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Croup
May 5, 2004 23:30:57 GMT -5
Post by Debby on May 5, 2004 23:30:57 GMT -5
TEXT[glow=red,2,300]TEXT[/glow] HI, I am new in town...my son who is 9 months old has DS. I have had him on the synagis shots to prevent RSV. Also using a gyconutrient in his food. Last month he came down with a bad cold which ended up really messing him up. He had croup, then broncilitis. We spent 4 days in the hospital so he could get back on his feet. This cold never really got better all the way and now he still has it and again it is croup again. The ped has prescribed prednesone for him. Have any of your kids taken this. What do you think of using it? Also he uses Albuterol inhaler to help him breath better. I suction out his nose continually and use saline drops. I also at times use neosprine to clear him up. He has bags under his eyes and really is unhappy. When he ended up in the hospital his temp was 104 and oxygen sat around 80. Any of this familiar to you ? Currently I have one room dedicated to be humitified and I have been nursing him still, and keep trying to feed him too. The frustration is the length of sickness. Any of you have ideas how to keep your kids well. I haven't even taken him to the nursery at church hoping to keep him well. Thanks for any info you may have... Debby
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Croup
May 6, 2004 0:27:19 GMT -5
Post by MaggiesMom on May 6, 2004 0:27:19 GMT -5
Oh how familiar this sounds!
Maggie gets the croup every time she even gets a runny nose! We have to start using saline in her nebulizer as soon as possible along with the humidifier which runs 24/7 in her room.
We keep a bottle of Oraped in our fridge as we have to use it several times a year. We tried prednisone, but the oraped seems to work better for Maggie. Don't ask me if or what the difference is. I have not a clue. Steroids are steroids to me.
Sounds like you're doing all the right things to me. One thing I can tell you is that May and October have always been the worst time of the year for Maggie. The doctor finally gave her Rhinocort nasal spray and some allergy meds to ward off the seasonal changes. It does seem to help. You might want to discuss this with your ped if it seems to be following a pattern like allergies would follow.
Oh yeah, we also use mattress encaseings, wash sheets weekly and dust consistently to keep the dust down. Our family has a history to allergies, so we have kept up wiht it in her room for good measure. It works for Maggie.
Good luck!
Robin M
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Croup
May 6, 2004 12:12:44 GMT -5
Post by Ashlea on May 6, 2004 12:12:44 GMT -5
Sounds really familiar to me too.... Chandler had the same problems as a baby. He was on breathing treatments at home and when it got really bad we would go in to the dr office for steroid shots. He also took singulair (I think) and Zyrtec everyday which really seemed to help. Now he is doing fine, but still has allergies. I think it's just something they have to grow out of. Good Luck....
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Croup
May 6, 2004 12:48:08 GMT -5
Post by justinsmom on May 6, 2004 12:48:08 GMT -5
Hi Debby you just described Justins' first 2 years, for him it was always pneumonia which in turn triggered his asthma so off to the hospital for at least week stay because of the low sats. We use either prednisone or orapred supposedly the orapred tastes better. I have to say it does get better, also is it a possibility to have your son evaluated by a pediatric pulmonologist. As for the bags under his eyes that could also be a sign of allergies which in turn is triggering the rest just a thought I know for us here that is what does it. I also know the feeling we didn't take Justin anywhere between Oct and May. The steroids do do the trick, but from what you are describing it sounds just like the road we were on, Justin at age 2 had his tonsils and adnoids out which really gave his asthma and allergy meds the extra boost they needed prior to that he was hospitalized 6 times from Jan. to May with pneumonia and exaerbated asthma. I do believe you should try to have him evaluated by a pulmonologist to rule out allergies and asthma or if need be to get him on the correct meds so he won't have to keep going through this good luck and keep up posted and Prayers headed out for your little guy and if you have any questions let me know, we have totally been exactly where you are and it does get better as they get older and more mobile.
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Croup
May 13, 2004 8:58:16 GMT -5
Post by shellk on May 13, 2004 8:58:16 GMT -5
Kourtney had alot of the same issues as far a croup goes and was constantly on something..lots of antibiotics since when she got sick it always turned into upper resp. infection and the nebulizer and saline drops and pulmicort..albuterol...I will say that at age 3 she had her tonsils and adnoids removed and we have been lucky ( knock on wood)....we also keep up on dust and stuff in the house her and her dad have allergies and living in Florida with Terazzo floors and tile sand gets everywhere and the dust is awful....Hope your little one feels better soon (((((Big hugs)))))) Michele
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Croup
May 16, 2004 0:44:41 GMT -5
Post by kaylis2 on May 16, 2004 0:44:41 GMT -5
I've had the croup problem with my older son (4 yrs, not DS), but luckily not yet with my almost 5 mo old son (w/DS). What has helped Ari the most is being on Singulair every day to keep his asthma more controlled and using Xopenex (a steroid) in his nebulizer whenever he gets sick in the winter and spring. When he isn't sick he hasn't even needed the nebulizer since being put on the Singulair two years ago. He also takes allergy meds daily.
I'd suggest you check on a nebulizer for two reasons. First, the cardiologist my little one sees (for an ASD) said that nebulized Xopenex is easier on the heart than liquid steroids (as well as effecting growth less). The second is that you will have an easier time teaching your little one to tolerate a nebulizer the younger you start and you will probably need one at various points. I had to get Ari used to it at 13 months when the doctor finally heard the wheezing I'd been hearing since he was born. It took lots of patience and having to hold him down bodily many times before he got used to it.
Best of luck.
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Croup
May 23, 2004 22:23:56 GMT -5
Post by Claire on May 23, 2004 22:23:56 GMT -5
Adam 6 also had and still has croup attacks. They can be very scary. But I've been told by my doctor that althought it looks and sound very scary that it is not dangerous. Unless of course it happens when he has pneumonia at the same time, which he did a few times. Adam had 14 aspirational pneumonia by the time he was 2. My second oldest son 22 (not DS) also had croup. We took lots of trips to the bathroom for steam, and the doctors even suggested that if it was cold outside to bring him outside. Well I tried that once instead of the steam, and guess what it work a lot faster. Hope this helps you.
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Croup
Jun 13, 2004 23:24:55 GMT -5
Post by laurasnowbird on Jun 13, 2004 23:24:55 GMT -5
Debby, Sounds to me like you are doing everything right! When Ethan was struggling with those issues, we did the same things you are doing. The only additional things I could add would be to elevate the head of his crib to aid in the drainage (I put books under his mattress) and we also used saline in Ethan's nebulizer. That seemed to be really effective. (Not in place of his Albuterol, but as an additional treatment). We also found Orapred to be the most effective steroid, and we keep some in the fridge at all times. Ethan doesn't get sick often, but every cold he gets is accompanied by that croupy cough and stridor. One dose of Orapred and he's right as rain. Some moms on another list are big fans of something called Rhinoflow. I haven't tried it myself, but here's the link: www.allergy-sinusrelief.com/rhinoflow.htm
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Croup
Jun 14, 2004 10:32:23 GMT -5
Post by carolyn on Jun 14, 2004 10:32:23 GMT -5
Just to echo the others, John, now 5 had croup many times when younger, however he really hasn't been really sick with it in almost 2 years. The nebulizer really helps , I use it when he first starts to sound "croupy" and like LauraSnowbird I also use saline - I treat with albuterol every 4 hours and saline in between. I really believe this has shut down his attacks -before they get bad. I take the nebulizer with us no matter what whenever we spend the night at someone else's house or a hotel. He seems to be sensitive to changes in the air.
The good news is that it really does get better. Best of luck. Carolyn
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Croup
Jun 14, 2004 19:02:36 GMT -5
Post by momofrussell on Jun 14, 2004 19:02:36 GMT -5
Russell was like that after he had RSV. He didn't fully recover for a year. Does your son have reflux too? Because Russell has reflux and did so bad for years, it made recovering from RSV hard. And ANY time he got a mild cold he got a cough that lasted for MONTHS and sounded like he had croup half the time. The reflux tends to make it more "wet" inside and coughs worse. He was given Albuterol liquid once too after RSV.
I know you said your son didn't have RSV, but sounds like the outcome is the same. Reflux can make coughs and colds lots coughier, if there is such a word LOL. People use to look at me like I was torchering him. He still struggles after colds because of it.
good luck Debby!!!! Hope your baby boy feels better soon!!!
A.
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