Don't know if I should be concerned...

Avatar for me_n_my_gals
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Don't know if I should be concerned...
5
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 7:40pm

Molly has been coughing ALOT lately. It is a dry, hacky cough. Not barky or congested. I don't know if it is possibly allergy related (which, most likely it is, but would I really be getting my money's worth out of my Nexium prescription if I didn't worry?) or could it be something worse? She was coughing just in the morning, for quite a while (about 2 weeks). Now she coughs all day long, and she started complaining today that her throat hurts (I'm sure from the coughing). Now, back up to June, when her 1st grade class literally had an epidemic of pneumonia. There were 7 out of the 22 kids in her class that had it, the last 2 weeks of school. She acts normal (she bit her sister today), eats normally and plays outside quite a bit (tho it has been super hot/humid, so we haven't been out too much in the hot part of the day). She seems o.k. running, etc. Doesn't seem to get winded, but I'll try to keep a close eye on her right now (we're all heading out to do landscaping, etc., now that dinner is over). I'm making her 7 yr. well-check appt. tomorrow (she turns 7 on Aug. 3!! My baby!). DO you think it can wait that long? Or should I be more concerned? Think Nexium.....LOL!

Thanks for any input.

Wendy

Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2005
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 8:27pm
Hi Wendy. It sounds like allergies to me, but I can't blame you for being concerned since there was so much pneumonia going around. When you call to make the appt. you could probably ask to speak to a nurse and describe the coughing and get her opinion. My DS has a dry cough all summer it seems and we all are afflicted with assorted allergies and asthma. He has Claritin that I give when it seems to be getting too much, like in the spring and fall. But it sounds like you have a close eye on her and have good instincts, so I wouldn't be too worried. I really think that allergies are way worse this year all over the country for some reason. I know here in the southeast they are terrible this year.
 
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2004
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 8:59pm
I am not sure what it could be, but recommend you take her to the dr if you think it might be something other then allergies.
Hope she feels better soon.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-31-2006
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 9:36pm

Hi Wendy. Was she sick with the rest of the class back in June? Sometimes with illnesses like that the cough can hold on for as long as 6-8 weeks. And it really could be allergies. I took Jenny to the doc for a cough that wouldn't let up and they put her on allergy meds and she cleared up lickety split. I didn't even know she had allergies because her nose never runs (unlike her big sisses, which runs nonstop). I think if she doesn't have a fever and seems fine otherwise, you could wait till the 3rd, but you certainly have cause to take her in if you want to.

Erin

Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 07-21-2006 - 11:54am

Wendy, I think if she had pneumonia, she'd be way sicker. Does it sound/feel like it's in her lungs? Put your hands across her chest/back and have her either cough or take a deep breath, and see if you feel any rattling. If you do, bring her in (that would mean it might be in her lungs). But I'll bet it's a throat cough from allergies, like you said. If it's a dry cough, try a cough medicine marked "EXPECTORANT". Those are made to loosen things up. And we always use Delsym for coughs, just so you know.

I wouldn't be too worried, though, unless it gets worse, she develops a fever, or you think it's in her lungs.

But I'm not a doctor. If you want, I'll ask Michael what he thinks.

I hope she feels better soon!! :)

Sofia




Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2006
Fri, 07-21-2006 - 12:37pm

Caroline developed a persistant cough, no other cold symptoms, she felt fine. The cough was dry and hacky too. It started at night, then progressed through out the day.

After being told it was a cold, having her lungs X rayed, reading a magazine article related, and flat out demanding, I got a referal to an allergy specialist. She was tested and turns out she had allergy induced asthma. The magazine article was what had me demanding the referal. The author was talking about her kids cough that never ended and she never suspected asthma because there was no wheezing. Same with Caroline, but that's what it was. She had allergies to something pulled down and kicked up from the rain. We lived in Seattle!! All it does is rain there! She was taking an inhailer, Flonaise, and Cingular. Cleared it up immediately.

Felt darn close to abusive for the two bottles--yes TWO whole bottles--of childrens Nyquil she had gone through to stop coughing enough to sleep through the night.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket