Matt has the croup

So, I know that there is "nothing" you can really do besides steam/cold air for croup. But, Matt has twice had coughing fits during which he threw up tons of phlegm and other business (totally gross). Once was during the day and once was just tonight. He coughs so bad at night. This has been going on a little over a week. I talked to the pedi on Weds at Becca's 6 month visit and he said there isn't really much you can do. My question is, if he keeps coughing like this much longer is that OK? He kind of scared me tonight because he was having trouble catching his breath there was so much phlegm. He eventually did as soon as the coughing calmed down. Is there medicine to "thin" it out if he needs it?

 

One of my boys had it often, but he never coughed up a lot of phlem. I wonder if something else could be going on? His croup cough usually clears up in 3-5 days.
A doc could give him some steroids to help with the swelling/cough.

 

Croup isn't usually phlegmatic. It's kind of a dry, barking cough and it generally lasts for 3-5 days. You might want to get that checked out by your doctor. Croup can be serious, the inflammation in his airways can occasionally lead to a more serious illness. It sounds like he has something else besides croup.

 

one of my girls has had croupe a couple of times, and this last time it led to pnuemonia. I'd get him checked again to rule out anything else. As PP said, croupe generally doesn't cause phlegm, but can lead to other, more serious illnesses.

 

Croup isn't a phlegm thing..... It's when they sorta wheeze on the IN breath and YES you can absolutely do something about it! They have a little steroid pill that takes care of it QUICKLY!!!

If you haven't already, go to the doc!!

 

Really no phlegm?? Pedi didn't say anything to me about that. They've had croup before, but not this phlegm. I'll see how he does tonight. He's had several "spells" with the phlegm today but no vomitting. Thanks for the help!

 

We went through this with Evan a month ago. You should reduce his dairy intake as much as possible (no yogurt, limited/no milk, etc.) because it thickens the mucous in the body and makes it hang around longer. A cool-mist humidifier in Evan's bedroom helped (the regular hot one was just TOO hot for July in Toronto). Also, I had him sleep on a couple of pillows to keep his head elevated - seemed to help a bit too. I took him to the doctor after 3 weeks of coughing (varying degrees of severity) but she said it's not something to worry about UNLESS it's accompanied by breathing problems (i.e. short, fast breathing or inability to properly inhale). She also said that cough suppressants don't work.

I know that the croup is tough - thinking of you.

 

[SIZE=10pt]DS just got over croup. He had the barking cough, and did have a little bit of phlegm. He would be coughing so much, he would gag. I took him to the pedi who diagnosed croup and gave us the steroid medication to help with the swelling. He was better within a day. He did say that a lot of times that croup can lead to other infections ~ maybe your DS has something else in addition to croup.

As pp's have suggested ~ I would call the doctor and see about getting him in.

April [/SIZE]

 

While croup usually is a dry, barking cough, I think it basically means narrowing/inflammation of the airways-- there is a wide spectrum of it, I think.

Regardless, I would definitely get him in to be seen. It sounds like he might need nebulizer treatments, and possibly a steroid shot. These two things can make a BIG difference in recovering from these types of illnesses.

Lots and lots of fluids, agree with cutting back on dairy. Humidifer in room. Straight honey on the spoon (no water to wash it down) for coughs. Generally for colds I give Motrin/Tylenol for pain/inflammation and Benadryl at nap/bedtime only to help dry them up. Edited to add: expectorants are good for thinning the mucus, and you can buy a bottle of just expectorant-- not a combo cold medicine.

But honestly, if it has gone on this long, he needs to be seen.

 

QUOTE(Her Royal Jennyness @ Aug 15 2008, 09:38 PM) [snapback]932625[/snapback]
Croup isn't usually phlegmatic. It's kind of a dry, barking cough and it generally lasts for 3-5 days. You might want to get that checked out by your doctor. Croup can be serious, the inflammation in his airways can occasionally lead to a more serious illness. It sounds like he has something else besides croup.


Alison, that immediately made me think to tell you to go back to the pedi. It sounds like he might have an infection of some sort. Poor guy. Let us know how he is doing. :hug99:

 

I have no advice, just ((((((hugs))))))

 

He might need the inhaler mist kind the hospital gives. My kids had the croup year ago and all three had the mask for about an hour and one is was suggested to rent one for home. It's be worth a trip back . We had alot of phlem with ours though.

 

Ali, how is Matt doing? I've been wondering.

 

QUOTE(kt7776 @ Aug 19 2008, 01:25 AM) [snapback]936249[/snapback]
Ali, how is Matt doing? I've been wondering.

Awww...you're so nice. He still has quite a cough when he gets worked up and I hear him a couple of times at night. He always says "I fine". LOL. I'm going to try cutting back on milk, which is really hard for him. I have a humidifier going. I haven't tried any expectorant or anything. If he's up again tonight, I'll call the pedi tomorrow. I mean, the pedi called it croup when I talked to him last week, but it's just not "croupy" to me. He doesn't have a cold. Just phlegm and like post nasal drip. He said try Benadryl but that didn't do anything. He's otherwise OK, but I hate to hear him choking like that. It makes me want to gag.

 

It's funny how pedis define "croup." When Jake was five months old, he had a horrible barking cough and couldn't make any sounds. He was a mess. Because he was bad ALL the time and not necessarily worse at night and so young, our old-school pedi pronounced him not croupy.... well a trip to the ER that night due to Jake being in respiratory distress earned us a diagnois of "severe croup" from the ER doc.... as well as a new pedi, who also immediately diagnosed bad croup. Steroid shots and nebulizer treatments cleared it up quickly. I have never forgotten that experience and cringe every time I see the word "croup."

Sounds like maybe he's got a sinus infection or allergies? All that PN drip and mucus has to be coming from somewhere. Poor little guy. Hope he gets better soon.