DS is REALLY sick. He has been sick for a week but been really bad the last two nights. He was up almost all night. He has congestion really bad, has trouble catching his breath. He is getting to the point where he is refusing to nurse because he can't breath and chokes. I have done everything, humidifier, suction nose, steamy bathroom. I am thinking of taking him to the doc but not sure if they can actually do anything. He is so miserable. It made me cry last night because he kept waking up coughing and would give this pitiful wail then just sort of whimper. He is very hoarse. Any ideas???

THE RESPONSES:

• B & T is the only thing that worked with DS. B & T Children's cough medicine - its a homeopathic with a blue/white label. The doc probably can't do anything aside from give him antibiotics and what's going around this year isn't bacterial - at least what's going on down here. How is the mucus? Green? Stringy? White?

• I agree they won't do anything except give antibiotics or steroids if the inflammation is seriously making it impossible for him to breathe.

• Do you have any peppermint or eucalyptus oil? You can diffuse those or give him a massage (they would need to be diluted in a carrier oil - even olive oil will do). Those really help congestion. When DS is sick I make up a combination - carrier oil, tea tree, rosemary and peppermint. But just use what you have. If you don't have any and can only buy 1, I would go with peppermint. It is amazing!

• Sounds like what we had last week. I agree that there is not much the doctor could do anyway. Unless he is really having serious trouble breathing, you can do as much as the doctors can. Have you tried aconite? That seemed to help DS, especially with the croupy stuff.

• I swear by Mullein and Black Elderberry for croup. Also rub his chest with TTOil - does a steamy bathroom help him? how about cold night air?

Are you trying to supress or encourage his cough? If his lungs are full of mucous you'll want to encourage the cough. I sat up at night (held DD upright) during the worst nights and slept in a steamy bathroom. Steam helped her.

• Keep up the steamy bathroom routine, put Euculyptus{sp?} oil in the shower before you turn it on so it fills the air.