestion in babies

[Roz]

Has anyone had a child or come across a child that has such serious congestion that she has to gulp for air at night? My little girl is now 2.5 and since she was 4 months old has had very severe congestion. During the day it manifests itself as a runny nose, which I can cope with. But at night it is so severe that she can hardly breathe. I bought a Boots vapouriser which has little effect. I have taken her to doctors (she is now under a paediatrician)Homeopaths, Osteopaths (probably the most successful to date) and get through a large bottle of Olbas oil every month or so. She had a brief spell of snot-free after first going to the Osteopathic Centre for Children but then it returned with a vengence. Nothing has worked since. I am seriously worried about the effect her attempts to breath at night are having on her heart - it races for the 10 seconds or so with each breath that she is struggling for air.
Has anyone experienced this?

Haven't experienced this but, here are a few things that I found useful for my son who has Allergic Rhinitis and now enlarged Adenoids. Prop one end of the cot/bed up, leave a window open, keep the room as cold as possible, cut out dairy products as they don't help congestion at all, plastic sheet on the bed/cot to keep dust down, damp dust the bedroom, hoover the bed as often as you can, cotton sheets, no blankets that are woolly, and if you can invest in a Dyson my son is a lot better since we got it, if you have any pets keep them away if possible, we also have a prism shaped air purifier in the kids bedroom. Is your daughter like this all year?, my son has a snotty beak when the pollen starts and when the grass is cut and then when we feed hay/silage in the winter, so we use Clarytin nearly all year round or Piriton in liquid form as well sometimes. Have you seen an ENT Specialist at all, if you haven't I think that you should see one soon, or maybe the Paediatrician will see to that. Another thing, have they ever taken throat and nose swabs from your daughter?, as these can detect any infection that may not be noticeable to the eye, i.e. any underlying chronic infection.
Keep in touch and let me know how you get on.

I too have a son, now 3, who has had suspected allergic rhinitis sine he was about 6 months. As you say, Roz, the nights are the worst, and the noisiest!

We went to an ENT consultant, when son was about 14 mths, who pronounced adenoids etc just fine in our son. So, we cut out milk etc, and it did help a lot. At 2 years old, we went for an allergy test (they won't do it before they're 2 for some reason), and it was all clear... all 33 items that they tested him for...Wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, as son still streaming.
So... back to original ENT man who said...Err.. your son has enlarged adenoids... shall I take them out? I was tempted to be VERY rude to Mr ENT!!
So, get your daughter refered to an allergy consultant to get her tested, and if they are all negative, try an ENT man to see if he can check her out.
Good Luck. Let us know how it goes!

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Thanks for all the suggestions. My daughter has been allergy tested and like your son, Fms, came up clear on all counts. She is on Goat's milk and has been for about a year and although I don't notice a major improvement, when I revert to Cow's milk she is much worse. I have tried to put her on a dairy free diet but gave up when she began to lose weight at a frightening rate - that was when she was referred to the paediatrician. She is small anyway (she only weighs 25lbs and will be three in July!)so I'm not really willing to do anything which interferes with her eating. I do have to admit to skirting around the adenoids issue. If they say "Yes - she needs her adenoids out" I don't know whether I'd want her to go through an operation or whether to battle on trying to find an alternative approach. With respect to humidity, there is no noticeable change during the summer when its dry, or when we've been abroad to hot, dry countries, or conversely during the long wet winter we've just endured. The Osteopath she sees thinks that the dampness will contribute to the problem, not help it. With respect to cot position, even when she falls asleep upright in her buggy she still cannot breathe. I think the problem is that as soon as she falls asleep she loses the ability to breathe through her mouth.
She is booked in to see another Osteopath who I know and have spoken to about the problem (he thinks he can do something for her) and if that doesn't work I'll brave the ENT bods.
Thanks for all your advice