Daughter Has Cough but Never Had a Cold

You've received some good replies. Any signs of reflux? This too can cause a chronic cough (in addition to an upset stomach).

I am going through the exact same thing with my 9 yr old daughter! Her cough has been going on for months and has been on antibiotics for possible sinus infection, changed allergy meds , and sinus exray and nothing. She is now complaining of ear discomfort, and being treated for strep. Her ears are clear too. Sooo we now have an appointment with an ENT (Ear Nose Throat specialist). Sorry I have no answers, just wanted to let you know you are not alone, and the route we are on. Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

IS she on any other long term medication of any type? Some medicines have a persistant cough as a side effect. I know that I was on a blood pressure medicine that made me cough for MONTHS before I finally realized what the heck was going on and asked the doctor if it could be the med!! Now I doubt a 9 year old is on BP medicine but I am sure this particular class of medicine is not the only one with coughing as a side effect.
Is she moving any phlegm at all when she does all of this coughing? You said something about the cough starting to sound more "wet". I would take her back to the pediatrician and let him check her out again. If there is any congestion I would ask him about the possibility of using some children's Mucinex to help get it loosened up and moving.
That being said...my gut reaction is that it is probably allergies. Maybe she needs an inhaler to get things opened up in her lungs. But don't get your medical advice here....as well meaning as we all are we are not professionals....go to your pediatrician!!
Good luck

Well... if she's getting tylenol religiously... she'd have to actually be spiking a pretty high fever in order for it to show even as a low grade fever (since tylenol reduces fevers). But as Marda mentioned, one doesn't have to have a fever in order to be ill.

Codeine is actually quite a good medicine for certain kinds of coughs, opiates have a strong respiratory response... & the best cough syrup you can get is rather heavy on the codeine (plus in a cough that long, if it's actually racking... the pleural space can get inflamed, along with the intercostals, ribs can even crack, although torn cartilage is more common... all of which make it difficult to expel fluid and mucus from the lungs as well as the whole breathing thing)... but codeine does cause upset stomachs in many many people. As well as diarrhea and other alimentary ills when one goes off of it, even on low doses. So it can be hard to tell if the stomach upset is a result of the illness or a side effect of the medicine.

Personally, since she's getting worse, I would take her back in.

My son had the same thing two years ago....a cough that lasted over 8 weeks. I took him to the pediatrician at least 4 times and kept being told it was nothing. Then we moved and he started in with the same thing the next year. When I took him in that time, they did x-rays and found he has asthma. Now he's on an inhaler and just fine. Allergies trigger his asthma, too. But whenever he starts coughing and I use the inhaler, he stops within two days at the most. And as long as we use it consistently he doesn't have problems at all. I'd recommend having her checked for asthma (maybe only seasonal even) for sure!!!

Good luck! Find a dr who listens though! I sure wish I'd done more pushing/looking for a different dr that first year he coughed for so long!

My 6-year-old daughter went thru something similar several months ago...her nighttime cough was so bad I called to ask for a codeine cough syrup. Her ped wanted to see her first & found she had an ear infection, probably caused by an earlier virus. I was surprised because she never complained of ear pain. A couple days of antibiotics and she was fine (& the cough was finally silenced!!)

My kids (and I used to as a kid) get this lingering cough if we've had a cold or some allergen-breathing-problem ... it's like cold-reactive asthma but it's got a different name ... if I recall, essentially you have a little inflammation and the inflammation is just irritating enough to keep you coughing, which is just irritating enough to keep you inflamed ... etc. yargh! This can go on for months, and when I was a kid it degenerated into bronchitis all the time.

If you are open to naturopathics, my naturopath cured my infant's near-pneumonia (I think he just said "near" so I wouldn't freak out, but I probably wouldn't have, I knew the news was bad) with homeopathics, and I just used the first of the two homeopathics from that episode to help one of my older kids give the final kick to one of those darn lingering coughs--YAY!! Anyhow, it's something to add to the list of possible solutions.

My oldest son developed a cough for a several weeks last year. It almost seemed like it was mostly at night. I too thought it was allergies but allergens didn't help. Come to find out, it was his asthma! He had to go on a once a day (gave it at night) inhaler and within about a week the cough was gone. I never would have thought but your daughter sounds just like my son did. You might want to ask the pediatrician what his thoughts are about that...even if she's never been said to have had asthma in the past.

Good luck.

My daughter has asthma & allergies. She can get a cough very easily... if we let it go, it turns into a cold most of the time. I think you should take her back to the doctors. My daughter also coughs when she falls asleep with is something the ENT asked be about a few weeks ago - my daughter is scheduled to have tubes put in her ears next week. She gets ear bad infections, but didn't get her first one till she was almost 4 1/2. They said the coughing my be dealing w/ her tonsles & adnoydes... which if the tubes don't work, they will have to take them out w/ the next set of tubes in 18 mo.

I strongly believe that momma knows best... you see your child everyday (or at least most of them). You know your child & how they normaly are the best - even better then the doc. You need to protect your child & "fight" for them to get the proper care. If that means taking them to the doctors weekly till this is figured out - so be it.

I wish you luck & hope the cough goes away soon!

Don't worry...There has been a virus that has gone pretty much around the U.S. and it either starts with a cold and goes to the cough or just appears as a cough. After something like this a cough can linger for as long as a month. Did the doctor tell you to give her mucinex? If he didn't, please give it to her this will help and for it to work give it to her as directed, don't think you can just give her one dose and it'll work.

Don't read too much into the cough, it's probably just a lingering cough. It may seem like forever, but it will get better.

Have they checked her tonsils or adenoid? Our son has an enlarged adenoid that interferes with mucus drainage and causes runny noses and coughing. He's scheduled to have it removed next month. Also, have you tried allergy medicine? If you live in the Willamette Valley there's a good chance it's allergies. Mine have been out of control this year.

Hi,
My four year old has had the same type of cough for about 2 weeks now as well. I have an appointment to take her back to the ped. today...I feel that a cough is only a symptom of something else going on, so I would take your daughter back...just to be safe. My daughter also has asthma (and allergies), which does manifest itself as a persistant cough at times. Good luck and I hope your daughter is feeling better soon!

It definitely could be allergies, BUT since your doctor said it was a virus I would take her back in. Whatever it was could have turned into a secondary infection, like sinus or ear. A strept throat can present itself with only a stomach ache, but the headache is another sign. Since she has no fever it's doubtful, but you are worried........so why not check it out?

A cough can mean all kinds of things.. many of them mentioned by other mamas :) I would take her back in. I don't know because I'm not a doctor, but 2 1/2 weeks seems like a long virus. Best to check it out.

BTW... My daughter and I developed a cough recently that turned out to be mold in our house. So if you've noticed any staining on the walls, like we did, you might consider having that checked out too :) Good luck to you.

Two of my kids have had the same problem and i have had this persistent cough too. I took my kids to the pediatrician and he said they had "walking pneumonia" and put them on antibiotics for 5 days. they seem to be much better now. I myself am taking antibiotics. i would definitely take your child to the pediatrician and have them listen to her lungs to make sure there is nothing in her lungs. hope she feels better soon. good luck!

I'm not entirely sure why your doctor prescribed Tylenol with codeine. This is a painkiller and nothing else. Doesn't help a virus, doesn't help a cough, etc. A fever can be helped with straight up Tylenol, but codeine, too? Maybe there's something I don't know about her cough, but I think I might ask for a second opinion if you can. Also, codeine is very hard on your stomach, especially when it's empty, so maybe that's the reason for her stomach ache?

My whole family (mom, dad, and 3 kids) all had a terrible cough. It took an antibiotic to get rid of it for us. I had it first and waited 2 weeks before seeing the doctor and being told it was an infection. I took the kids on day 4 of the cough because I knew how bad mine had been and they had the same thing. My daughter's had actually started causing some wheezing so she got some additional medication.

I second the recommendation of Mucinex. It's the only over the counter cough medicine that has ever done any good with us.

Good luck,
K.

It sounds like she has allergies. Soem times the only alelrgy symptom folks have is post nasal drip. This drips down into the throat and/either to the lungs and stomach. Resulting in a cough and having a yucky feeling stomach. I get this all the time, very frusterating. You might want to ask your pediatrician about benedryl or other anti-histamine. Definitly have the doc listen to her lungs again, because its possible the post nasal drip is in the lungs and that isn't fun especially if it develops into bronchitis. Totally treatable with antibiotics. Good luck. oh and you might want to get her allergy tested, that would help you avoid the allergens.

My first thought is that she may have asthma. Did your doctor mention this at all? My asthma is triggered by allergies and then I get a serious cough, sometimes lasting for a month or more, well after the allergy season is over. I have a friend whose son has asthma and he coughs a lot. He has to use a nebulizer machine that gives him asthma medication in a fine mist through a mask he has to wear for a few minutes each day.

I would definitely mention this to your doctor. Good luck!

Virus infections frequently do not have a fever. My granddaughter has had the same symptoms from time to time. She is usually well enough to go to school the next day or at the longest the day after. My granddaughter who is barely 10 also has allergies and asthma. If your daughter continues to have the cough over several weeks I suggest that you consider the possibility of allergies causing it.

The feeling hot, with a normal temperature, stomach and head hurting sounds like a virus. If she doesn't feel better in a couple of days call the doctor's office.

I don't understand the reason for the Tylenol with codeine for a cough. Was she also complaining of a headache when she saw the doctor? OTC Tylenol or ibuprofen should be sufficient for a headache. Codeine can cause a stomach ache and has other undesirable side affects. I'd try not using the Tylenol with codeine.

I definitely do not see a reason to go back to the doctor now or find a different one. Kids get sick and most of the time it is a simple virus and not anything serious.

I would go to the Doctor and maybe another Pediatrician. She needs to be checked for other things, go on the internet and you'd be suprised as to what you can find. She could just be allergic to something, is she wearing some kid perfume, soap, did you change detergent, softener, etc. But I would take her back to the doctors first. I hope she gets better, poor baby!