My ds is 21 months old. Usually fairly healthy, still nursing, unvax'd. Last week he started out with a cough that would come out of the blue and it has progressed to an awful choking mucousy cough, especially at night and naps. I took him to the doctor on wednesday because I'd been up all night w/ him, watching over him, every couple hours he'd have a coughing fit that would have him nearly choking and hardly able to catch his breath and gagging at the end, threw up a couple times. But in between the spasms he was a happy healthy boy. When I took him to the doc, he was bright eyed and smiling. My doc told me "look at your child's eyes, this is not a sick child", but I explained about the coughing fits that had me terrified and pounding on his back. So he said it was likely early bronchitis, there was no fever, no pain, no runny nose so he prescribed a ventolin inhalor for his coughing fits.
I should mention I have him on all kinds of stuff to heal him. I've put garlic on his feet every night for 5 nights. He is on Vit D, Super Silver solution (colloidal silver), Anti-Viral, Immune Strength compound, Probiotics, and Respir-Actin for kids!!! Not to mention he has been wheat and dairy free for a week as I know this increases mucous. The vaporizer is running in my room 24/7. He getting lots of breastmilk. I'm not having any success!
I'm getting some Vit C today and some fenugreek tea, although I wonder what's the point.
Last night he had a horrible episode of coughing after sleeping peacefully next to me for 3 hours. Out of the blue he was doing the tail end of a cough and could not draw breath. He was struggling and turning red, then purple and I had him tilted face down and pounding on his back screaming for my older ds to grab the phone and call 911 God I was terrified! I finally jammed my finger down his throat and gagged him and he was able to catch his breath. I decided against the ambulance as dh got home then and we took him to the ER.
I HATE our local ER.
It SUCKS!
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Their idea of ER triage is to sign your name on the ledger and take a seat, then you will be assessed by the triage nurse when it's your "turn"!!!! Seriously, if you stand at the window they will ignore you unless you bang on it or are bleeding profusely or something. (Aside- After my lap a few years ago I hemorraged from my stomach and came in clutching a pillow to my tummy, anyone could tell by seeing me I was white as a sheet and ready to pass out- I leaned on the desk to get her attention, she looked at me and pointed to the chairs and said "sign your name and take a seat, we'll call you when it's your turn! I had to move the pillow aside and show her my blood soaked pillow and clothing before she jumped up to assist me!) About 10 minutes later the nurse assessed my ds, I explained the situation, she said he sounded perfectly healthy, no shortness of breath, O2Sat was great, lungs were clear, etc. I tried to get across to her just how scared I was when my child was choking and almost called an ambulance, she told me since he was now stable his wait would be a very long time, upwards of 4 hours of more.
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My ds was fussy and wouldn't sleep. After 3 hours dh and I had had enough, no one was moving in or out of the ER in over 2 hours and no one seemed to be in any big hurry to see the patients either. There was a little old lady in a wheelchair, about 80 years old, casts on both legs and she was coughing up a storm and vomiting on the floor and she was crying "please, I need some help" pathetically.
Other people in the waiting room were getting her paper towels! I managed to find a nurse and ask how much longer it would be, "oh quite a while yet". Nice. I told her we were going to have to leave and take him home to bed and she just smiled and said "bring him back if you have a problem".
I am sick too. I have asthma and have bronchitis too and a fever and I haven't slept much in 4 days. I had ds sleep upright chest to chest on me as I "slept" in a chair the rest of the night. I really don't want him to go on antibiotics if he doesn't need them, but the puffer doesn't help when he is choking on phlegm, and none of the natural stuff seems to be working at all, he is just getting worse!
He is coughing and gagging a lot today, not severe though, and hasn't been able to nap. My doc is very conservative with AB, which I love, but does it sound like my ds would benefit from them? Should wconfirm it is a bacterial infection before treating with AB???
Part of me wonders if it could be whooping cough, I haven't heard of any cases in our area, he is whooping similar to pertussis when he is inhaling after a coughing fit, but I think that is fairly normal with bronchial infections and lots of mucous in a young child who can't hork up the phlegm, kwim? Plus his normal spasms aren't lasting that long. My doc knows his unvax'd status and said he was just fine, had some phlegm and a tickle, maybe mild bronchitis. Thing is, his lungs are clear, and he is fine between spasms, but not once has a doctor or nurse heard him coughing yet, so to them I appear as an over-reacting mom. If they saw him the way I did, they would have taken me seriously! BTW, it's not croup, my other kids have had it and it sounds nothing like it.
Sorry this is SO so long, I am dreadfully tired and am rambly! :yawning Please help!
