The Neverending Cough

Dawn - posted on 04/18/2012

my 5yr old used to have a constant cough, when she was 4mos old i was told she had rsv. That turned into pnomonia . Then I had my youngest & was told she had the same. I was soo frustrated. I tried everything to help them breath easier. It wasnt until we were moving that I discovered it....black mold! Since we have moved into our house(over a yr ago) neither girl has gotten sick. Check your house for ANY water leaks or have someone come in & test your house for mold.

Amy - posted on 10/11/2011

Pretty good information on here, my daughter has the same persistant cough til she throws up with allergy meds & enbulizer. Taking her back in for further testing I guess!

Dina - posted on 10/10/2011

Here is what it is...http://drheathersherbs.com/index.php?mai...
I spelled it wrong too, it's Lung Qi Jr. If you can find it without a prescription, you can read dosing instructions on the bottle or look online. It's worth a shot. I couldn't believe my daughter's ongoing cough was over 50% better in half a day!

Beth - posted on 10/10/2011

Hmmm...Easteen Medicine? I have no experience with that but I guess it's worth a try. I wonder if theyd have it in a regular health food store? I live in a very small town in Northern WI and things like that are hard to find!!

Dina - posted on 10/10/2011

Okay, so my four year old also had the "cough problem" that lasts forever. When she gets a cold "it" comes for months, but luckily, we resolved it! Nothing ever worked for us either (medicines, doctors, etc). Finally, my good friend, who has a doctorite in Eastern Medicine, suggested a few things. The big one is an herb called "Lung Qui Jr." which you have her drink 3 - 4 times a day until the coughing lessens, then twice a day. The bottle is about $20, all natural, but is kinda yucky, so my daughter drinks a little juice after. The other suggestion was, when she's sick, stop eating "cold" foods like milk and yogurt and more "warm" foods like oatmeal and soup. Try going to an eastern medicine doctor and you will be shocked how quickly your child stops coughing!!! Now I always have a bottle on hand and when a sickness with a cough comes, it knocks it out pretty quickly. Good luck!

Susan - posted on 10/10/2011

Yeah, sounds like asthma. Does she have enlarged pockets in her esophagus trapping food or other matter? My FIL had that problem. Hope the little one gets better soon.

Jami - posted on 10/09/2011

No pediatrician I know would have let it go for that long. Ask to be referred to a pulmonologist and allergist BOTH. There's an answer somewhere. Prayers for you both.

Amber - posted on 10/09/2011

Have you ever had her tested for whooping cough? I had it when I was a kid and it took doctors almost a year to figure out what was wrong with me. My brother also had mono very bad when he was younger. It lasted for a long time and kept coming back.

Linda - posted on 10/09/2011

its not croup is it? My son suffered badly with croup to the point he was almost not breathing, he would hack away for hours we had to take him to casualty once to be nebulized
My eldest so also suffered from constant coughing and had very large tonsils, he would stop breathing at night and gasp for air it was horrible to watch. we were forever backward and forward to doctors. They took his adenoids out at 2yrs old still would not remove tonsils until we kept on then was referred to ent and they took one look and said yes they need to come out he had them removed when he was 7 years old and have never looked back. Good luck keep on at the doctors til you get answers..

Beth - posted on 10/09/2011

Amy- I thought about trying to get her off dairy but I figured since her coughs are mostly during the school season and she has dairy every day of the year maybe that isnt it, I guess I could try it...
Hope- Your post really made me think, but when I looked up bronchial me leiga online I couldnt really find much, does it go by any other name??
Thanks so much to all you answerers Ive been reading and re-reading all of them they are VERY helpful!!! :)

Hope - posted on 10/09/2011

I don't know if this will help you any, but my son had the same horrible cough starting at 2 months old. He would cough until he puked on everything. Nights are the worst-we go through 2-4 sets of sheets, blankets, and pillows a night when he is having coughing fits (Last month it was nightly with only 2 hours of sleep a night)
From 2-6 months-we got the whole "it's just asthma" At 6 months I finally told the doctor I wasn't leaving until they tested him for pertussis-and if I did leave to get a second opinion I wasn't going to come back. They finally tested him for pertussis and RSV and big surprise the pertussis test was positive.
After the antibiotics the cough continued and they said it could last a few months after the antibiotics were finished. At 13 months I couldn't take it anymore. I too had tried everything you listed-teas, humidifier, open windows, vicks, breathing treatments every 4 hours day and night, etc.. Nothing made a difference. I asked for a referral to a doctor in Pittsburgh who is pediatric pulmunologist. After talking to us for 10 minutes and listening to his chest he looked at me and said this child does not have asthma. He said he had bronchial me leiga-which basically means a softened bronchial chamber and the asthma medication was making it even weaker to where it was collapsing on itself which was causing the cough and the super low oxygen levels. He asked me to give a different breathing treatment a try for 6 weeks and come back and see him. Since the 6 week period of strengthening his lugs we only have to use the nebulizer when he has a head cold. Besides that he is finally healthy and no cough, but the pediatricians didn't know the difference and that the medication they had put him on had really only been making it worse.

Sara - posted on 10/09/2011

Yes. I apologize

Angela - posted on 10/09/2011

Sara, I think you might have thought she said vaccinations when she said "vacations."

Sara - posted on 10/09/2011

My youngest daughter is 2 and coughed all night every night. With zyrtec, singulair, and nasonex she no longer has a problem. I was stunned you said you wont give her vaccinations because her coughing is inconvenient for you. She needs her vaccinations whether her night coughing bothers you or not. I completely understand how frustrating it is but that's our sacrifice as a parent.

Karen - posted on 10/08/2011

My son(who is now 16mths) and I get it. It's cold/allergy related ashma. Our lungs are just a little more sensitive and shuts down. I have been dealling with this 'cough' for over 3 weeks now (I think it's developed into pnemonia now) anyways, use a quick releif puffer everytime she starts a coughing fit.

Amy - posted on 10/08/2011

I have seen this many times. My nephew had it the worst. Typically, the coughing is caused by an allergic reaction which nearly 95% of the time is caused by dairy products. If you have not tried this yet I would highly recommend removing all dairy from her diet for at least one month and you should see a great improvement. This means no milk, no cheese, no yogurt, no ice cream, etc. Even stay away from anything that is made with dairy milk such as some breads, desserts, etc. (Read ingredient labels!) There are great alternatives such as Earth balance butter, So delicious ice cream (soy base), Almond Breeze or Silk brand almond milk, etc. As I mentioned my nephew had the same problem. The poor kid would cough all day, be stuffed up regularly and would cough all night and as a result would be tired at school. The doctors prior to this had suggested that he had asthma but once he started the dairy free diet his symptoms cleared up with in a week mostly and completely within three weeks. He has had no problems since then. Even my sister who had severe allergies went dairy free and experienced a huge relief and only is affected when she cheats on dairy. Like I said if you haven't tried this I would highly, highly recommend it. Let me know if you need any ideas for dairy alternatives. More interesting resources can be found at notmilk.com
I hope things get better soon. Let me know how it works for her.

Stephanie - posted on 10/08/2011

Have u tried a purifier in her room? I use it on my son he has had contant coughing since he was 3 months old and is now 2 and if I keep the purifier running all night while he sleeps he's fine

Michelle - posted on 10/07/2011

I was not affected emotionally by the cough that I remembered. I think it became some what expected at some point. My brother and sister were irritated with it when they were younger, but not as they grew up. My husband wears ear plugs at night so I don't keep him up now when I'm having a hard time. Allergy tests are a big help. Having allergies under control really helps to keep the asthma under control. Some people can't even have carpet in their house. Without an allergy test you really don't even know what all is setting off the asthma. So definitely get that done first. Good luck.

Beth - posted on 10/07/2011

Wow, thanks guys! Its really good and comforting to know were not the only ones!! Opal, your story is exactly like mine! Poor kids sleeping in the living rooms!!
Michelle- Do you remember the cough affecting you emotionally at all? Like keeping your family awake or just irritating people in general??
I am really gonna consider bringing her to an allergen specialist. Im really beginning to think GP's are USELESS!!!

Opal - posted on 10/07/2011

SOunds to me like you have some if not many restless night...like I have for years! My older daughter has severe asthma. She has the "bark" and at time she will cough to the point she will puke. She is also alergic to grab grass, which we had to reseed our whole entire yard! We have had her tonsils and adnoids removed and nothing has changed! She is taking a nebulizor treatment 4 times a day or PRN ( when Needed). There are times she has to sleep in the family room in the recliner to have the sitting up position so she can sleep. If she doesnt go to the family room she will wake her twin sister up in the middle of the night and thats NOT good! Have you thought about taking her to an asthma and allergin specialist? Maybe there is some kind of allergy she is reacting to and the regular doctors are looking past it! We have used every med you can think of with my older daughter when she was younger and nothing worked! Nothing at all! She still has the barking cough at times! I know how you feel! I sure hope you find some relief for your daughter!

Michelle - posted on 10/07/2011

I cough like that all the time (since I was a little kid) There have been times when I haven't slept for days because of the coughing. I have asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic sinus infections. I have coughed many times until I puked. I sometimes get a little temporary relief from the steam in a shower. My body is usually trying to get rid of phlegm (mucus). I also figured out that I am allergic to real Christmas trees. Does she have any dust allergies? If that's the case things like the stuffed animals in her room and certain types of bedding can cause her to have asthmatic reactions too. There are so many things that can cause a cough it's hard to say. Hopefully you figure something out. I know exactly how your daughter feels.

Beth - posted on 10/07/2011

Thank you for your advice and prayers, Angela.

Angela - posted on 10/07/2011

My children and I have had pretty bad coughing fits over the years, like bronchitis, but your case sounds much worse than ours. My oldest has the worst cough; he gets it when he's exhausted and stressed, plus allergens and colds amp it up too. What usually works for us is sucking on Ludens, Altoids, hard candy and/or popsicles, drinking hot beverages (especially hot tea w/honey, lemon or whatever they'll drink, chicken noodle soup is great too) wrapping our throats and sometimes plugging our ears, taking walks in cool night air, very warm showers and/or baths, plenty of rest & relaxation, sometimes tv and movies that get their minds off of coughing, reading them calm stories as they fall asleep, and prayer. Hope things get better for all of you - I'll say a prayer for you and your family.