Experiences with Croup

[Bernie & Matt]

My DS has croup for the first time and it's driving me nuts. Every coughing attacks puts me on edge and I just don't know what to do. It seems to have started on Sunday morning, although we didn't know it was croup until midnight that evening. The dr. said to watch for strider, which I don't think he has, but still..... We do the hot steam and since it's like 150 degrees here, we've been trying the freezer since cool night air is non-existant. It seems like the last couple days have been worse instead of better.

How long can I expect this to last? At what point to I bite the bullet and look at steroids?

[Meme]

Bernie & Matt - I am a lurker, but when I saw your post, I felt I should respond. My DD has had croup two times, and we ended up in the hospital over night the first time and four nights the second time. If your DS is experiencing labored breathing which to me looks like the chest is caving in when he is breathing, I think you should either take him to the pediatrician or to the ER. I know with my DD, the second time we took her to the ped. and before we knew it, we were being transported by ambulance to Children’s Hospital. Now, I don’t mean to scare you, but it was pretty bad (lethargic, dehydration). Steamy rooms and cold air did nothing for her. Her ped. says if she gets it again just to take her to the ER. Her first case lasted a few days, and the second time was about six days. Both times she did have steroids. Are you against DS having steroids? I don’t know if my DD’s croup would have cleared up without them, but then I never thought to ask either.

~Meme

[alisong]

Bernie - My DS had croup about a month ago. Scary, isn't it? :( My DS did need steroids (his breathing was sounding pretty terrible, and his pulse ox was worryingly low). When we first went to the doctor (urgent care, not ER) they gave him oxygen and inhaled steroids, and he was a little better after that. Then they gave him oral prednisone, which he promptly threw up. There was no way we were going to be able to get enough of it into him, so we had to bring him into the clinic every day for injections. :( It was substantially better by then end of the five days. However, his cough has lingered ever since, and he still has some wheezing, so we took him back to the doctor last week and got some oral albuterol. He's much better now.

So that's our experience - it's definitely the sickest he's been. If your DS just has the barking cough, and doesn't seem to be wheezing or sucking in air you could probably get away without steroids. However, I've read articles saying that they're now recommending that even mild cases of croup be treated with steroids. From your avatar it looks like your DS is younger (mine is 18 months), so you might have more luck getting oral prednisone in him.

Good luck!

[Bernie & Matt]

Thanks for sharing so far.

No, I'm not against steroids, but I didn't want to be the worrywort mama if this was just something they go through. It sounds like from both of your experiences I should be getting DS to the dr (he's 25 months, BTW). I don't see his chest being sucked in like meme mentioned, but I definitely hear wheezing and heavy breathing.

He also seems to have developed a slight, very slight, runny nose. Is that part of this too?

[Meme]

DD did have cold-like symptoms now that you mentioned it (runny nose, fever). If it were me, I would probably take him to the doctor just to be on the safe side since it isn't getting any better. I don't think the doc would give him steroids if he didn't need it. I know with DD, when she needed steroids (the inhaled kind), she needed to be montiored for 24 hours after because they said it would speed up her heart rate. That is why we had to stay in the hospital. If she needed another round of them, I knew we were staying another day. They did send us home with a prescription for oral steroids. The very first time she did vomit after taking it at the doctor's office like Alisong's DS but was fine when they were given to her at the hospital and by me. Oh, and her croup was always worse at night to the point where we actually moved her crib in our room so we knew she was OK.

[Brink]

I second (or is it third) taking them to the dr. My DD has had it a couple of times and if left untreated it can be really serious. Within a short period of getting the meds, she was already feeling better. The problem with croup is that you think they are better during the day and it isn't until 1am that you realize how bad it is. Then your only alternative is taking them to the ER.

Good luck!

[Bernie & Matt]

We did take him in yesterday, based on the responses here, and got oral predisone (or something like that). He only woke once last night (amazing!) and even then it was for a drink, not for coughing, and he's much closer to normal today. Now we just have some sleep to catch up on.

Thanks for sharing!

[alisong]

Yay! I'm so pleased to hear he's doing better already.

It's a difficult balance, isn't it? To know when you really need to take your kid in, and when you're being a worrywort. I had to have a conversation with a pediatrician friend before I was convinced that this might actually be serious.

[lil_nance]

I'm responding from personal not parental experience. I know a lot has changed since I was a kid, but I had croup ALL the time. I would guess at least a few times a year. Every I got cold seemed to turn into croup. My parents made a tent over my bed and used a warm steam vaporizor. They also had me sleep on one of those triangular tv wedge pillows to keep my head elevated. I doubt I had steroids. Still to this day when I get sick, I get a really barky sounding cough. As long as the breathing isn't labored you're probably ok but it wouldn't hurt to go to the dr. and be safe.

[LILRTL]

Ugh. Croup. We have dealt with it twice. We had to take steroids and an antibiotic to prevent infection (of some sort). DS started getting better around the 3-4th day, and it was completely gone by day 6 of the steroids.

Oh - just finished reading. So glad he is doing better already! DS was on the prednisone, too. Hope he stays on the mend! :D

[Meme]

Glad to hear that DS is feeling better. I know from my experiences with DD that croup can be a scary thing to go through.