madmooch Report post Posted October 28, 2006 Hi, I had to get the emergency DR out 4.30am this morning as H woke up gasping for breath, coughing and wretching - I panicked, I have never seen him like that before, so i got the Dr out and he gave him a good check over all the time H was giggling his head off! He said it was probably croup and to put him in the bathroom with steam - due to H's toilet obsession i opted for cool air . It came out of the blue, He hasn't even had a bad cold! Does anyone know where croup comes from or what causes it? Surprisingly the oncall GP was really good with H and showed him what he was going to do and all his instruments and let him play with the stethascope and he was p[utting the stethascope on his own chest I know that sounds like nothing but he his like a big baby so things he does like that make me soooooo proud Clare Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LizK Report post Posted October 28, 2006 Croup is due to a viral infection that affects the upper airways causing a barking cough and funny noise on breathing in. It can sound very scary, must have been frigtening for you <'> <'> <'> Steam is the traditional treatment though a short course of steroid tablets tends to work well too. Croup is usually worse at night and ofte you can have 2 or 3 bad nights before it settles down. Hope he feels better soon Lx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madmooch Report post Posted October 28, 2006 Thanks, I didn't think it affected children as old as 5 - I always thought it was a baby thing. H has never really even had a cough or any chest problems so it was very scary seeing him like that. Clare Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thepinkpanther Report post Posted October 28, 2006 Hi there my son has had croup on many occassions it sounds worse than what it really is apparently!although I admit the first time Ben had it I was really worried. I found that steam helped alot, Steam the bathroom up and play with a few toys on the floor for half hour. Barking noise will go after few days. Mornings are usually the worst where they have been lying down all night Sarah Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jax Report post Posted October 30, 2006 Hi, Both my kids have suffered from croup and yes it does sound really frightening - once you have heard that barking cough you never forget it! My son stopped getting it when he was 5 and my daughter still gets it and she's 6. Not much can help apart from steam and cold air (midnight walks in the garden). The last time my daughter had it h/e she woke up very distressed saying she couldn't breathe and her crying made it worse - once she had calmed down a bit she sounded a bit better but as she also gets asthma, I took her to the local A&E. I felt that I was being a bit overprotective, but with breathing I didn't want to take any chances. She had some oral hydrocortisone (think that was what it was?) and a few days off school to get over the cold and tiredness she felt after. The doctor was really nice and said that if in any doubt about going to hospital to trust your instincts and go - it was the right choice. I think it is quite unusual for older children to get it - as their windpipe grows they are less suseptible to it getting inflamed, it is not a virus in itself, rather a reaction to certain cold viruses. Jax Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
