Allergy Season? or Cold?

I see your in Indpls...well I'm in Avon and I know around here there has been a nasty little bug going around. Starts out like allergies and then 2-3 days into it the cough and congestion start and it's a cold. There's not been any fever just cold/cough. Just keep on doing what you're doing, the only thing I would add is Mucinex if your doc will let you. Great for thinning the mucous and helping with cough. Also I've given mine Tylenol/ Motrin, they do feel a little crappy too, might help with the whining and clinging.

Hi J.,

I use Elderberry syrup to boost the immune system. It is simply food so there are no contraindications with anything or any side effects. It gives the body the ability to fight off whatever is going on be it a cold or allergy symptoms. A cool mist vaporizer is also a good idea and chiropractic care should keep his immune system working strong to avoid this happening again next year.

There are other natural things that work well too but elderberry is one of the cheapest and easiest to use and it always works for us. Echinacea is good but you have to remove all sugars (even simple carbs) from his diet for it to do it's job. Local honey will help as well but I'm a better safe than sorry person. Honey is not to be given to a one year old...I always heard two when mine were little. I put a window in there so I didn't let my girls have honey until three...if you try the honey it does need to be local.

Hope he's feeling better real soon!

M.

Is there a free clinic in your area that you can take the child? This should be looked into. And if it lasts two weeks you do want to make sure that it is not more than either a cold or an allergy-pneumonia can act very close to a cold and yet can seriously hurt the child. Please look for a reduced pay or free clinic for kids!

What part of the Indianapolis are you in? There are a ton of clinics that operate on a sliding scale meaning you pay what you can.

Also, you can go to Minute Clinics, Little Clinics (Kroger), Take Care Clinics (Walgreens), etc. and it's usually a $60 office visit.

If you had the same issue 2 years in a row, chances are, it's allergies, but you should never treat unless you have a diagnosis, and with the recall of Zyrtec, you could unknowingly be giving him a sub-standard medication. The dosage for a child that age is really critical as well. At the very least, I'd recommend speaking to a pharmacist if not a few.

The pollen counts have been REALLY high this year. Even people who don't usually have issue with pollen have been affected.

Few of us on this site are medically trained, so take the advice we give loosely, and do what you can to have him properly diagnosed before being treated.

Good luck.

I would take him somehwere to get checked, even if it is a "Doc in a Box" establishment.

My 15 yr old daughter is on her 2nd round of antibiotics since March with sinus infection/bronchitis that started with allergies. She is now taking Claritin-D daily until further follow up from Dr.

Note: My daughter was over 2 before she took her first antibiotic and she is RARELY sick. It is very odd for her to have antibiotics like this. She was sick in 5th grade with walking pneumonia and not sick again until 9/09 9th grade with h1n1, now twice in the spring.

Good luck

I have a suggestion that will help with coughing. This sounds crazy, but it works for me, my kids and some co-workers. Before going to bed, rub vapo rub on the bottom of his feet and put socks on him. For me, after about 30 minutes, my coughing lessens or completely stops. Not sure how or why it works, but it has made me a believer.

Good luck!

P.S. My allergies have been horrible this year!