Talking Allergies

Don't worry I am going to a doctor today, but I wanted to know what you guys think, too.

DD is 4 and she has been up alllllll night coughing. She has a cold and has had this cold for about three days now. The thing about her cough is that it is completely nonproductive...It is just a dry nagging cough. It doesn't even really sound like it's her throat. She's had "snot in my throat cough" during the day, but maybe 4 coughs/day. Last night for 3 hours she never made it a minute without coughing! I gave her this homeo honey cough syrup, proventil inhaler, xopanex nebulizer, motrin for sore throat and fever, mucinex for her nose congestion...umm...I think that's it! The xopanex seemed to help a little, but it was really frustrating. She did NOT want the nebulizer and me and dh had to hold her down. She actually finally BIT the mask like a pitbull! Poor thing! But after that (at midnight) she finally slept...for four hours anyway...

If it is her asthma though...well, she doesn't seem to be wheezing, her respiration rate is fine, she IS sick, the proventil inhaler didn't work at all (but I don't know how much she got cuz she wasn't too happy about that either)...I just don't know.

Do any of you have any experience with this type of cough?

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Daughter, 10 - NKA

Daughter, 3 - peanut, tree nuts, crustacean, dust mites, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, mangoes, mustard, and very mild outdoor allergies, eczema, asthma

Son, 2 - asthma, mild eczema, peanut, mild soy, mild egg

Ashley5473, as soon as our son starts the night time cough I know his asthma is beginning to act up. My advice would be to start on your yellow plan asap to prevent the symptoms from snowballing. For our son it tends to starts at night, every night it gets worse and soon it moves into the daytime with wheezing. I've learned now to head right to the yellow plan and try to control him as soon as the first symptom of night time cough begins. The worse the cough gets the less he sleeps and the more run down his body and then the worse the cough seems to get. It is an awful sounding cough too as you know. I wish he could talk as I think there is more to it than just a cough. When this happens he is frantic and usually brings on a crying/panic type thing. So I don't know if it hurts or if there is pain or a feeling of preassure making him feel like he can't breathe. If anyone has older kids who can explain what this feels like I'd love to understand better.

Good luck, I hope you get some sleep tonight!
I get you with the nebulizer issue, it takes my husband and myself to hold it onto our son if he's in a mood NOT to have it on.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

Night coughing is a good indication of asthma, having a cold is often a trigger so I'm glad your taking her to the Dr's.

I hear you with the nebulizer. I can remember sitting in the ER all night holding the mask on my then 2 1/2 year old. She would dose off and then wake with a start that she was wearing it. The noise kind of scared her too. I would sit her in my lap, facing out, lights dim and cuddle her with one arm while holding the mask on her with my other hand. I would tell her a story about the birds out our diningroom window (the noise reminded me of the birds). Through guided imagery, I could get her to relax and sleep.

The problem withthis technique is that you end upbreathing some of the medicine in your self and it makes you jittery, or is that normal after spending 12 hours at the ER?

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I have never gone through this with my kids but I can only tell you how it felt for me when I was a child. (many years ago) In those days (70'S) everytime my parents took me to the hospital I knew I was in for a few weeks stay, by the time they brought me I was having such a hard time breathing. Did not have the meds that we do today. I did have a breathing machine at home I would have to work it, I had to press a button every time I would breath in. Even at night I would ask my poor tired mother to sit with me so I was not alone.
As for the question by bc2007 is your child in any pain of course I cannot not tell you for sure how they feel but when I was in what sounds like the same type of situation I was just so exausted by coughing and was kinda panicy (sp sorry) because it was hard to breath. After all these years I so clearly remember being so tired. It is hard work to breath when you are like this. I also remember being grummpy. I remember sleeping with a pillow on the hospital tray because that was the easiest way to breath. I don't know if they still do physio on someone with asthma but someone would come to my hospital room each day to "pound" on my chest, back, and sides. My mother also had to come to the hospital so they could show her how to do this. That is something I remember feeling real good as it would kind of shake everything lose. When my kids have a chest cough I always do this for them, they say it feels good and seems to help. You sort of cup your hands and pound, it is not a slap or hard beating just a cupping. Hope this babble helps, I say no pain, just so tired.

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Me-Allergic to Peanut, Tree Nut, Coconut, Shellfish, ASA and Asthma
My Husband and Children No Allergies

Percussion therapy, I know they do that for Cystic Fibrosis but I didn't know they did that for asthma.

Wow, it's great to get the perspective from some one whose been through it before. Thanks for sharing, Paige.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

That is great help and insight guys! The first time I talked to an adult with asthma it just really changed it all for me! He said he would wake up in the middle of the night feeling like he had tape over his mouth and nose and a straw stuck through it to breathe through. I have NO experience with asthma, really, so it's easy for me to forget what it must be like...


So...I took all three of them to the dr....dd10 has a sinus infection which has gone into her lungs almost to pneumonia...dd4 has bronchitis/asthma (last time she had bronchitis she ended up in the hospital for 3 days)...and ds2 (these are ages not like numberings, lol) ds2 has a severe ear infection (and a mild one in the other ear) and the beginnings of bronchitis. He has a seal cough, but not too often. So they ALL get breathing treatments 4 x a day and the dr. insisted i start back singulair for at least 10 days and they are all on anitbiotics. They did allow me to postpone dd10's steroids for a couple of days. I really don't want to go that route unless it's REALLY necessary. ALL FOR $300! Aren't you glad you guys are in Canada? And that's before I even get the BILL! I bet the grand total with the tubing and all will be $500.

When it rains it pours....I'm just glad to know what it is and have them all started on treatment...thanks guys!

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Daughter, 10 - NKA

Daughter, 3 - peanut, tree nuts, crustacean, dust mites, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, mangoes, mustard, and very mild outdoor allergies, eczema, asthma

Son, 2 - asthma, mild eczema, peanut, mild soy, mild egg

Ashley hope your children feel better soon.
My niece is here with me (she has asthma aswell) we both agree that the percussion therapy feels great. Her mom (my sister) saw this done on me so she did this on her. We also think night is hardest as it is hard to sleep when you lay down, you cough. At that time I even would sleep on the Lazy-Boy chair so I was nearly sitting up.
When my niece was going through things my sister would call me up to understand what was going on. She had one question that did not make sense to her but I confirmed. On her/my back between the shoulder blades I would always get an itch/twitch. It is not really from the skin it just seems to be from the inside. I never questioned a doctor about this it would just go away. I wonder if anyone feels this as well. I am so glad the meds now are so much better.

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Me-Allergic to Peanut, Tree Nut, Coconut, Shellfish, ASA and Asthma
My Husband and Children No Allergies

Our son hasn't slept for days now, that means mama hasn't slept! He is up every 45 min. or so still half asleep but saying 'ow' and thrashing about until he is crying. Usually his night time asthma consists of coughing and coughing until it turns into a wheeze. Could this waking up be related to his asthma, it has been flaring up a bit in the past couple weeks. He can't tell me but I know tightness of the chest and a heavy feeling can be a symptom of asthma, has anyone experienced the same thing with themselves or an older child (who talks) and could help explain this to me. Could that be what he's experiencing?



....just got back from the Dr. , it is an ear infection which seems to be (again!) the trigger for his flare up and disrupted sleep. He has had so many ear infections but never pulls at his hair or his ears!!

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

We questioned our son's dr's and many other dr's after going through two years of sleepless nights with our 4 year. We had very similar experiences...constant coughing at night, runny nose, no wheezing, and no symptons during the day.

The dr's told us to increase the inhalers, and they even gave him the liquid steriods on occasion. Nothing worked! Eventually my dh realized, though not medically conclusive, that our son wasn't suffering from asthma. Instead, we believe, he has post nasal drip brought on by seasonal/environmental allergies.

We started proping him up on two pillows at night (wouldn't let him lye down for even a second). That made a difference. We also took him to a naturalpath that specializes in Allergies and Asthma. He put our son on a restrictive diet: No dairy, no processed sugars, no yeast and prescribed some homeopathic treatments.

Since our visit to the naturalpath, my son has not lost any more sleep and the night coughing is gone. I think the diary made a significant difference b/c it's said that diary is a big mucus contributor.

I know how emotionally difficult this can be... Sometimes we just need to be our own doctors. Good luck

Gigi's mom - no allergies
N - 4 yrs old. Allergic to PN/TN
G - 2 yrs old. No allergies but does have sensitivies
DH - Allergic to seafood

postnasal drip from allergies can lead to a flare up of asthma or asthma like symptoms. When I get bad I take a nasal spray which really helps and I find my breathing improves as well.

For my own reference if I am having an asthma attack I try to talk. If I feel like I have to "push" the words out with effort I know to take my rescue inhalers or go to the hospital.

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allergic to all tree pollens except grass, hazelnuts, fruit and some veggies

Yikes! You can certainly take your rescuye inhaler before it gets that bad!!
I know it can sneak up on you but that's pretty bad. Can you speak to an asthma educator?

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb