Croup...Yuck

I took V to his pediatrician's office today because he's been sick for the past three days. At three o'clock Sunday morning, V woke up with the worst cough I've ever heard. It had that "barking" sound we've all been told could be a sign of something like whooping cough. He coughed so much that he suddenly had difficulty breathing. It was very scary, both for him and for B and I. The breathing difficulty didn't last too long, and after he was given a little Children's Motrin for his fever, he settled down and went back to sleep. Though it was never as bad as that first night, his cough remained over the course of the next three days and nights, as did his high fever. I could tell he was feeling absolutely miserable, but after speaking to the nurse at his doctor's office Monday morning, I found out there was nothing I could do to help him, except give him lots of fluids. She told me that if the fevers and coughing continued after a couple of more days, I could bring him into the office to get checked out. After our fourth night of very little sleep, I decided it was time for his doctor to see him. B had talked to one of the pediatrician's at the hospital on Sunday, who thought it sounded like croup. Well, V's doctor agreed with that physician, today. We didn't have a terribly long wait, but V was so tired (probably from coughing and not sleeping well) that he fell asleep in my arms before the doctor came into the exam room. He did remarkably well during the exam, too. Usually, his well checkups are complete nightmares. You'd think he'd be perfectly fine around doctors, since his father happens to be one. However, over the past couple of years, he's associated doctors with getting shots and having his ears poked and prodded. He did wake up during the exam, especially when the stethoscope was placed on his back. However, he didn't put up too much of a fight when his ears were examined, and he did cough a little, giving the doctor a better understanding of his illness. We were given a sheet of paper with information on croup and instructions on what we're supposed to do when he has "coughing fits" (not a technical term, but what I would call them) and stridor, which is the name for the harsh, raspy breathing related to croup. The only thing we can really do is observe him and make certain he's continuing to improve instead of getting worse. If the coughing and stridor get too bad, we can run a hot shower and have him breathe in the steam, or we can take him out into the cold air, which is supposed to help his airways open up. We can continue giving him Motrin for fever or pain, but that's about it, since cough/cold medicines are not recommended for children anymore. And, so, we wait, and watch, and hope he starts feeling better soon. And, I've learned to arm myself with tons of Kleenex, because the mucus coming from his nasal cavity is plentiful. Ewwww....
Best to you all,
Amanda