Almost 3yo severe cough....remedies?

[lightheartedmom]

My kids have been sick for the last two weeks. DD1, almost 6, got it first and was quite bad off for a few days and then things just settled into your normal, garden-variety hacking cough + runny nose type stuff. She's showing clear signs of improvement today (which is day...10, 11? for her).

DD2 has been sick since Monday and while DD1 was already on the upswing by this point, she is getting worse. Today was by far the worst day. She's been groggy, insanely irritable and had very severe coughing fits all day. She's been coughing so hard around her eyes are bright red now. She looks like one of those old "pound puppies" plush toys. It's pitiful.

I'm not too worried that it's anything other than a very bad cold-type virus (uh...unless it's pertussis in which case...yikes...because I'm also 31 weeks pregnant and it would be insanely bad to have that illness in my house with a newborn. Does anyone know if there are risks to the baby from possible prenatal exposure to pertussis?)...but she is coughing so badly that she (and I!) cannot sleep at night (she sleeps with me and DH).
My usual cough remedies like eucalyptus oil and steam or honey/lemon (or ACV) are not helping. I just wanted to tap into the amazing resource that is MDC and see if any of you moms have other effective remedies for providing a toddler with a bad cough some comfort.


thanks!

[Bokonon]

I would try sodium ascorbate.  I know it's recommended for pertussis treatment, but I've found that my kids and I get relief from coughing with SA.

[memz]

Also cut an onion in half end out it under the bed... It smells awful but it works!


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[lightheartedmom]

An onion?! I have never heard that one before! lol! Do you know why that would help a cough? I'm totally stumped.

Oddly enough what helped last night was just propping her up a LOT more than normal. We both got a bit more sleep thankfully, and I think today she's at least a tiny bit improving...I have to try and make it to the health food store and get some sodium ascorbate. Good thing to have on hand anyway.

Thanks ladies!

[fruitfulmomma]

Naturade Children's Expec Herbal Expectorant is what we use with our kids. My husband has used the adult version too with great results and we gave some to MIL when she had bronchitis and she said it was the best thing she had used so far.

[MoonWillow]

Do you have a family doc that you trust?

I don't mess around with coughing because breathing problems can become serious and fast. Also if she is getting worse instead of improving, I would be concerned not only asthma but possible infection (pneumonia). In my opinion she needs to be seen by a professional if for nothing else than taking a stethoscope to her lungs and listening. A true wheeze can be difficult to hear even for the pros but some prevention now can save you from a frightening episode later on.

I (unfortunately) know this from experience :(

[McGucks]

Sorry, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but a cough of this duration and "very severe coughing fits all day" means go to the doctor.  If she is groggy, it could be that her lungs are so congested that she's literally not getting enough oxygen.  I wouldn't play around, mama. 

[lightheartedmom]

Thanks for the last two posts mamas. thankfully DD seems to be improving rapidly. She was only groggy the day I posted the original on this thread, that night was pretty icky. Last night she didn't cough at all the whole night (propping her up has helped so much) and only woke up once to tell me very excitedly that she had a good dream!! And was all better.
Today she's been having little coughing fits here and there but I'm pretty sure that's because I let her eat bread and that seems to make things a lot worse.
I'm watching very carefully and if she's not improving steadily I'll bring her to our pediatrician tomorrow or tuesday. Unfortunately he's very hard to get in to see and his practice partners are very intolerant of the fact that I have refused vaccinations. When dd1 was sick two years ago one of the other docs in the practice was really nasty about it and basically told me that my kids were sick because I didn't vaccinate them (even though it turned out it wasn't pertussis and she was pus oh me to vaccinate my child while she had a fever and was obviously immune-ompromised). I've been on the hunt for a more non vax friendly ped but in my area the only one I can find is a concierge style practice that doesn't take insurance and wants a few thousand bucks/ year just to give you an appointment. :-/
Our normal ped has been pretty good and since he's been with our family since dd1 was born, I do like him but if I keep feeling like we always get pushed onto his less tolerant associates, we'll have to bail.
But thanks for the concern - she's getting better at this point. now I'm the one that's getting sick. :-( guess two weeks of being coughed and sneezed on by Sickies is finally taking it's toll.

[MoonWillow]

Ohhhh yea.

You need a family practice doc (a GP or a DO). Pediatricians are notoriously difficult with "alternative" type choices regarding treatment. Family doctors are typically more tolerant and DO's are awesome because they are practicing doctors but tend to be more holistic. I know a lot of us around here have been through similar difficulties (me included). We went through no less than FOUR doctors before finding a DO and we love him so much that I think if he moved that we would have to consider doing the same! He doesn't always agree with me but he is ALWAYS respectful and willing to have lengthy discussions about whatever it is. He also admits when I mention a something that gives him a new perspective. The effort I put into finding him was so worth it and I am so glad that I did when I did because he is now closed to new patients. He is the only DO in our area.  

Get on the search now. It's worth it! 

[MoonWillow]

In the meantime I'd use your local urgent care instead. If your Ped doesn't respect you and you have to stand up for your rights anyway, at least you won't have to wait so long to be seen. They may not even bug you about the vaccines there. They never ask if my kids are up to date when we go. 

[lightheartedmom]

Originally Posted by MoonWillow 

Ohhhh yea.

You need a family practice doc (a GP or a DO). Pediatricians are notoriously difficult with "alternative" type choices regarding treatment. Family doctors are typically more tolerant and DO's are awesome because they are practicing doctors but tend to be more holistic. I know a lot of us around here have been through similar difficulties (me included). We went through no less than FOUR doctors before finding a DO and we love him so much that I think if he moved that we would have to consider doing the same! He doesn't always agree with me but he is ALWAYS respectful and willing to have lengthy discussions about whatever it is. He also admits when I mention a something that gives him a new perspective. The effort I put into finding him was so worth it and I am so glad that I did when I did because he is now closed to new patients. He is the only DO in our area.  

Get on the search now. It's worth it! 

I have read here and in other places how great DOs are compared to normal MDs so I hunted around to find one a couple years back when dh and I were searching for a new primary care doc. Our DO is totally lame! I have been so disappointed with him. He's totally assimilated into a system that is very much only western medicine. The only remotely alternative thing he's done in in two years is that he told my dh he could try passion flower extract instead of going right to anti-anxiety meds (dh was under extreme stress at the time) but he was more than happy to just whip out a prescription for pills. Other than that all he does is refer to specialists.

I'm sure that he is not the rule for DOs, around here or in other areas, but I have to get back to doing the legwork to find another one. I'd love to find someone to treat our whole family...but there's a lot of specialization here, not to mention a huge HMO medical group that has it's fingers in almost every medical office.
Gah. I could rant on but I'm too sick to get worked up about it now.

I really appreciate the tips willow, I think for now we're on the mend with dd2 so I hope we can stay out of urgent care or the peds office (I can usually get in same day with them, it would just be with one of the pushy anti-no vax peds). But youve reminded me I really need to get on it and find a better family care doc who's going to be more respectful/tolerant/cooperative of our family and our choices.