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Parenting

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Son keeps throwing up from coughing

27 replies

MummyAndSon17 · 14/02/2019 23:48

Hi everyone
Really hoping I can get some advice just to at least get me through the night because I doubt me and DS will be able to sleep tonight.

He's got a cough and cold which He's had Now for 2 or 3 weeks but the cough seems to have gotten worse of a night the past few days. Once he's asleep he'll wake up coughing and just start throwing up everywhere. This is the 3rd night in a row it's happened and now ive just chucked his mattress away because I can't be bothered cleaning it after cleaning my bed, towls, sheets and my sofa from the last 2 days lol.
I'm taking him drs tomorrow but would really appreciate some advice for tonight. He's got an asthma pump which I give him once He's asleep because he won't take it otherwise and he seems to have a bad cough at least once a month. It's becoming exhausting now Sad

OP posts:
Lisette1940 · 14/02/2019 23:53

My son has allergic asthma so had coughing at night due to dust mites. Worse with a cold. Try to get him to use asthma inhaler when awake, hard I know but he needs to inhale it deeply.

Lisette1940 · 14/02/2019 23:55

Perhaps prop the bed up at the top. That was recommended to me.

FissionChip5 · 14/02/2019 23:56

Have him sleep sitting up a little. Is the room dropping in temperature during the night?

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FissionChip5 · 14/02/2019 23:57

Bennylin children’s nighttime cough medicine works well, it’s the one you have to buy form the pharmacy. No clue if it’s sutible for asthma sufferers though.

MummyAndSon17 · 15/02/2019 00:07

Thanks for your suggestions. He hates the asthma pump but I'd rather give him that then him having to take anti biotics like the Dr gave before. His mattress is always propped up because he sleeps better that way so that's not made a difference. It gets stuffy in the bedroom because it's not that big so maybe if I swap us into the other bedroom that's bigger might help get some more air in? I don't know it's just exhausting I'm wondering if it's an allergy that I don't know about that's causing this. Hopefully the GP can help tomorrow

OP posts:
Helix1244 · 15/02/2019 00:07

Olbas oil inhaled maybe if it could be from snot going down when asleep.
Some people use calpol plug in but ove not tried.
Do you have a cat?

MummyAndSon17 · 15/02/2019 00:15

No we don't have any pets. I've got an air wick candle that's like Vix. So I could light that and see if it works. He's asleep now and he's not coughing but I'm just petrified he'll cough and be sick when I'm asleep and it'll be dangerous for him

OP posts:
Lisette1940 · 15/02/2019 00:43

Is his room dusty OP? We had to remove all teddies and Hoover regularly. GP prescribed anti histamines, inhaler and anti asthma meds. He has a post nasal drip from the dust mites that made colds horrific. But the cough was there even without the cold. Meds knocked the cough on its head. I know the feeling about worrying about the cough and sickness but hell be okay. Talk to the GP about allergy

Lisette1940 · 15/02/2019 00:44

Also uses sterimar which is an over the counter saline nasal spray which stops the drip and hence the cough.

Lisette1940 · 15/02/2019 00:46

The cough is tiring for him and tiring for you too as you're worried. Hope you've both a peaceful night.

Bananarama12 · 15/02/2019 13:05

Can you try a dust mite machine? We have one in our sons room and anti allergy bedding. Hasn't had a night time cough for a while now.

winesolveseverything · 15/02/2019 13:22

How old is he?

We have lived through this, and come out the other side so know how you feel.

My son started this when he was about 15 months.. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing from GP, he had inhalers given and after a while montelukast tablets. (Tablets gave him nightmares and weird behaviour so we stopped them quite quickly)

After a lot of pushing, he did get referred to consultant care. We saw a fabulous respiratory specialist nurse who gave us a plan on how to use inhalers. He is 8 now and much improved.

However, going back to basics- he would have his inhalers at bedtime as normal. If he woke coughing, I would give him another 2-4 puffs.

I always leave the window open a tiny crack so the room doesn't get too hot or stuffy. I also, at the same time, have a wet face cloth or something on the warm radiator to stop the room drying out.

I prop up his mattress.

His bed has a mattress protector on, then I put a big towel over the top of his pillow and top section of mattress.

Another towel on the floor where the sick bowl is. We would have various sick bowls dotted around the house- for weeks at a time -and this became our normal.
It was this that made me push for a referral as it most definitely isn't normal to live like this. But it was the easiest way to cope.

It's been a long journey but it has become so much better over the last 18 months. He is much bigger and stronger and he is hardly ever sick now.

Hope things improve for your little one soon...

Lisette1940 · 15/02/2019 13:43

How is he today OP? Interesting about Montelukast - we've been lucky that our ds has been okay on it and it did stop the cough. Also attend respiratory nurse. We use the inhaler for more support around colds etc but otherwise he doesn't need it really. No teddy's or dust magnets in his room and Hoover and wash bedclothes regularly.

Lisette1940 · 15/02/2019 13:43

Teddies, I meant

Bananarama12 · 15/02/2019 20:07

Yes we were given montelukast but I noticed he was super whingy ALL THE TIME so I stopped them and he went back to normal.

justasking111 · 15/02/2019 20:10

My DS had infantile asthma I think they call it. Tis frightening he ended up in hospital. Now under control with asthma meds.

MummyAndSon17 · 15/02/2019 20:34

He's ok today. I've avoided giving him dairy today incase that's sitting heavily on his chest so he's gone to bed without a bottle tonight. I'm just so tired of him having a cough. Our bedroom isn't that dusty or anything like that, I try to keep the whole house clean and everything but it's just really dry so I keep the window open until I go to sleep. He's had croup a few times aswell in the last 2 years which I'm constantly worrying about him getting. Really need to get him to take his asthma pump during The day as I think that'll help but he just won't do it. Any suggestions from anyone who has to do this?

OP posts:
Cuddlysnowleopard · 15/02/2019 20:41

I've also been there. DS2 is asthmatic, and presents as a night-time cough. As a toddler, he would cough all night until his was sick.

How old is your DS? I just made a huge fuss of him with the inhaler (assume he has a spacer?). We'd use it on his favourite teddy first, then DS.

After two weeks, it was so clear that it solved the cough, at least for four hours, the GP tried him on a preventer and he's been pretty good ever since, with just the odd blip when he is over tired or has a cold.

I'd focus on getting the inhaler working for him. Bribery if necessary.

Cuddlysnowleopard · 15/02/2019 20:44

Another tip - my DC's always wanted to copy me. I also use an inhaler, so DS was very happy to copy me.

Put the spacer on yourself, and pretend to use it. See if he'll copy?

CottonSock · 15/02/2019 20:46

My dd was like this and thankfully grew out of it about 3yo. Usually she ended up with antibiotics as once she had a chest infection she could not shift it

GassyAss · 15/02/2019 20:53

Have you/GP ruled out whooping cough? Myself and DD1 had it 2 years ago and the cough was so bad she vomited. It presented like an ordinary cold but the aggressive cough lingered. Mine lasted 5 months as it was misdiagnosed as asthma so not treated with antibiotics.

Lisette1940 · 15/02/2019 21:52

Fingers crossed for tonight OP. Lots of good ideas here about using the spacer.

My house was dusty though. Not the greatest housekeeper me 😀

MummyAndSon17 · 27/02/2019 20:16

Hi everyone, thank you for all the advice it was really helpful. His chest seems to be fine now, it's just when he's running around or getting too over excited that he ends up coughing a lot. He's had whooping cough 4 times in the last 2 year's (he's 2 years old) so unfortunately I've had plenty of experience with that and luckily this time it's not that. I've got to contact his health visitor for his 2 year check up so I'm going to mention it to her and see what she recommends moving forward. I would just leave it and say it's just a faze but twice when he's had an ordinary cough the GP has said one of his lungs doesn't sound right, but no further action or tests have been done, so I'd like to push a bit on that and see if it's anything of a concern. Just seems odd that once or twice every month he has a cough. It's so exhausting for him and myself Sad

OP posts:
PestyMachtubernahme · 27/02/2019 20:27

How unusual to get whooping cough 4 times. Usually children are vaccinated or infection-acquired immunity limits it to one bout.

Have you pushed the doctor to look for auto-immune issues?

MummyAndSon17 · 27/02/2019 21:50

No I've not yet as I've only recently found out that allergies can cause little ones to get whooping cough. I'm definitely going to push for it this week. There's no other explanation other then the doctors were wrong and it wasn't whooping cough? He eats all his fruit and veg, always drinking water, always in a clean home. It's just so strange how he always has a cough

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