Unproductive Gagging Cough

Sounds like a sinus infection to me. My son get them after colds ALL the time. This time he added an ear infection as an extra bonus. I'd have her looked at. Two weeks is too long for a cold. Take her in to the doc. Poor kid. Hope she's better soon.

It could be a sinus infection or post-nasal drip. My 4yo son has had one or both of those at least once a year since he was 1. Sometimes the common cold can lead to a sinus infection especially if she has a stuffy nose which means that sinus fluid and mucous can't drain properly. If she has pain in her forehead/between her eyes or bright yellow to green nasal discharge she could have an infection.

If she doesn't have any sinus infection signs then the cough is probably being caused by post-nasal drip which can unfortunately persist for weeks. Aside from using a humidifier, I suck out any nasal mucous that I can with a bulb syringe right before bedtime. My pediatrician has us elevate the head of the bed using folded blankets under the mattress to promote drainage and if it gets to the point where the gagging is keeping my son awake, we were advised to give a dose of Benedryl to help dry up secretions. (Not something I would do every night though). Have her avoid dairy which will make the mucous much worse and if you can get her to drink something warm first thing in the morning it will help clear the throat. My son likes warm apple cinnamon herbal tea with honey. (It's the Celestial Seasonings non-caffeinated kind.) Best wishes! I hope your daughter is feeling better soon!

I know this answer is over a year later, but just in case someone else is currently researching...my son had a cough that wouldn't go away no matter what. He did lots of antibiotics, was cleared for asthma -you name it. We tried allergy medicines, cough medicines, everything you can think of. Well, it turned out that he had acid reflux. Not the kind that gives you heartburn per se, but the kind known as silent reflux (LPR). Little particulates of acid and non-acid stomach contents are aspirated into the sinuses and lungs causing cough, infections, etc. We put our son on prescription acid reflux meds and the cough went away. Well, every 6 months it would come back. A few months ago it got really bad and the non-stop gagging started. Our son had been seeing a pediatric GI, but we took him to an ENT, and that doc tested him for allergies. Lo and behold, he is allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts. Then we find out about gluten (in wheat & all grains to some degree). He is allergic to gluten & gluten can cause acid reflux & lots of other nasty little health problems (you wouldn't believe all the things). We have taken him off the foods he is allergic to and guess what? Symptoms gone! My husband has suffered from eczema all his life & his hair started to fall out. He stopped the gluten & his problems went away. Now...blood tests are not sufficient (they can produce false negatives). People with celiac (caused by gluten allergy), have blood tested negative for gluten allergy. However, when genetically tested the proof was 100% positive in their genes! Genetic testing is the wave of the future. Gluten allergy is still poorly understood by the medical community. A lot of doctors think gluten allergy only causes celiac disease, so if you don't have the symptoms of celiac disease, they dismiss gluten allergy as a possibility. Check out a website I love called glutenfreesociety.org Hope this helps! We were going nuts for a long time trying to figure out what was going on with my son.

I just went through this with my daughter. She was coughing for weeks and not getting much sleep at night because of the cough. Finally took her in and turns out it is allergies. She has a bit a wheezing also, so they put her on abuterol. The Dr. said I could also have done over the counter Robitussun DM.

Are you sure it isn't allergies? Sinus drainage can make you cough too. My one daughter has mild asthma that is triggered by having a cold, strep throat, etc. first. Her asthma cough is more of a dry cough that just doesn't stop. If you are concerned, take her to the Pediatrician.

I don't want to scare you, but I heard on the news yesterday that there has been a recent upswing in Whooping Cough cases. It starts out like a regular cold, but then progresses into a terrible cough. Please take your daughter to the doctor and get it checked out, ASAP.

If she's not coughing at daycare, I would have the home checked for allergens like mold and mildew. If there are pets in the area, it could be an incredibly high sensitivity issue (my son is like that when cats are within the apartment building). She's probably only sleeping when exhausted. I'd also have her into the doc for an allergen test and consider an inhaler for accute episodes (works wonders for my son).

I was just taking my kids to school this morning and on KFYI they were talking about how there has been a rise in Whooping Cough this year and that it is extremely contagious. Here is a sight I found that allows you to hear different sounding coughs and the names for these coughs. Just some FYI and a peace of mind. Good Luck.
http://children.webmd.com/pertussis-whooping-cough-10/cou...

It sounds like exactly what I have when I get sinus problems. I do thow up with the gagging cough. I'm sure that at her age you can give sinus meds to her but wait to hear back from the ped on what kind and how much. I would reslly push for sinus meds and if it doesn't get any better take her in to the ped on mon.

I would stop the milk products, and I would go see a natureopathic doctor. The pediatrician will most likely say it's allergies....They may want to give him/her breathing treatments and use oral steroids...

get her to the er she may be asthmatic. sounds like an asthma cough.

I hate to tell you there might not be much you can do for her but wait it out.

And I say that as I'm on week 6 with a cough that the doctors can't make go away.

I will say that, for me, the humidifier actually makes it worse. And any little particulate in the air makes it worse (like the sand table at DS's preschool). I was using the Hylands Cough medicine honey stuff and it did nothing.

For me, there is a very specific angle at which I can sleep that the cough goes away. Try seeing if she'll sleep elevated a bit.

Good luck to your little girl!

Went through a similar thing with my son. Turned out to be an allergy cough. He doesn't get the typical hay fever symptoms, just a cough. Happens every spring and fall with the weather changes. Also because the cough seems to start at daycare, there may be something there triggering it. My son's doctor prescriped a cough medicine that seems to help him get some sleep at night. Good luck.