sick & need some advice

[nancy_k1]

Ok.........my son is 4 almost 5 and he is coughing an coughing and coughing. The cold stuff isn't helping his cough. Any ideas? Also is there anything to put on a nose that has been blown and blown and blown to make it feel better?

[allie]

Are they really deep HARD coughs to where it hurts him or makes him stop breathing cause he's trying to get some of that yuck up? If it's that bad, then he need to be seen by a dr. to make sure it's not whooping cough (which is going around the US big time) or the like. Just to make sure.

Otherwise, I'd try something else - what are you trying with him now? And make sure he has a vaporizer at night and then you can lotion up his nose OR put Vasoline on it (kinda messy but it sooths it).

[tommy]

i cant give you any good advice nancy_k1 in ref. your young lads caughing but i do hope you find something to make him feel better real soon :smile9:

[salymsmommy]

I have always used the medicated blistex lip balm for a chapped nose - just rub it all around the area. Sounds gross, but it works, is easy to apply, and not messy.

[meowpossum]

If it's a dry cough, you could try hot tea or lemonade with honey in it. If he's actually coughing stuff up, though, you probably don't want to interfere with that. A little vaseline or Vick's might help keep the chapped nose from geting worse.

A home remedy my grandpa used to use for coughs was to mix up honey, lemon juice, and whiskey -- you'd take a spoonful an hour until the cough stopped. Not recommending this for a five-year-old, though :-)

[nancy_k1]

Thanks. We are all sick. I am taking tylenol flu and it is ok but my nose is so stuffy I can't stand it. My son doesn't have a deep cough just a persistant one that is making his head and throat hurt because it just will not stop. He is keeping his throat moist with water and taking Triaminic Cold and Cough. He sleeps with a cool mist humidifier due to his allergies so that isn't a problem. Everyone around here is getting this and we have had it for a few days but today is the worst for me and my son so far. Just really have the yucks. He had a fever earlier but we got that down. He feels ok but would feel a lot better if he could just quit coughing. He doesn't sleep well because of it. Do they make like a childrens Nyquil or something?

[sunstreeks]

In the cough and cold section of any drugstore you can find a product called "Little Noses". It comes in a box the size of a eye drop package. It's actually a small tube of a clear saline based solution. You just rub a small amount on the outside rim of the nose and below it and it instantly mouisturizes the area and makes blowing next time less painful. I work in a infant room at a daycare and this stuff is a godsend. I actually have my own tube and use it my self.

I've got a pretty bad cough myself right now. I took some halls cough drops but they work for a very short period of time. Doesn't really stop the cough either just makes the throat a little less sore. If you do get some cough drops avoid ludens. They taste like candy which is great but they work as well as a piece of candy also. My mom always bought them cause they tasted good but they never work for the cough or sore throat.


stephanie

[mgals]

My daughter when she was younger would cough and cough and cough and nothing over the counter or prescribed (this included inhalents for asthma also) would help her incessant coughing every time she caught a cold. After seeing doctor after doctor and having them tell me it was good for her to cough it up, and it was just viral I had enough!

My daughter was up all night, we are now several months into it and she is exhausted and not doing well in school. I finally take her to a doctor and demand that it be taken care that visit.

Well it worked! They gave her a shot of steroids and a prescription for more steroids to be taken for the next couple of days. I was so relieved! Interestingly enough when I have taken my son to the ER for severe croop they give him a steriod also...hmm.

The only medicine that we have found to work on our children is Nyquil, strangely enough. The codein and other "miracle" medicines never work on them or us.

If the cough interferes with their breathing (is he/she finding it hard to get breaths or if the breathing is shallow) than you should be at the docs right away!

Best of luck!

[sharonzeke133]

I use the cherry chew tabs for my 3 year old....I think it's called Pediacare.

[honeymom]

Just stay on top of the cough. If he is coughing a lot at night despite medicine have your doctor check for pneumonia. My son kept coughing at night once. We checked for pneumonia, but doctor didn't hear it. I kept speaking with her and took him in again 2 days later because it was so bad at night and he started to run a fever. She still didn't hear pneumonia, but did a blood test. Gamma globulin was high, so onto a chest xray and he had middle lobe pneumonia.

[lilreddevil38]

sorry you are all feeling crappy :worry: I use carmex on my nose all around the nostrils and inside a little. I also use Puff's w/lotion tissues and they don't hurt your nose. I will never go back to regular tissues! LOL. Kleenex also makes a tissue w/lotion.

Good luck and i hope you all get better soon. If i was close enough, I would bring you a big pot of my homemade soup. :gvibes:

kris

[tabooblondie]

Have you tried the Triaminic Vapor Patch? I got a free sample in the mail and was going to try it on my 10 month old, until I read ages 2-12. I decided to use it myself to see if it helped me any and it actually did. It's a little patch that you just stick to your chest, it helped with my cough and stuffy nose. Hope this helps.

[jennyblue]

Aquaphor is a great healer for raw noses and chapped faces.
It's vaseline based and can be found in the grocery or drug stores with the baby things.
Can you call the doctor? He/she would give the best advise if you haven't already contacted one.

[iamcanuck]

Puffs with lotion are a tad dear, but there's nothing I like better on my nose when I have a cold! I also put a tin with Vicks or eucalyptus oil to float in a pot of simmering water all day. I find both help, plus, of course drinking as much water as I can stand...then a bit more! I hope your family feels much better soon.

[crystalviolet]

Are you producing sputum? If so, clear have no fear. Yellow or green better be seen. Whooping cough is caused by Bordetella pertussis most people have been vaccinated. You can check you vaccination records to see. If you don't know you can always have your doctor run a Sputum culture w/ gram stain and Pertussis culture to check for bacterial infection. Some labs will also perform Respiratory virus tests to identify if you have a cold verses the flu. If it is the flu you can get Tamiflu in the first 48hrs to decrease the symptoms. The flu is extremely virulent this year. It is not too late to get vaccinated. If a bacteria is the cause you can get antibiotics. So either way there is something out there to make you feel better. Get well soon.
:) Oh, Aloe vera for the nose is great. Sometimes lotions will sting.

[denise3528]

Put neosporin on his nose and you will be amazed how well the irritation clears up. My son won't let me put it on him when he is awake, so I wait until he is asleep and sneak in and apply it. Good luck!