3 Months of dealing w/cough from mycroplsma!!!

[Kay K]

My 6 yr old had a cough one month prior to Oct 1. On that day I took him in and we were told we had a upper resp virus. She put him on Omnicef. During this antibiotic treatment he started coughing uncontrolably. WE were given Panmist DM. After two and a half weeks of still coughing I took him in again and he had wheezing and still uncontrolable cough. She put him on Cefzil, Orapred and Albuterol. Just finished antibiotic 11-1 and took him back 11-2 b/c coughing still hasn't improved. Now he's on Orapred, Zithromax and Xopenex in a nebulizer. My son says he has been feeling bad a very long time and he's ready to feel better.Help!! Do you think I should continue treatment through his pediatrician or seek a doctor who speacializes in this? What type of MD do I need? We go back to his pediatrician 11-5. Thank you.

[National Jewish]

Respiratory infections can cause inflammation of the airways of the lungs.  When this occurs, your son may cough when he is active or laughs.  This inflammation can cause wheezing and coughing.  If a virus were the cause none of the antibiotics he took would be effective in getting rid of the infection.  Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M pneumoniae) is commonly called mycoplasma.  These are bacteria that can cause throat infections and lung infections such as pneumonia.  Many people develop wheezing and coughing with these fairly common respiratory infections.  Standard mycoplasma infections are usually easy to treat or require no treatment.  If mycoplasma were the cause of your son’s respiratory infection the antibiotics that he took should have gotten rid of the infection.

After the infection is gone, it is possible for the inflammation to linger.  This inflammation can last for several weeks.  Sometimes this inflammation may linger for 3 to 6 months.  Eventually the inflammation will go away, and then the wheezing and coughing will stop.  This is called reactive airways disease (RAD) and behaves a lot like asthma.  On a simple breathing test, called spirometry, this may not show up.  This inflammation often clears more quickly when it is treated with an inhaled steroid medicine, which is given to treat asthma.  Usually this medicine needs to be used every day for several weeks to months for it to help.  Your son’s doctor is the best judge of this.

Generally it is recommend that an allergy or a lung specialist be seen when any one of the following occur:
· Allergies are being considered
· Seems to be getting worse
· Complicated by other conditions such as chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps or vocal cord dysfunction
· Confusion with the diagnosis
· Frequent treatment with steroid tablets or syrup
· Several visits to the hospital or emergency room in the last year
· Severe episode

[Kay K]

Thank you so much for your comment. I took my son back to the Dr and she said he was still not improving. She scheduled a CT of his sinuses and a referral to his ENT. The ct showed him to have all of his sinus cavities, nose and anywhere else he could have mucous and puss he had it. It was all the way to the left eye muscles and almost completely full up to his brain. He said he needed to go in and drain his sinuses b/b all of the anibiotics had not helped since Sept. He also said he had a very narrow opening to the back of his throat. The adenoids (adenoids) were so swollen it was blocking his opening. He suggested we also have aour adenoids (adenoids) out. We haven't had but one or two throat infections or tonsil infections so he said we would leave them. We are scheduled for surgery Dec 1. That was the soonest he could do it b/c everyone wants thier surgery the week before Thanksgiving. I think we will be better once everthing is drained. The ENT told us just to keep him on all meds until surgery. Thanks again!!!!!

[Sinus]

My 4 year old is suffering from the same issue. I have shown her to all the top most doctors in DC(Dr Bahadori, Dr Gupta, Dr Nathan, Dr. Feldman, Dr. Atiyeh, Dr. Gary Burgman, Dr. Pulvoi, Dr. Rosenburg and so on). She had been on 4 months on antibitic (antibiotic). She already had her adenoids (adenoids) taken out by Dr. Robert Bahadori DC's top most surgeons in May 2004. Before the surgery doctor assured that she will recover 100% after surgery. After surgery CT scan showed all the sinus cavities filled and it was not improved not at all. Now Dr. has advised to go for another surgery and this time he said that there are only 50% chances that taking out adenoids (adenoids) will improve Sinus.  

We decided not to go for another surgery and wait for other methods (Homeopathic, Yoga and Ayurvedic). However there is no improvement so far. We are trying our level best to make her fine.

Good Luck to your kids. God Bless him.