Inhaled foreign object or croup?

[Mommyintraining2]

DD 16 months has had a cold w/cough off and on for 11 weeks. She and DD1 and DS keep passing it back and forth. Now she has a croupy sounding cough. I took her to the pedi and she said the lungs sound great, she is getting 99% oxygen and said it's croup.

I'm leaning towards agreeing with her since she's had it before. The reasons I'm concerned it may not be croup are:

1) The steroid shot didn't seem to make any improvement (yes, we debated it and made the tough decision to do it based on the severity of her cough).

2) She coughs all day AND night. Isn't croup only at night?

3) She got a hold of some popcorn that was around the house the day before and I am worried she inhaled some.

4) Steam doesn't seem to help much at all.

For the croup side:

1) She has responded well to homeopathic Drosera and Spongia at different stages of the cough.

2) She has other cold symptoms.

3) Cold air greatly helps.

Does anyone have any insight?

[Mama~Love]

If she inhaled something, you would know. It's VERY scary. My youngest at 14 months old, inhaled the tip of a crayon. I will never forget the sound or look of her when she was coughing. She needed to be LifeFlighted out & put under general anesthesia to get it out. Luckily they got it out when they did, because it had started to melt. I don't want to think about what would've happened then.

I've dealt with croup & asthma-like breathing problems as well. It sounds like just a lingering croupy cough. Coughs seem to last forever, and they may be sick with several viruses in a row before they get over the last one, so it seems like they are sick constantly.

's!

[Mommyintraining2]

Originally Posted by Mama~Love

If she inhaled something, you would know. It's VERY scary. My youngest at 14 months old, inhaled the tip of a crayon. I will never forget the sound or look of her when she was coughing. She needed to be LifeFlighted out & put under general anesthesia to get it out. Luckily they got it out when they did, because it had started to melt. I don't want to think about what would've happened then.

I've dealt with croup & asthma-like breathing problems as well. It sounds like just a lingering croupy cough. Coughs seem to last forever, and they may be sick with several viruses in a row before they get over the last one, so it seems like they are sick constantly.

's!

Thank you so much for your supportive answer. I needed that! It's been a long couple of months with very little sleep, sick kids, constant coughing between them, and two emergencies. I don't want to worry about anything anymore for a while!

So sorry about your experience with this. I can't imagine going through something like that with your LO. Thank goodness everything turned out alright!!!

[Mama~Love]

Oh, I hear ya on the constantly sick part. We've dealt with that too, and it's very hard, and very exhausting. Last winter was especially bad; seemed the youngest 3 were sick all winter long. We've been lucky so far this year, not a cold yet **knock on wood**!

[GoBecGo]

Is she eating ok? How is her health aside from the cough? Is she listless, tired etc.? Or generally fine but coughing?

My friends DS swallowed a coin which lodged in his oesophagus just below where the airway joined. He coughed for a few weeks, but he was just getting over WC so they initially thought it was a relapse of that. He got sicker and sicker, wouldn't eat, was pale, was just very unhappy. Eventually they got so worried they took him to ER and an x-ray showed the coin. His throat had begun to necrotise (die) around the coin so it was a nick of time thing. They removed it under sedation and he began to recover right away. If her health is otherwise ok i would stop worrying about inhalng/swallowing being a cause.

[Mommyintraining2]

Originally Posted by GoBecGo

Is she eating ok? How is her health aside from the cough? Is she listless, tired etc.? Or generally fine but coughing?

My friends DS swallowed a coin which lodged in his oesophagus just below where the airway joined. He coughed for a few weeks, but he was just getting over WC so they initially thought it was a relapse of that. He got sicker and sicker, wouldn't eat, was pale, was just very unhappy. Eventually they got so worried they took him to ER and an x-ray showed the coin. His throat had begun to necrotise (die) around the coin so it was a nick of time thing. They removed it under sedation and he began to recover right away. If her health is otherwise ok i would stop worrying about inhalng/swallowing being a cause.

I really appreciate you sharing this experience. DD seems find other than more cold symptoms, generally in good spirits, so I think I'll take your advice and focus on getting her through this cold or whatever she's got.