I thought I would write about something that’s been an issue for us in the last few months, croup. I’m not a medical expert but I thought I would share what I have learned about the virus and how we have coped with it.
Symptoms
In May Daisy was a little under the weather, she sounded a little chesty and hoarse.
At first, we presumed she was coming down with a cold. She is normally a fantastic sleeper, so after a whole day and night with no sleep she was exhausted.
In the early hours of a Sunday morning, her breathing became laboured and she had developed a barking cough. Her temperature had begun to rise despite her already having paracetamol medicine to bring it down.
Ambulance
We decided to phone the NHS helpline to see what they suggested as with it being a Sunday our GP surgery was closed. After taking some details from us and listening to Daisy’s breathing on the phone, she insisted on sending an ambulance. This was quite frightening as you can imagine.
Hospital
On arriving at the hospital Daisy was diagnosed with croup and given some steroid medicine to ease her airways and help her breathe. She also had some ibuprofen medicine to help with her temperature.
Within twenty minutes she sounded a lot better and began to perk up The nurses and doctors were fantastic, we are so lucky to have the NHS. After a few days, she was back to her normal self much to our relief.
Not Again!
Last weekend Daisy started displaying the same symptoms of croup again. I was quite shocked that she had developed the virus again in such a short space of time.
We decided to take her to the hospital on Monday as we could start to see her following the same pattern as last time. Daisy was given the same treatment again and is now recovering at home. I know childhood illnesses are unavoidable and I’m so thankful that she is normally a super healthy child who barely gets a cold.
Here are some facts about croup, I didn’t really know what it was properly before Daisy had it so I did a little research.
What Is Croup?
- Croup is a condition very common in childhood, it affects the windpipe, the airways to the lungs and the voice box.
- In 80% of cases, it’s caused by a viral infection
- Croup can affect young children from 6 months to 3 years, it’s most common in 2-year-olds.
- About 3 in 100 children will suffer from it each year.
Treatment
Most cases of croup won’t require any treatment, but severe cases can be treated with steroids to reduce the swelling in the throat.
Although not medically proven, steam can help in some cases.
The things you can do at home that might help a little is to provide plenty of fluids and lots of cuddles. Also, keep your child in an upright position and try and get them to stay as calm as possible.
Prevention
Croup is spread in a similar way to the common cold so is quite difficult to prevent. Good hygiene, such as washing hands and surfaces regularly can help.
Above is the second lot of steroids we had to give to Daisy. They are really easy to administer as they dissolve in water.
Hopefully in the next few days, she will be back to her old self. I feel better now I have information about croup and understand what it is.
Has your little one suffered from croup? What did you do to cope?
Angela x