My son developed Stridor a few weeks ago. Doctor thought at first it was croup but I insisted it was not because he did not have the croup cough. So he let me bring him in on a Sunday and we were prescribed a steroid. After 3/4 days on the steroid I seen a huge improvement but after a week it came back just as bad as before. I notice no other symptoms and again I have to wait until the weekend is over to see the doctor. I know it bothers me more than him but hearing my baby breathing with high pitched sound almost like he can't get a full breath is nerve racking. He doesn't sleep through the night and he is more fussy than usual but I don't know if it is all related or not. I did notice his nose running non-stop for 3 weeks so I just started giving him some Allegra. Curious if anyone has experienced this and what may be causing it. Could reflux be causing it? His condition is not an emergency he breaths find the only time you hear the sound of the high pitched noise is when he takes a deep breath. I am the over paranoid parent but we went 4 to 5 days dealing with his condition last time and I know that this does not require a visit to the ER. Playing, screaming and eating all normal.
I am not a mom who panics, trust me. BUT there are two things I do not mess around with:
Airway/breathing issues
Heart issues
I say take him to an ER, and then get a referral to a pulmonologist.
I am serious.
best
If your child is struggling for breath please take him to the ER!
And if it wasn't croup then what was the cause of the stridor? You need answers not just a steroid, this could be something very serious :-(
Did the doctor or pharmacist specifically tell you that it was safe to give Allegra to an infant????
Please call the 24-hour pediatrician's on-call line immediately before you give one more bit of medication.
I'm not a panicky parent but I don't mess around with breathing or with medications. You don't give things to a child because you're more bothered than the child is. You say it's nerve-wracking because he can't breathe, but you say it's not an emergency either and he's breathing fine, and he plays/eats/screams fine. So if he's fine, he doesn't need medication!
I honestly think you need a medical opinion in this case.
Hmmm... I see where your doctor thought it could be croup. Only if kids' airways get really inflamed do you hear the barking cough. Not all kids develop that. I'm surprised your doctor didn't explain that.
We have had croup here quite a few times - we didn't always have the bark.
Being fussy or agitated is a sign of Croup too. If it is worse at night (the stridor) that's also a sign of Croup.
If he's had a runny nose for 3 weeks, keep in mind Croup is usually caused by a virus, or a cold that has gone on a while (or a bad one).
They give steroids for Croup. So if you saw an improvement, why are you not accepting the Croup diagnosis? Sounds to me like your doctor was probably right.
If it came back after the steroid, then I would be going right back in.
I would not be giving an 11 month old allergy medication unless your pediatrician prescribed it.
Take him in and have him fully examined. At 11 months, their airways are pretty small - better to have him checked over again.
Good luck :)
Stridor isn't a disease. It's caused by a disease (like croup). Please take your child to the ER if he can't breathe properly. Either it's not stridor (and a minor case of croup) or it's stridor and you need a second opinion. I've always been told to take my DD in to the ER if she can't breathe, but not if she just has the seal bark cough and CAN breathe without difficulty.
http://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/stridor-noisy-bre...
ETA: MANY OTC meds are not recommended for infants. Please consult your doctor.
My grandaughter has had stridor, which is a condition during which there are indentions between the ribs. Stridor indicates the child is having serious difficulty breathing. I cannot think of any way this is not serious. If breathing doesn't get easier after medication, take him to the ER. Having untreated str can result in death.
My granddaughter's first trip to the hospital was when she was about 8 months. After a couple of cortisone breathing treetments with a nebulizor the stridor and wheezing went away and they sent her home. Not until she was breathing normally. Are you sure your son has had stridor? I can't imagine stridor not being serious enough that the doctor would send him home without medication and/or instructions to go to ER.
My granddaughter's pediatrician found she has allergies with a blood test. She prescribed an antihistamine and advised leaving out the foods that she tested allergic. Included in the allergic to list were environmental things such as pollen and dogs.
She continued to have stridor reactions. The ER or her pediatrician prescribed a home with device very similar to the hospital one. When we noticed just a bit of difficulty, i.e. asthma attack. Her pediatrian added a prescription canister rescue inhaler.
When she still had difficulty breathing while wheezing, she was referred to an allergist for further testing and changes in meds. She's now 14 and still often sees the allergist. When her nebulizer broke last year she once more had strider. The ER sent a new nebulizor home with her as well as oral cortisone.
Seeing a stridor attack is painful. My daughter gasped for breath, could not respond to anything we tried. If your son's attack didn't involve gasping for breath with fast breathing and increased heart rate, I would wonder if it's strydor. Stridor is caused by not getting enough air causing the lungs to sucked the skin in between the ribs.
As an older adult with a bad cold making it somewhat difficult to breathe, my doctor gave me a sample of one of the medications prescribed for my granddaughter to use every 4-6 hours. I had no stridor, nor had serious difficulty breathing. The inhaler relaxes the narrowed airways that made breathing difficult.
If your son's breathing causes the lungs to suck in his chest (indentations between the ribs) please take him to the ER. if he isn't having serious difficulty breathing I suggest it's not an emergency. Is it possible you're over reacting to normal sound?
ADDED: I looked up stridor. The definition said nothing about indentations between ribs. It does say stridor causes high pitched sound and difficulty breathing. The doctors said my granddaughter had stridor and pointed out the chest being sucked in. Perhaps the indentations are at the extreme with strider.
I have often heard that high pitched noise in kids and adults who had a cold. Once they were over the cold their breathing returned to normal. No one that I knew called the doctor. My mom said it was just part of having a cold with chest congestion. Some people are more prone to making noise than others.
A friends baby made a short high pitched noise with each breath when she was asleep. Because of that, her nickname was mouse. Again, no difficulty breathing. M6 cousin had a whistling sound because of a deviated septum.
Noise while breathing can be caused by conditions not serious.
I suggest you assume this is not serious and relax until the doctor says it's serious. You have many more years of unusual and new things with your son. If you stay this focused you'll be an overly anxious parent, driving yourself crazy.
And babies react to Mom's anxiety.
Our son's tonsils and adenoids were removed when he turned 4 yrs old.
His tonsils swelled to the point where they were becoming an obstruction - they were not infected.
We tried reducing the swelling with steroids and it worked for a short while - but as soon as he was off the steroids the tonsils swelled right back up again - they almost touched each other across the back of his throat.
People say tonsils are there for a reason - that's all good and well if they are not choking you to death - but if they are becoming an obstruction - they need to come out.
He snored horribly at night, he never got enough sleep, he had constant dark circles under his eyes, the tonsils actually got in the way when ever he tried to swallow during eating or drinking - they REALLY NEEDED to come out - and it was the best thing we ever did.
After his surgery I kept checking on him as he slept because his breathing was so effortless and quiet - I had to reassure myself he was breathing alright (he was!).
11 months is pretty young but I've heard of tonsils and adenoids being removed in as young as 18 months.
You might want to take him to an ear/nose/throat doctor to see if tonsils/adenoids are becoming a problem.
If he's sick you need to find a doctor that will see him right away. His breathing is a serious issue.
As suspected his overall breathing is fine but he is still a little "croupy" which is causing a slight swelling in his trachea so when he gets excited and takes deep breaths it makes the high pitch sound. I know I did not post all the details but our son struggles with breathing every time he gets a cold since he has gotten RSV. I know when it calls for an emergency and when I can wait it out. We have all the equipment and medicine for breathing treatments. When he had first suffered from the symptom Stridor (this is not a disease) I was immediately alarmed called his pediatrician right away, would not except a simple croup diagnosis over the phone. Which is why I insisted he had to see him. Our pediatrician understood and met with us on Sunday, prescribed an antibiotic with the steroid. Now his stridor symptom has returned his breathing is not bad and he only requires a steroid. And the small dose Childrens Allegra was prescribed the last time he had a runny nose with hives. I hate medicating my child which is why I wait and see if it will safely clear up on its own. I was simply looking for someone else who experienced this symptom and what caused it to return, and how often it would return.
