This is my lil guy's only bad cold in 12mths and I am now starting to get concerned about the chest congestion.
He has had a constant runny nose for about 6 weeks now (varies from clear to grenn), started as soon as the top teeth started to cut ( I know they say thats not a sign of teething but its kind of a coincidence) & then he ran a fever 101-102 for about 3 days, but it finally broke on the 3rd day so I didn't take him in & then right before thanksgiving he broke out with this really junky cough..
My DH and I are also recouping from a horrible head cold and chest congestion for the past month too, so I am pretty sure this is just a viral thing. I am constantly using humidifiers, steamy showers, nasal aspirators and saline solution etc. But he won't cough the junk up. I just hear it rattling in the chest. Other than a decreased appetite and being a little sleepy he's in genally in good spirits. Not sleeping too hot, but not really coughing either. I am just concerned with how long the congestion is lasting and that its not being expelled. The other night I noticed he was laboring really hard during his sleep and the motion sensor went off a lot more for brief seconds of not breathing (like they do when their are really young) but during the day he's fine? Maybe its because his nose was all clogged up, I don't know. I thought I'd take him in on Monday to be checked out but don't want to run the risk of picking something else up at the Drs. Croup's going around.
BTW he has his 1 yr ck up on the 8th of Jan should I just wait until then? Just kind of curious what other mom's would do?
Sorry so long winded:(
Thanks everyone for all the advise. I did take the lil guy in. Turns out everything is looking good. HIs ears are clear, lungs are clear. The dr. believes the chest congestion is just from the continual post nasal drip. We will check him again next week to make sure. They suspect the length of the cold is probably just due to getting this nasty cold back to back. So dr's orders, are rest, plenty of fluids and to monitor for fever or any obvious signs that something is wrong. Thanks again I'm relieved and glad I took him in.
I recently tried the homeopatic cough and cold syrup from Hylands, and it worked really good, I even think it worked better than tylenol and advil and all of those otc's you should give it a try.
There is something really nasty going around that just lingers and lingers. I'm sure it's just a cold, but 4 weeks is a very long time. Just to be on the safe side I'd bring him in to get checked out. Don't wait until the 8th. They may want to do x-rays to rule out pneumonia. And it's a good idea to have his throat and ears checked. Sometimes they have ear infections and we don't even know it.
My daughter caught this creepy cold a week ago. After the aches and pains and soar throats go away, we're usually just left with congestions, but she can't seem to shake all the aches. So, I'm taking her in tomorrow for sure.
I hope he gets better soon!
I am a nurse and you need to take that baby in. Green drainage is a sign of infection. Anytime it changes to green, get to the doctor. Don't wait until next month, your baby could have pneumonia! The labored breathing is a very bad sign for that age and should not be taken lightly. Please take that baby in ASAP.
Take your child to see the doctor. If a congestion was around for 7-10 days sounds like antibiotics are needed.
So funny. I had the same issue.
http://www.mamasource.com/request/10576316467660193793
Looks like you got the same response from the Dr. that I got. Keep thinking positively-- my daughter eventually got better, but it did take 6 weeks!!! I always err on the side of taking them into the dr every 5 days of illness at least, but my dr is fairly quick to get an appt with and we have a low copay. Good luck! :)And yeah, humidifiers, nasal aspirators, showers etc etc were our life for over a month, and i am not sure how much they helped. . . .perhaps they help more than we know-- maybe it would be worse without them? :)
Hello Amy,
Take him in tomorrow!!! He could have bronchitis, or broncialitis or pneumonia. Someone just recently posted about a similar thing and it turned out her son had bronchitis. My daughter had bronchitis's last March (9 months old) and ended up hospitalized for it for 3 days. She was fine during the day, but would fall apart at night. It was because she wasn't getting enough oxygen, so she was put on oxygen at the hospital and we had to do breathing treatments every few hours. I'm not trying to freak you out, but I also don't want you to wait until the 1 year check up.
Best of luck and let us know what happens!
C.
Amy,
Take him in ASAP! Its worth the risk of getting something else at the dr's office. It could be something that really needs antibiotics or he may need a chest x-ray. Don't wait any longer.
Molly
Hello Amy,
Always check with the doctor even if the doctor tells you what you already know. You don't want to risk the chance that more is going on. My boys get congested and if it goes on too long I take them to the doctor. At night elevate his head a little so the mucus can drain. When they lay flat the mucus just settles and has no place to go but to clog. Just a thought. Good luck. Let us all know how it goes.
W.
