2 yr old coughing more????

[anonymous]

My daughter has been coughing more, especially in the morning. She will get to coughing so much that she throws up mucus and thick spit. It only seems to happen when her sinuses are acting up and she has constant drainage. I know it is good for them to cough up everything but what I am wanting to know is this a bad sign of a lung infection or what? She does breathing tx's 2x a day along w/CPT's using Albuterol and Pulmicort. I'm so tired of all this medications I have her on and nothing seems to work. Zyrtec, Rhinocort, Singular, the two mentioned above, and of course another antibotic as always. I hear of people who have alot of coughing, why is that? Is it due to bad sinuses and drainage or something else? Should I give her a cough medicine or what when she starts to drain or let the antibotic take its course? I know I have heard not to give cough medicine but my daughter's CF clinic tells me to give her cough medicine at times. So which is it. Sorry for so many questions.Thanks.mother of 2 yr old w/CF

 

[anonymous]

Hi, I don't know what to tell you but I understand what you are going through. My 3 yr old gets sinus infections often, and we are also fed up of all the meds. For the sinus I recommend a saline solution that you would find in the pharmacy. I find our daughter does better when we use it and it is natural. They don't like it but they get used to it. At 2 yrs old it took two of us to administer it but it was helpful. My daughters sinus problem does not cause more coughing but it has created constant ear infections and more antibiotics. We are on the list for tubes for her ears. We have never given cough medicine but we do give her Tempra or Motrin to help her sleep and this helps her get better faster.AM

 

[anonymous]

I know they say to avoid cough medicine, but sometimes I would cough so much at night when I was sick I would get about 2 hours of sleep which would make me wonder how I could ever get over a cold if I can't even rest?! Well, I talked to my doc and he said to avoid sudafed because it dries everything out and will dry up the mucus in the lungs which will make it harder to get out. He said plain Robitussin was fine because it did not dry anything out, but should only be used if the cough is from a head cold. If her cough is from post nasal drip or anything besides from her lungs then it is probably okay to give her some at night. BUT if the cough is from the lungs (I call it a CF cough) then don't give her medicine because it is better to let her lungs take its course. Good luck

 

[anonymous]

Hi - Is your daughter on pulmozyme? Also, when she spits the mucous up - is it colored? My son is almost 6 and he was diagnosed at 18 mos. He also was very similar to your daughter. He, when well, doesn't have a cough. When he has allergies, is getting sick or is sick - he has a cough. However the type of cough he has usually reflects the problem ... dry, spasmatic, wet, loose, tight, morning and when eating only.... As he has gotten older, we have become better at reading the type of cough and treating it accordingly. I asked about the pulmozyme because that really makes a difference in the thickness of my son's secretions - a lot thinner. This makes it easier to get rid of. Is she on antibiotics because of sinus infections or upper resp. infections? Has she cultured anything? Things do seem to get a bit better when they can effectively blow their noses. Jason has chronic sinus infections. There is such a thing as a sinus nebulizer; I am not sure of the age. Jason doesn't tolerate the smell of the medicine TOBI and as a result we are better with a mouth piece. As far as the cough medicine, I assume you are asking about a cough suppresant. We were told not to use them. The only time he was rx'd one was when he absolutely had not slept well for days and neither had we. His body needed to rest to heal and couldn't. He was given a cough medicine with codeine and it knocked him out. It allowed him to get some rest to heal. We only used it two nights. I hope some of this is helpful and at the very least lets you know you are not alone. Take care! Jo Ann

 

[anonymous]

She needs to get it all out. The thing to watch for is a change in color to a deep green or brown, or thickness. If her mucus is thickening or darkening, this is a sign that an infection might be on the way. Also, do you live in a humid climate? A valley? She may have increased mucus production do to pollen or molds and humidity moves stuff out. I would give her cough meds to ease her discomfort and help her get some sleep, but in moderation. Steer clear of products containing sudafed. Try doing her air way clearance just before bed, that may get enough out for her to sleep.Debbie

 

[anonymous]

Also, my cough is worse in the morning b/c everything has had time to settle. It's normal.

 

[anonymous]

This may help you alot. When I was younger ( I am 20 now ) I had terrible "sinusitis" and the sinus problems would make me cough more, and eventually can even lead to infection in the upper airways. Anyway I started using a nasal spray called "Vancenase", and it is now called "Beconase." It has almost gone off the market a few times...but anyway, when I started using it a waaay long time ago i am told by my mother that the sinus problems just went away. I think I was young enough that I caught them early and have never had a hint of problems since then. It is not like Rhinocort or anything like that that really treats allergies of normal people more than anything CF related. Ask your doctor about it and if you want to email me w/ any questions feel free. My email is CatalinaOhara@aol.com-Caitlin

 

[anonymous]

just wondering why was it almost taken off market? Were there some really bad side effects? I have sinus problems and would love to look into it, but the fact that they almost took it off markey makes me worry a little..