child constantly coughing at night

[mamunia]

i am new here.. and am posting because i am at my wits end! please if anyone can shed a little light into whats happening to my little boy, i would be very grateful.. i have shed a lot of tears over this recently.
my son (19 months) is perfectly happy, healthy etc throughout the day.. but spend anywhere between 2-8 hours coughing at night.. it is not a dry cough, in fact he seems to be bringing up a lot of mucus.. people have described it as an old mans cough and I would agree.
it all started when he has a severe throat and chest infection... which cleared up with antibiotics, but the cough stayed.. this was 6 MONTHS AGO.. and he has not had one night since where he hasnt coughed. I have taken him to the doctors more times then i can remember.. he has been given inhalers for asthma.. but these do not work. the doctor said that when he listens to his chest it is not totally clear.. but because he is happy and healthy, not to worry. Children and adults sometimes have persitant coughs.. the doctor even said that he may be doing this through habit.. but I just cannot believe that.. My son dylan seems to now be so used to coughing that he can sleep through, me and my hubby however cannot and take turns sleeping downstairs in order to get some rest. he does not cough in the day. I tried elevating his bed.. it did not work. i have searched the internet and found nothing like this.. is it possible that his lungs could be full of mucus and he just cannot get it out? he has been on 4 rounds of antibiotics bit nothing has shifted it.. I have told the docs that I will not give him anymore antibiotics.. would I be completely over the top to ask for an x-ray?  

[Shai103082]

My daughter at 6months kept a cough for a month. One doctor told me she was doing it on purpose for attention  before this she had a fever of 104 and he said nothing was wrong and it would soon subside I took her to an emergency room and they found she had an ear infection so I switched doctors. The next doctor put her on nebalizer treatments three times a day and told me to get a humidifier and her constant cough and rattling sound in her chest went away within a couple of weeks. If you think a doctor is wrong get a second opinion thru another doctor or an emergency room better safe then sorry.

[taj509r]

I totally feel for you . My husband and i are going through the exact same thing. Our daughter is 7 now and has only just  recently ( in the last 7 weeks or so ) been  coughing through the night , she has been given a blue inhaler....... this does nothing ! it's as soon as she goes into her bedroom. This weekend we will be getting a new mattress, bedding , pillows and basically anything hypo allergenic. A side from getting no sleep she is also missing school a fair amount. I hope you all manage to get sorted .

[wendypape]

Based on my own experience, I might suggest that he might have had pertussis (whooping cough) originally. The cough literally lasts 100 days at best...there is no cure, the cough goes on forever. Even if your child is vaccinated for it, he only has at best 80% of a chance to be protected and from my research he could also contract from being vaccinated for it. There have been epedemics everywhere- New Zealand, Toronto etc. It is commonly misdiagnosed etc. The thing is that AFTER they come out of it, ever cold or cough they get for 6 months up to a year can sound like it again. Also not every child gets the whoop . It took alot of reading on my part to boost my childrens immune systems after we came through that... see Dr. Leo Galland or Dr. Lendon Smith's book for nutritional information.

Secondly it could also sound like an allergy. By removing all wheat especially, although all dairy too I would suggest that it should stop. Most of the world has wheat allergyies of some sort, but most don't know it!!  We are wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, sugar and yeast free and my kids health is exceptional. I started giving them green barley grass powder last week and my 5 yr old now has the worst croup like cough that you can imagine- I actually thought she had croup! She's been fine all day, I just gave her some more and she's hacking like crazy! poor thing! I  have read that the 'grass' portion of wheat or barley is different then the flour- since it is a plant, but aparently it is not ok for my child!

Just sharing my experience. Wendy

[tinkerbell777]

If you havent done so get an x-ray my 8 month old daughter has been in and out of the hospital with a cough as the doctors say till the last time she was admitted with pneumonia and RSV wich now seems not to get better she coughs more at nigh then she does during the day. she has coughng spells to the point were she gags and then vomitts you need to do what u feel is right an all that u can do to help.parents to me know better then a doctor cause u are with them more. Hope everything goes well wth your son tak care and let god be with you!!!!

[LV321]

I too have a child with a similar problem.  My daughter is just under 3 and she has has a cough for a few weeks that I thought were just allergies.  It seems like the cough is getting worse at night though.  I've noticed that when she cry's she produces a lot of mucus so she's very snotty and it could be allergies but she doesn't seem to have any problems during the day just at night with the cough.  Otherwise she appears completely healthy....gaining weight, playing and very active, no problems breathing during the day unless she gets worked up crying.  It's like clockwork - the minute we get into her room she starts having coughing fits.  If you have any suggestions let me know.

Hope you find a cure for your son and hope things are better....

LV

[ebjb]

I agree you should have x ray done and a check for Cystic Fibrosis. My son coughed all night long through his childhood. Turned out it was asthma - some kids cough but don't wheeze. It could also be he is allergic to something in his bedding? - or carpets? Do you have any animals in your house? I would have him tested for allergies too.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[resptherapy1]

To put your mind at ease, suggest a xray. My son had what sounds to be a similar cough. Xray was negative for pneumonia or any other lung infection. Unfortunately when they are young they can't cough like we do so they sound horrible. Be your sons advocate, if you feel you want a xray you tell the Dr. you want a xray. The amount of radiation your son will receive is so minimal. You get more radiation in a plane.  Does anyone in your family have Cystic Fibrosis? Not to scare you but if the problem persists you may want them check for that, which is just a blood test. If you don't get the answer you need/want seek another physician. Be your son's advocate!!! Hope you can get some relief and sleep, your not alone, been there. Good luck.