Asthma/Allery Cough

My son has asthma and allergies and no home remedies worked on him although we did things like vacuum regularly, wash sheets religiously in hot water once a week, elevate his head at night, etc. We didn't get his symptoms under control until we started seeing a pediatric pulmonologist, which I recommend if you haven't already done so. He also sees an allergist. Good luck.

I second seeing an allergist.

My daughter has had a dry cough for weeks. I have been giving her a mix of antihistamines to no avail. I took her to the allergist that confirmed that allergies are the culprit and gave her steroids to supress her immune system.

It's working! She goes back for a recheck this week so I'm interested to see how much she's improved.

Did Dr. check for or mention sinus infection? A sinus infection can cause a constant cough. My son has allergies and our regular doctor didn't catch the infection, but when we went to the allergist in addition to the nasal spray, etc. he gave my son and antibiotic for the infection and the cough was gone within a day or two.

M

I see suggestions here about keeping your house clean. And that's a good idea. It helps us all breathe easier, whether there's an asthma/allergy problem or not.

But, be careful using the popular brands of cleaning and laundry products. Products like Clorox, Pinesol, Mr Clean and Lysol Spray may do more harm than good. They all contain harmful chemicals. So, the more you clean, the more chemicals you're breathing in. And those chemicals linger long after you're done cleaning.

Links are frowned upon here, so if you click my name above and go to the Business tab, you'll find a video report from a Canadian TV station about toxic chemicals in the home.

I hope this helps you and your son breathe easier.

~M.

Have you asked dr about allergy medicine? My 4 yr old daughter uses zyrtec and flonase for her allergy cough. She also has the neb of pulmicort or allbueteral if needed but I found just the allergy med works better at 2 tsp. We also have an appt with an allergist coming up so I would check with dr and maybe see an allergist.

Oh I could have posted this myself!

My 6 (7 on Friday) year old son was up all night last night with an asthma cough. We didn't know what it was, but almost took him to the ER for it. We got it under control with a hot shower and having him sleep in the recliner - hubby on the couch.

I took him to the doctor first thing this morning and they gave me Singulair - to add to the Claritan he is already taking. They also gave us another inhaler of Albuterol to help when the symptoms flair up...but he is on that for the next 3 days anyways to get it under control.

He only has seasonal allergies (and pets) so we only have trouble in the fall and spring with him mostly.

We used an allergist for our oldest, but took her off of the shots almost immediately because she had a febrile seizure steming from a fever spike after one session of shots. Never again. But it's good to know what they are allergic to.

I also agree to cleaning the house religiously. Keeping things clean will help (vacumm, laundry, etc)...though that's hard for most of us to do. Myself big time included.

Come to think of it, my son had vacuum duty last night, I wonder if that helped stir up some allergens and made it worse for him. Hmm..

There are many different types of inhalers.
And you need to find the right "fit" for your child.
If the current inhalers do not work, tell your Pediatrician. And then another type of inhaler can be used.
It is not a one sized shoe fits all.
What might work for me, might not for another person, etc.

I have seasonal allergies, as well as Asthma, since I was a child.
I take inhalers and Claritin. That works for me.
I do not like Zyrtec. It makes me MOODY and TIRED. Ugh.

Also, get an air purifier for his room.
So that allergens are cleared out of the air of his room.
My parents did this for me when I was a child.
It is a good investment.

Also, per inhalers, the right dosage has to be used. Using too much can also make one wheeze more. Too little as well. And inhalers are often misused. Most people think more is better. But, a person can overdose on inhalers too. So keep that in mind.
Follow the directions, well.

And yes, post-nasal drip can make a person cough too. Especially when lying down, because the mucus pools in the throat and then it causes the gag reflex, and then coughing.

There was so much I wish the allergist had let us know earlier, but some of the research has only come out in the last 10 years, and it often takes 20-30 years for things to become common practice. I knew nothing about probiotics and how important the gut is to normal immune function (and even brain function! http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2011/05/allergies-asthma...) I knew nothing about systemic yeast overgrowth (usually due to our antibiotics use without using probiotics) and then the development of food allergies and sensitivities.

Eliminating foods I and my children turned out to have problems with helped our asthma. I didn't know. All the allergist had done was the IgE skin scratch testing and he didn't even mention about IgG and IgA reactions. I used to be on six different medications for allergies and asthma and am now on just one. The child with bad allergies and asthma used to be on 7, and is now down to 2.

Besides dietary changes (dairy, gluten and eggs are common problems but everyone is different) there may be food supplements that may help such as Quercetin, Boswellia, Rosmarinic, Butterbur... but of course, again - everyone is different and of course always consult with a doctor.

By the way - an MD who was also trained in Integrative medicine (they get all the training of the other doctors and then go on to get further education in Integrative medicine) in the end, helped us more than the regular pediatrician and allergist!