Congestion Question

[Betty04]

Hi,

 

My 6 year old son is suffering for the first time with horrible nasal congestion that started with the spring allergy season. I initially took this as a positive sign that this is the first time his body has responded to allergens with an "allergic reaction" instead of a neurological reaction of increased tics. However the pattern of his congestion is confusing. His congestion only really occurs at night not when outside playing. We have been dosing him with benedryl and sinus rinses but it does not stop him from getting up in the middle of the night sneezing and stuffed up. And if it was seasonal allergies I would expect the night to be his best time since I never open a window in my house, the whole house has an air filter, and he has an additional hepa filter next to his bed and I dust and change sheets regularly? So I guess my question is, is this maybe related in some way to tick born illnesses? The congestion began before any change in antibiotics?I I'm desperate this morning as he is begging me to stay home from school because he can't breathe, and this is after 2 sinus rinses and 2 benedryl doses! Thanks for any thoughts!

[cobbiemommy]

I am going to answer your question from two different perspectives:

 

1) I had major seasonal allergies as a child, teen and young adult. My nose would be stopped up horribly and at night I could not breathe. Once, I went through a whole box of Kleenex in one night. We tried all of the allergy meds available at the time, but only ClorTrimeton or Dimetap (?) ever seemed to help. This was in the late 70's, so I am sure the meds are much improved and daily Zyrtec works great for me, now. So it could be allergies, consult with an allergist if you can afford it.

 

2) DS, has allergies, but when he first started on Doxy he had a major herx and tons of stuff started draining out of his nose. When he was switched to Rifampin, again another huge amount of snot started to come out of his nose. I mean the volume was unbelievable for about three days. We are consulting with an ENT next month to make sure there is no underlying infection in his nose or sinuses. What you might take from this is it could be a herx. Anytime a child has that much drainage they are miserable and are not going to get much out of school, so why not keep them home?

 

Hope it dries up soon.

Cobbie

 

P.S. Here's a song my goofy older brother used to sing to me. When your nose is really runny and you think it's kind of funny, IT'S SNOT. IT'S SNOT! What a guy!

[Familyof5]

Hi,

 

My 6 year old son is suffering for the first time with horrible nasal congestion that started with the spring allergy season. I initially took this as a positive sign that this is the first time his body has responded to allergens with an "allergic reaction" instead of a neurological reaction of increased tics. However the pattern of his congestion is confusing. His congestion only really occurs at night not when outside playing. We have been dosing him with benedryl and sinus rinses but it does not stop him from getting up in the middle of the night sneezing and stuffed up. And if it was seasonal allergies I would expect the night to be his best time since I never open a window in my house, the whole house has an air filter, and he has an additional hepa filter next to his bed and I dust and change sheets regularly? So I guess my question is, is this maybe related in some way to tick born illnesses? The congestion began before any change in antibiotics?I I'm desperate this morning as he is begging me to stay home from school because he can't breathe, and this is after 2 sinus rinses and 2 benedryl doses! Thanks for any thoughts!

Do his symptoms mostly bother him when in bed? If so, try shutting of hepa air filter for a week to see if his symptoms clear up. I found the air filters in my children's rooms made symptoms worse for them--it blew up dusty air that settled in corners of their room--too dirty to be filtered.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Familyof5

[Betty04]

Thanks for the responses. I kept him home from school today as I would not send him if he doesn't feel well, especially since its just kindergarten. By noon his congestion was not bothering him but once he got back into his bedroom tonight it all came back. I had the house air filter changed today and dusted, vacuumed and washed and replaced bedding. The Hepa filter in his room we have been using for 4 years with no issue so I don't think its that? Tomorrow night I am going to experiment and have him sleep in my bedroom. I'll post if I figure anything out. Thanks again for the feedback.