Bronchitis or Asthma

Could be whopping cough. (Pertussis) My daughter's kindergarten class had six students with it even though they have all been vaccinated. My daughter also got it and it only bothers her at night. Her pediatrician believes the vaccine is not effective as it once was because they are seeing it often. My daughter took an antibiotic for five days but still had the cough at night. It's known as the 100 day cough! Ugh. Good luck to you!

My youngest had a cough that wouldn't go away and it did seem to be more pronounced after running. Turns out she has seasonal allergies. Claritin in the morning helped tremendously.

It sounds like exercise induced asthma. The thing about asthma is its unpredictable how hard it's going to hit. It may go for a long time at this mild rate but then again, next week she could be in the hospital with a bad attack. You have to be consistent with its treatment. It's the families who don't take it serious enough to insist on the meds. that end up with a serious situation.

It's tough to make a kid recognize and respect the need for meds. Prednisone needs to build up and if you are not consistent with it, you won't see a difference. Put your anxiety where it will do the most good. Waiting to see a doc in Nov is pretty far away but likely he will just prescribe his own similar regimen. In other words, see a specialist won't cure her. Taking her meds will manage the problem. It's critical that you find her currency for taking the med. it seems a logical consequence that if you don't take the med, you don't run around. Or if you take your meds consistantly for the week, you get a treat. She needs to get in a habit.

If she continues to cough at night, call her regular doc and up her med. if you do that often enough, he will probably call to get you in earlier in the year.

My oldest had the exercised induced asthma but eventually outgrew it.
My youngest would have it whenever he had a cold. He did aerosol treatments. He outgrew it also.

Re medication - can they flavor it at the pharmacy? If yes, have HER pick the flavor. Lots of stuff is out of her control, and this is one of them, BUT you can give her some control over it.

One thing I did was to use the medicine syringe that can shoot the medicine over the tongue to be swallowed. And I let my son give HIMSELF the medicine with the syringe. He thought that was awesome. He gives it to himself - the control helps. Also, talk to her about WHY. Kids aren't stupid - some need to understand what's going on and cooperate a lot easier when they do. Tell her she has to take the medicine, but she can pick if SHE does it or if mom/dad give it to her.

Also, have her favorite treat or drink, or yogurt available if it doesn't interfere with the medicine. She can quick take it to make the taste go away. Again, let her pick which one.

You are the adult, she is not. You know she must have them so you have to decide you're an adult and she is not. She does not get to choose to take or not take her meds. YOU GIVE THEM TO HER.

Wrap her up in a blanket, burrito style. Lay her down on top of a chest of drawers that is waist high to you. Then hold the meds in your right hand and wrap your left arm around her head and hold her down. Use your body to hold her torso down.

You simply put her meds in her cheeks between her teeth and gums a few drops at a time. She won't choke but she may spit it out. You just wipe her face off and your face off then give her a few more drops. She will get the idea after you do this a few times that she doesn't like it when you make her take her meds. She'll start being more cooperative.

Otherwise, what are your options? Hospital care? When she stops breathing due to not taking the meds what will you do then? She must have her medicine so she can breath. This is NOT a simple thing like taking a vitamin. It's for her to suck in air that keeps her alive.

So YOU have to be the bad guy and make her take the meds. It's not fun but she will get the meds. If she was doing a nebulizer and throwing a fit she'd be getting the meds deep deep deep in her lungs since when one cries they take deep breath.

If she's still having so much trouble she may need to do nebulizer treatments instead of this other stuff you're doing. She really needs to see an ENT/ORL doc. They are the experts in upper respiratory stuff.

Post nasal drip would be my guess. as soon as she lays down at night, the drip starts. You say she won't take meds. Oh really! Who is the parent here?

You say you are seeing a specialist in Nov. I would find another one, even if you have to travel far, and get in sooner.

I've just dealt with this issue with my own 4-year-old. His original pediatrician brushed me off for *months*, telling me "kids cough" and "give him honey." Such bs for a kid coughing till he vomits every night ....

We saw a pulmonologist who said reactive airway disease with significant nasal allergies. Started Flovent and albuterol, with nasonex. After a month and a second (expensive) visit to the pulmonologist, my kiddo was STILL coughing.

We saw a new pedi and he through there was definitely some post nasal drip going on, but because my kiddo had a chronically runny nose, he said there was probably a secondary , bacterial component going on. So we started Claritin daily and did a round of Suprex (a cephalosporin antibiotic), and he changed his inhaled steroid from Flovent to qvar.

Supposedly Flovent is a bigger molecule and therefore more difficult for little kids to get into the smaller airways, whereas qvar is a small molecule, so it sometimes works better, at the same dose, than Flovent.

3 days into this new regimen, and my kiddo has totally quit the day time coughing, even with activity. And he has only coughed 1-2 times a night. After 6 months of non-stop coughing, it's like a miracle.

So for your kiddo, I'd try Claritin daily. Ask about adding nasonex to your regimen, and ask about switching Flovent to qvar. Then see if a round of antibiotics won't help - adenoids can get infected & drain constantly, making anything else you do moot.

Good luck.

Eta: I use a syringe to give my kiddo meds. It's much easier than fighting w/ a spoon or medicine cup. I also mix most meds into a small amount of Hershey's chocolate sauce, and suck it all up into the syringe and squirt it into his mouth. Some kids do better if you give them the control to administer their own meds, too.

My granddaughter has asthma that started when she was a baby. She's now 13. We notice a difference when she doesn't consistently take her meds. She was not referred to an allergist until Iit was decided it was asthma. If this is bronchitis the medicine will clear it up. This may be part of the reason for the delay in seeing a specialist. Depends on your insurance.

How old is your daughter? If she's old enough to understand what no running means tell her no running until she no longer coughs. Also put her medicine in your hand and stand with her until she takes it. The first few times may be lengthy so plan accordingly. Neither one of you does anything else until she takes the medicine remain calm and matter of fact. Don't say anything after you tell her it's time for your medicine. This is important. If you argue with her, show anger or frustration this will become a power struggle. Patiently wait even if it takes hours. Perhaps start on a weekend.

When I've done this with my granddaughter she has immediately given in after a couple of times. She's now 13. I wish our difficulties were as simple as "take your medicine." Lol