Conference moira::parenting_v3

A couple of comments:

First, has your ped looked into the possibility of asthma?  Asthmatic attacks 
are frequently kicked off by coughs due to colds or infections.  One clue is 
that the cough remains after the other symptoms have subsided.  Every time our 
son gets a cold, we routinely start the asthma medication, because it 
invariably kicks off an asthma attack.

Second, the fact that what started out as a viral infection became a bacterial 
infection is not that uncommon.  I used to think that once something was 
diagnosed as viral, then all you could do was to wait it out.  So if a viral 
infection doesn't begin to get better in a reasonable time, it's good to check 
with the ped again, as you did.

Clay

    Andrea --
    
    Yeah, I've been through this a few times.   Kat had pneumonia once
    and bronchitis twice, and negative chest x-rays at least one more
    time.  All three followed pretty much the pattern you've described
    for Berk's illness -- a virus that turned into an ear or throat 
    infection treated by antibiotics, followed by a more serious
    infection after the antibiotics ran their course.  But she also
    had a zillion throat infections that were followed by another
    throat/ear infection or that just took a long time to clear up
    without pneumonia being involved.
    
    >At that point he mentioned the  words "chest x-ray"; I'm assuming
    >to check for pneumonia (sp?). 
    
    Yes.  If it's bronchitis or pneumonia, there will be fluid at the
    site of the infection, and the fluid shows up on the x-rays.
    
    >Are there stronger medications I would normally expect before the
    >x-rays? 
    
    No.  The x-ray is needed to help determine which antibiotics and
    other treatment Berk needs -- it will vary according to where the
    infection is and how far it's spread.  If you catch it early, it's
    much easier to treat.
    
>    Are these things that tough to lick? 
    
    Sometimes.  Kat's pediatrician once joked that it would almost be
    better if one of her semichronic throat infections turned into
    bronchitis, because he knew how to treat bronchitis.
    
    >And how long is long enough?
    
    Until it's cleared up.  I know it's awful for both of you, but
    that's what the doctor is there for.  Pneumonia properly treated
    isn't that dangerous any more, it's only when you don't take care
    of it that it becomes life threatening. 
    
    Pneumonia is generally treated at home these days.  Antibiotics,
    bed rest, decongestants, cough suppressants, and lots of parental
    love is the usual course of treatment.  It's very important to
    follow the doctor's directions to the letter, especially with
    regard to bed rest or other restricted activities. 
    
    Kat was not very sick when she had the pneumonia -- not nearly as
    sick as with a routine ear infection or tonsillitis.  She had a
    nagging cough that we wondered about, but we felt funny about
    taking a healthy child to the doctor for a little thing like that. 
    But we called the doctor, and he said, "Well, it's probably
    nothing, there have been lots of viruses like that around this
    fall, but bring her in just to be on the safe side."  And he put
    the stethoscope to her chest and said "Oh, my God."  Real
    cheering.  She spent 2 weeks in bed and 2 weeks at home with
    restricted activity.
    
    --bonnie

You aren't alone ... there are a lot of people suffering from these incessant
throat type viruses this spring.  

One of my daughters had one for about 4-5 weeks (hard to tell exactly because 
she started with a cold ... the cold cleared up and throat infection started).  
I had it for about 2 1/2 weeks. My wife has it ... 3 months and still going, 
although sometimes better, sometimes worse, with a bacterial infection thrown 
in along the way for good measure.  She has felt so run down with it too ...
swollen glands on and off ... aches and pains on and off ...

My daughter and I are pretty clear of it just now, but my wife is back to the
Dr today.  We started using some saline nasal drops, and that has made a
big improvement.

Good luck ... this is a real devil.

Stuart

    There has been a throat "bug" going around in New England this Spring
    which has layed alot of people low. My parents had it, my wife, my son
    me.  My wife had a persistent cough for weeks after it, so did I. The
    Dr prescribed antibiotics.  I suspect (but check with your Dr.) that
    what your son has is this virulant bugs aftereffects.   Jeff

    Boy, can I relate!!  My son got some kind of cough related ailment last
    July.  When the beginning of August rolled around and I was due to have
    a baby in 2 weeks, I got concerned because Jason was coughing so hard
    he actually choked, vomited and got red in the face.  The pedi's in the
    beginning thought it was an asthma type thing and prescribed ventolin. 
    That did nothing.  Then came the codeine type cough meds so that we
    could sleep at night.  Then I got it.  All I imagined was choking
    through contractions.  Lovely thought I know, but I really was
    concerned as to how I could possibly concentrate throught them.  
    
    Finally one of my pedi's heard him choking in the waiting room and
    looked at me and said "Whooping Cough".  Well, let me tell ya.  How
    does an imunized child get this.  We did all the tests, I disinfected
    my home and he was put on eurithromycin (sp?) for 2 weeks.  The test
    turned out negative.  Thankfully.  
    
    To make this very long story short -- My son continued to cough until
    Christmas.  It was just like when you get bronchitis it gets better and
    then you exert yourself and you begin coughing again.  I listened to
    that kid cough for 6 months.  I myself coughed a good 3 months.
    
    I suggest giving him lots of fluids as you would for any cold and keep
    taking him to the Dr if you feel it is necessary.  Dr's are there for
    you.
    
    There is some strange pertussis like disease that has been going around
    since Jason got it last year.  At one point in the fall the closed down
    I think it was Franklin Pierce College (maybe just sports events or
    something), but alot of the college kids came down with this and they
    thought they had Whooping Cough.  It still could be just a continuation
    of that going around.  So, watch out everyone.  I'm just hoping because
    we've had it, that we are now immune to it.
    

    
    Just as a side note it is possible to get Whooping Cough even if
    your children have been immunized.  2 of my children had it last
    year.  My then 5 1/2 month premie baby (she nearly died) and my then
    13 year daughter who brought it home.  Both had been immunized.
    The baby had only had 2 in the series of shots.  The 2 DPT shots
    she recieved helped her to have a 'milder' version.  I suspect she
    won't have lived without them.
    
    Some doctors are beginning to believe that the DPT shots are 'wearing
    off' in the teen years.  Hence why my teenage daughter brought it
    home.  
    
    re: .5 As you described the cough your son had I thoaght whooping
    cough too.   Thank goodness it wasn't, although what he has sounds
    just as scary!!!!!
    
    susan c.

My daughter Marisa had bronchitis twice and then ear infections winter of 88-89.
Then she started coughing in the spring and she coughed through the summer.
I took her to the doctor several times, but there was never any real diagnosis
and I was getting tired of it.

Finally, the doctor suggested that her cough might be allergic and prescribed
Tavist.  This has really helped.  Whenever I hear the cough coming, I give her
this, and it works.  The doc says if it works, then it is probably allergy
because the cough wouldn't give with this medication if it wasn't allergy.  

Marisa gets this cough any time of the year; she has Spring, Summer, Fall and
Winter allergies!  If the allergy medication doesn't work, then I know it's
something else.  Also, she usually gets the cough without any other allergy
symptom, which made it hard to diagnose.

During the ordeal, one of the doctor's ideas was that it might be a sinus
infection, which sometimes takes a long time to clear.  She tried antibiotic
for a while, but, as in your case, they only relieved the symptoms marginally.

Another doctor said once that sometimes kids will cough for months after 
bronchitis.  It certainly was true with Marisa.

I tend to cough forever once I get sick.  It takes me months to get rid of a 
cold.

Mari