Constant Cough??? - Toledo,OH

As one other mom suggested - try Ocean Nasal Spray - you can remember the name.. but it has no cranberries in it. Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, etc. all have it in a white and orange bottle. The spray is a nasal moisterizer, which allows the back of the throat to not feel dry(which would send a signal to the brain to cough to clear the dryness). It is non-narcotic, not habit-forming and you can put drops on a q-tip to drop into her nose to 'tickle' the nostrils. I was told about it when my kids were little and it works great. Cough/clearing throat are vaild signs for allergies, so let me know if you want a souding board for that issue if it comes up.

Is it possible that she has allergies (probably airborne)? I suffer from year long allergies and take weekly shots for them. I have also been to the doctor numerous times for what I thought was an ear infection, sinus infection, or horrible colds (including cough) that wouldn't go away and every time I went, the doctor has always told me it was my allergies. The last time I was there was for a bad cough and my doc said it was allergies. Just a thought. I'm no expert.

My daughter has done that off and on. She is now 13. It depends on the time of year. It seems fall to spring. She does have indoor allergies. She may need more of a nasal spray than liquid drugs. There are salt water drops at the drug store (Ocean Spray). Also try putting a vaporizer in her room. Her room may be too dry. Other possibilities when those things don;t work and you need to see a doctor again would be acid reflux or asthma. I also had a cough that would not stop a couple years ago and I did develop allergy induced asthma but also acid reflux. Good luck to you. I am a mother of 4 and understand you concern for your daughter.

I FORGOT TRY: PUTTING VICKS ON BOTTOM OF FEET AND PUT SOCKS ON OVER IT. TRY THAT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS

I'd try horehound candy drops to suck on most kids hate the taste but it does stop the cough.If it is a tic she will learn you will give her something "Icky" when she coughs and should stop.

My 11 year old daughter also had a constant, persistant cough. After some testing for asthma, we found out that it was due to allergies. She's now on medication. You may want to check with your doctor or an allergist to see if this is a possibility.

Good luck!

From ages 4-18 I had this same nagging cough. My pediatrician diagnosed it as "The Croupe". The remedy back then was cough syrup. It was always worse at night. I had a constant itching in the back of my throat. There were times when I would cough until my throat was raw. No matter how much I would cough, I could never really get to the itchy spot in my throat.
It wasn't until my mid 30's that I was allergy tested due to other symptoms I started having. I now believe that my childhood pediatrician innocently misdiagnosed me. This was back in the 60's.

I'm no doctor, but I'm suggesting that you have your child allergy tested. There are many external things that could be aggravating her cough. Such as smoking, pets, dust, grasses, trees, pollens, molds, yeast, wheat, dairy products, detergents, soaps, and even some metals.

And yes, even sinus drainage. Is she stuffed up sometimes? Does she seem to get cold-like symptoms more often than your other children? Is the cough worse at night? Is the cough worse when she becomes physically active? If so, please have her allergy tested. Hayfever will cause a cough also.

I hope this was helpful and I hope you and your daughter find relief soon. I know how she feels.

Jacqui

My daughter was doing the same thing and the docter's keep telling me that it was just a cough and would go away. But it didn't for about a month. I took her for a allergy test and started her on claritin and she was fine. Now we get the allergy shots so hopefully in about 2yrs she will not have to take claritin every day. She was alwasys sick or getting a cold. Since we started claritin and the shots she is hardly ever sick now and she looks and feels better. She had the dark circles under her eyes and the allergy docter said that it is a sign that they have allergies.

Hope this helps

Hi K., I used this onmy kids growing up and worked great, give it a try nd I'm sure it will work for your daughter. Just rub some vicks on the bottom of her feet at bed time and she won't cough all night and most of the day. If need be rub some more during the day. Just rememeber to put some socks on so she doesn't get it on the sheets at night. Kathy*

Try giving a spoonful of honey before bed.

First off, I am NOT a medical professional. That said, you may want to ask your dr. about GERD (gastroesophegeal reflux). My neice has this pretty bad and, as a child, she was constantly 'clearing her throat' due to the reflux.

Also, not to scare you, but a 'tick' can be a sign of something bigger as well - something neurological or psychological. Please, if this doesn't improve, go back to your dr. and ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS. If you're still not satisfies, find another dr.

I hope this is nothing, but you know your child best and it is your job to fight for what's best for her.

Good luck!

Hi - I can identify with you as I had a similiar problem where my son was coughing frequently but moreso at night. I took him to an allergist (he was about 3) and he tested him and we found he was allergic to dust mites and some other things. We had just moved into a new home and it had worsened - we believe it to be b/c they had a dog and it was embedded into the carpet. We ended up recarpeting the house (which was much needed anyways) and pulled the carpet up out of their room and putting in hardwood floors. We also encased their mattresses and he stopped coughing w/in a couple of days. Of course if I were you I would just try the encasing of the mattresses and pillows before goign to the expense of everything else. Good LUck!

Have you though about chiropraction? I remember the story like yours. Mother was going crazy with her girl being cough too often even though she was healthy like yours. She spoke to one of her friends who knew the chirporactor doctor. She recommended her to see her friend. The chiropractor decided to give her daughter a neck massage after that she stopped coughing ever since. Give it a try.

I am not sure about ticks and that stuff but have you tried honey and lemon juice. Mix the two together and give her a teaspoon three times a day.

i have also read to place vicks rub on your feet and cover with socks gives you 3 hours with no cough

There are many disorders that start late and in an odd way. I hear lots of parents say things like: I wish I would have done more research and not trusted the Dr. SO much. I teach students with special needs and this happens frequently. Unfortunately, I don't have any expertise in any type of diagnoses, but please research anywhere and everywhere you can think of. Don't just take the doctor's word for it because no matter how much you trust and like him/her, no doctor knows about everything. I'd start with webmd.com and research persistent coughs and go from there. Be proactive. Even if it turns out to be nothing you'll be glad you were diligent.

My son had a slight cold for a few days, then started coughing, and continued to cough for about 6 days. I took him to the doctor, even though he didn't have a fever. Coughing for 6 days, to me, was enough to take him to the doctor. He, also, had nothing wrong w/ his lungs, ears, nose or throat. Based on his symptoms, and the length of time he was coughing, the doctor put him on an antibiotic. She said she suspected a sinus infection. He's been on the medicine for 4 days, and his cough is greatly diminished.

We have each had a cold in my family that left a cough that laster weeks. My one son, who is 3 1/2, still has the cough. It feels like it will never go away, but really we've each had it this winter and it does eventually go away, but I kid you not that it has taken weeks if not months for this nagging cough to move on.

Did they say anything about allergies??

I read somewhere (I believe through an e-mail) that for someone with a constant cough to try Vicks Vaporub! Probably the best time would be at night especially for a little one, so that this does not rub off, or get on floors, furniture, etc. I understand that if you simply put it on the bottom of your feet, that before too long, you WILL stop coughing! I know your little one may have to get past the smell, and you might want to try this in a small amount and small area of the foot first, before doing the whole foot (not to mention their little feet are so tender, too). I think the person who sent the e-mail was an adult, so consider that, and, the amount you use, since your child is 4 yrs. old. I have friends who have tried this and swear by it.

I know you said that you had her checked by her doctor but you may want to try an asthma specialist. My daughter, Imani, began her asthma symptoms the same way at about the same age. She coughed continually for over a week; I thought she just had a cold and gave her cough drops and cold medicine to no avail.

When her pediatrician listened to her chest she didn't hear anything but the office asthma specialist just happened to be around and listened as well. She immediately put her on steriods and a daily inhaler routine. Turned out that Imani had been having an an asthma attack for over a week and it took just that long to get her under control! In our case Imani's only asthma symptom is a cough; your daughter could have the same issue.

If she were my little girl, I would give her a cup of water, tell her to take a sip every time she coughs. She might have a dry throat. Or, if not, she may get tired of drinking and stop coughing so she doesn't have to take a drink.

HI, I have a friend who has three girls that have had the same cough for almost a month now. Their dr said that mold spores are really bad right now and that is the reason for their cough. Maybe check in your area to see what the mold spore count is? Hope this helps.

My son around the same age started the same kind of cough. We had him to the doctor numerous times and was on several rounds of antibotics. He was finally sent to a specialists for allerigies and asthama. He was diagnosed w/ asthama and put on a daily regimen of medicine & can still have flair ups. He at times has to have nebulizer breathing treatments. My youngest son also started the same coughing & he is also on a daily regimen of asthama medicine.