“my little girl is 13 months old. she has been under the weather over a week now. temperature up and down everyday but nothing too concerning highest is probably been 38. everyday i have to give her a paralink suppositry as she is very bad at taking medicine orally, gets so distressed makes herself sick. anyway she has a runny nose-clear all the time and a chesty cough constantly. shes gone off her foods, drinks her bottle of milk and takes water. today again a temperature, coughing that much she is getting sick. this happens nearly everyday from the coughing. shes just not herself but i went to my doctor already last week and she said its viral. that its not down on her chest its higher. i dont know what to do, i just feel shes miserable. should i go to my out of hours doctor for a 2nd opinion?”
Absolutely, take her back to the GP/out-of-hours GP if you are worried. And the vomiting after coughing isn’t normal.
But, it’s not really for a second opinion. Doctors expect to see you back if viral bugs aren’t settling , usually after 48-72 hours, depending on the bug and symptoms, or if your child’s symptoms change/worsen. It’s always okay to bring your child back if they aren’t settling as discussed. Get in the habit of asking doctor as you leave: What should you expect? When should you worry? What should you look for? When would doc suggest you might need to bring child back?
What else should a savvy mammy know about coughs?
Vomiting after coughing isn’t normal. Always see your GP.
Also, always see GP if your child is having trouble breathing, is very unwell, not taking oral fluids, has a temperature and is less than 3 months, has asthma and a new or worsening cough, or may have swallowed/inhaled something.
A fever or “temperature” is 38 degrees or above. Paracetamol is useful for treating pain or fever over 38 degrees, unless recommended otherwise by your doctor.
If a child also has runny/stuffy nose: are you clearing child’s nose with a nasal aspirator and saline drops? Using a warm mist/cool steam humidifier? inhalants such as Snufflebabe, Vick Baby, or Calpol Plug in can help.
Commercial/over-the-counter cough bottles are next to useless.
Any cough going on more than 3 weeks should be looked by your GP to make sure it isn’t something like asthma.
Salt caves/salt therapy doesn’t work and is NOT recommended.
I just know that you know that childhood vaccines should be up-to-date. Vomiting after coughing used to make docs worry about whooping cough (pertussis). Then we didn’t have to because #vaccineswork. Unfortunately, thanks to the anti-vaccination movement, a surge in diseases that had almost disappeared are back. Earlier this year, I posted on social media how hospital docs like myself had to get an update on whooping cough earlier this year. And there are 84 cases so far this year (pregnant mammies: get that booster to protect your little newborn! Consider asking new grandparents to get the booster, too.)
Whooping cough starts like a cold: sneezing, runny / stuffy nose, and a mild cough. But after 1 to 2 weeks, the cold symptoms get better, but the cough becomes severe attacks; children can gag, choke, vomit, or have trouble breathing. It doesn’t start to get better for 2 – 3 weeks, and it can take weeks to months for the cough to go away completely. (your grandparents may have called it the “100 day cough”). Though whooping cough got its name from a “whoop” sound when they breathe in after a severe coughing attack, not everyone does this. Whooping cough requires antibiotics and can be deadly in small babies.
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