And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Since Eddie was 6 months old he has a chronic hacking cough that would come and go and come and go. It would get worse during allergy season and we already knew that he has severe seasonal (among other airborne) allergies. Also, EVERY SINGLE TIME Eddie gets a cold, he has a hacking cough for WEEKS sometimes a month after.

Last night, after 2 weeks of his seasonal allergies starting and coughing A LOT at night, he was up for 2 hours, just hacking, and gagging and trying to catch his breath in between coughing fits. I sat in the steamy shower with him, put the humidifier with the vicks solution on in his room, used the rub, gave him benadryl to dry him up, lots of water, etc NOTHING helped. I called the ped nightline and she said that I was doing all I could without seeing the ped in the morning and getting scripts. It was awful, so bad that I actually considered taking him to the ER. But I ended up sleeping with him and he eventually fell asleep to only have him wake up 2 hours later and the whole thing started again.

We've been back and forth for YEARS on this cough. Hes been on every allergy medication under the sun, albuterol, to treat allergies and they kept chalking it up to drip from the allergies. While that it part of it, they determined today that he has what is called Cough Variant Asthma.

It is not asthma in the traditional sense where his airway closes up and he wheezes and needs an inhaler. Its sole symptom is a chronic, hacking cough triggered by allergies or respiratory infections such as colds. It also most commonly presents itself at night, hours after sleeping. Whereas if drips were solely responsible it would begin within half an hour or so of laying down bc the sinuses would drain. With CVA, it starts hours into sleeping.

So hes been sent home with lots of scripts and a nebulizer. We are to administer for 2 weeks and then go back to ped to update and then off to the allergist for more specialized care since its an allergen triggered asthma.

So while Im not glad my little guy has asthma, Im glad we are starting to get answers and an idea of what the true problem is and can begin treating the origins of the cough instead of just masking the symptoms.

Its such a relief.

Message edited 3/22/2010 9:32:56 PM.

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

my poor baby

I'm glad there is an answer. But how does it work? Does he have to be on a nebulizer all allergy season long?

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Posted by DPerotti

my poor baby

I'm glad there is an answer. But how does it work? Does he have to be on a nebulizer all allergy season long?

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

i'm so glad you have an answer!! hope little eddie feels better soon!!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Posted by bonitachyc

i'm so glad you have an answer!! hope little eddie feels better soon!!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

what a journey!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Glad you finally got an answer

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

poor kid..

at least you finally have a solution!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

awwww thanks ladies. me too!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

for Eddie! Hopefully now he can get a treatment that works for him!

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

Hope he feels better soon.

Re: And we have a diagnosis for DS after almost 3 years!

So great that they finally gave you an answer and hopefully a solution. Atleast now you can take the steps needed to get him feeling better.