My 8 year old daughter has coughs that last up to 8 weeks. The doctors say its just a cold could it be more?

Question

She has a strong odour from her vagina no matter how often she washes or baths, could this all be caused from to much yeast?? Is it even connected with the colds and coughs?
Im concerned with the amount of cough medicine she takes when this is happening. I was told by the dr. no to worry but im afraid there may be more to this...

Wow thanks for the responses... Here is some more info... Last year she was diagnosed with sinusitus which she was successfully treated for.. (After I demanded the dr. do tests) (again coughing was the main symptom) Now we have moved to another province and when the coughing started again I took her to the ER (because we have no dr. here) and he tested her for asthma (came up negative) I asked for him to xray her sinuses to ensure it wasnt sinusitus again. He would not he said it is just a cold.. 2 weeks later I took her back to the ER and demanded the dr (different one) take the xray well it came up negative.. No 3 months later the coughing starts.. No other symptoms that would lead me to believe it is a cold.
I am so frustrated with the medical system and lack of Dr's that give a damn. I keep getting turned away.. What other tests should I be demanding? We are on a waiting list for an allergist. Thanks for your comments,,

Answer 1

See a doctor ASAP. The one you're seeing now obviously is a horrible doctor not to see this, or doesn't want to "waste his time". Find a doctor that actually cares, do research for your area, and see a few doctors. You need to get on this right now, for your daughter.
You can go here too while you're doing research on finding a new doctor..
http://symptoms.webmd.com/symptomchecker

Answer 2

Always trust a mother's instinct more than a doctor's opinion. The vaginal odor does sound like a yeast infection and I would be giving her acidophilus bifidus and severely limiting her sugar and carb intake. A better snack for her would be flavored yogurt with live culture (it will say that on the container). The cough could be from allergies, as most persistent coughs are. I wouldn't go so far as to call it asthma as of yet. The cough medicine is clearly not helping and I tend to limit such treatments until the origin of the cough can be determined. Were it my child, I would begin with a homeopath (good ones can detect the source of the allergy and try a holistic approach first). If you are not comfortable with an alternative or holistic means of treatment, then I would suggest an allergist. Get a referral from a friend or family member and as with most of the other respondents, I would fire my pediatrician and look for another. These are not symptoms to mess with and untreated can develop into much more serious conditions. I wish you and your little one the very best of luck.

Answer 3

the odor could be coming from all the meds shes been taking..did you ask her if she has a itching or burning down there? I think she may have a yeast infection from the meds. I worry about bronchitis, 8 weeks is a long time to have a cold. I would talk to the doctor about maybe giving her a nebulizer for a while, some palmicort(steroid). I hope all is well.

What are her other symtoms, is she just coughing, alot of mucus, how was her palsox at the hospital, was it 95 % or above? whats her appitite like, is she able to hold her food down?
one more thing..go with your mother instinct, if something is telling you that something isn't right, go with it..
My daughter was a month old and developed cold like symptoms that were quite severe, the Dr's told be cold, well it lasted 7 months..to make a VERY long story short..my mother instinct told me not to believe these doctors, and thank god I didn't, because after MUCH perstance on my part, we found out that she had a very serious heart condition that needed sergery IMMEDIATLY, she would have died had it not been for my determination, I am not saying that your daughter is going to die BUT go with your gut!!!

Answer 4

My daughter is the same age and had a bad cough for 2 months and a lot of mucus for 2 more. She's finally better, but I had to home-school her because the doctor couldn't help me. The doctor simply said it was a virus and had to work it's way out and wouldn't give her an antibiotic.

Well I've been on the internet and discovered some virus has been going around Texas and New York and she got this from my neighbor, whose dad travels to Texas on business.

Thank god for the internet, when your doctor can't help you. I've discovered Coloidal silver from spiritofmaat.com is better than an antibiotic. And my daughter is fine now.

Also, your daughter probably has a yeast infection or even candida, which is caused by antibiotic use. So, you shouldn't give her anibiotics and instead learn how to kill the yeast by going to nutritioninstitute.com. They recommend a book Feast without yeast and getting a prescription for nystatin. Good luck!

Answer 5

Something does not sound right here. Get a Gynea to check her out. Or just talk to one.

As for cough. These medicine, if they do not suit her, she will keep coughing as they might irritate the throat..
I am no doc, but did suffer from all types of colds and coughs.

The normal Cough occurs for 3 reasons:
1. If one is not warm .
2. For an allergy
3. If over- protected with warm clothing or too warm room/ causes heat allergy.

Do check out a good physician.
Also when she coughs, give her some warm water to sip. Helps rid irritation and bring out phlegm if present. Tell her to avoid cold water for a while.

This heps me:

Make a decoction of grated ginger (1" piece), freshly ground almonds, some (say 10- 12) Indian Basil leaves if possible, or just Basil leaves, some 5 peppercorns , 2 or 3 cloves.
Boil in a pan with 3 cups of water; till water is dark and reduces to half or less.

Keep aside.

Put some of it in a cup and warm it when used. Add some honey to it and let her sip warm.
Honey and almonds make it go down smooth.
Maybe 2 or 3 times or even 4.

Helps such cough.
I wish you best with her.

Answer 6

Change doctors at once. This doctor isn't caring for your daughter and may overlook something potentially fatal at some time. The coughing and the discharge are not connected, but both are treatable and not to be overlooked. This is giving your daughter a wrong message emotionally, also, that she isn't worth anything. How sad, so of the 19th century when women didn't count.
Also, cough medicine is not a good thing at her age, in fact it is all over the news to not use it on children. Honey is and has been the best treatment as it soothes the throat, but after 8 weeks there is more to her cough than just a tickle.
Doctors are humans, and because of this, there are good and bad. When you go to a doctor and you don't get treated, then you have a BAD one. Move on, and get one you can trust, not for the small things, but for when the larger health issues come up. Good luck and how wonderful to hear from a parent who cares.

Answer 7

I can't speak for your doctor, but my son's pediatrician won't give the shots if the baby is sick. If you don't feel comfortable with this doctor then switch because you are placing your baby's health care in this persons hands, you should at least feel they are listening to you and care about your concerns. Anyway, maybe you can call and leave a message for the doctor explaining the appt is coming up and baby is very congested and ask if there is anything you can do for her or give her. She may be too young still for harsh antibiotics but they may recommend you try something else.

Answer 8

yes, yes and yes. yeast infection is more common than we suspect. a yeast infection takes hold when our immune system is down (e.g. having a cold or other infection). if the doctor gives her antibiotics (a common mistake they love to make as it's easier than other approaches) this will make the yeast problem worse. try NO ANTIBIOTICS next time she gets a cough. have her inhale steam (careful not to burn), perhaps with Vicks in it, drink lots of fluids, and take guaifenesin to loosen the phlegm (it's the main ingredient in Mucinex and many cough syrups).

Also, crucial to fighting yeast infection is cutting way back on sugar and any refined carbs. There are lots of good foods left to enjoy. A yeast infection can become systemic, meaning it's everywhere in our bodies. It affects our concentration and all our biological function, so don't take it lightly. Also don't expect mainstream medicine to be much help.

There are many books on the subject if you need more info, or go online and look up systemic yeast infection.

Answer 9

I have raised two girls and one boy to adults, so i have a fair amount of experience in this area. I constantly study health and alternative medicines for my own benefit and the health of my grandchildren and I have been doing so for the last fifteen years. I am as healthy as a horse and never catch colds or the flu. First of all, I would immediately quit giving your daughter cough remedies because they don't do anything to actually cure the problem and they generally do more harm than good. The best thing you can do for your daughter is to strengthen her imune system so her body can fight the infections itself. The human body has the ability to protect itself against almost any kind of infection if it has a strong imune system. To give your daughter a strong imune system, start by giving her large doses of vitamin C. At her age she should be getting at least 1500mg a day. Give her a good daily multi-vitamin also. There are several brands of chewable vitamin C on the market that will work just fine if she has trouble swallowing pills. For children, the vitamin C should be given in three to four doses a day, so that she receives a total of 1500 to 2000mgs daily. Vitamin C is THE most important vitamin you can give your child because the majority of the other vitamins and minerals depend on it for proper absorption. Don't worry if the directions on the container indicate a much smaller dose. They never recommend enough. The body can not hold vitamin C for more than a few hours so it is important to spread the doses out over the entire day. Do not be afraid of overdosing her with vitamin C. I have taken doses as high as 10,000mg per day with no problems at all. Be cautious not to give her more than the recommended dose of the multi-vitamins however, because some of the other vitamins can be dangerous if she receives too much. The strong vaginal odor could be caused by too much sugar intake. Be sure that she is not getting much sugar in her diet. High carb. foods also turn into sugar in the body, so limit the amount of high carb foods that she has. As an example, one cup of mashed potatoes is equal to 1/4 cup of sugar. High sugar and high carb. diets help promote yeast infections in children as well as adult women. They also promote diabetes. Be sure that she is getting plenty of liquids every day, but again avoid sweetened drinks. You should also follow these directions for yourself as well. You however should be getting 3000mg of vitamin C in three seperate 1000mg doses per day. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your health. It takes a while for your imune system to rebuild, so don't expect to see results over night. Give your daughter a month to recover, but rest assured she will improve drasticly. One other thing that I highly recommend for children who are prone to have lung infections, is an herb called "astragalis". You can find it at a good health food store. One other thing I should mention is, that if you or your daughter have a sensitivity to acid, you can use "ESTER-C" which has no acid. Avoid X-rays as much as possible because that is a very dangerous type of radiation. It can cause damage in the DNA. You should go online and visit the "HEALTH SCIENCE INSTITUTE". They are a large group of doctors and medical researchers who don't go along with the restrictive thinking of the general medical community. I think you will learn a great deal from their regular pulications. Be well and be happy.

Answer 10

Your daughter has two problems, but they could be 'connected' by an environmental factor in your home. The 'cough' is probably from 'low humidity' in the house, and that would also explain the odor from her vagina. I'm betting that you are turning the heat down and your daughter is 'bundling up' more ... little girls should NEVER wear any pajama bottoms or underpants to bed. They need to 'air out' down below, which can happen under covers as long as she's not wear cloth between her legs. As for the coughing, take her into the bathroom, shut the door, and turn the shower on HIGH as COLD as possible, and listen to her coughing. If it lets up, then what you'll need to do is find a good way to increase the humidity in the house, and especially in her bedroom. Both my husband and I live in an extremely dry apartment, and we now have two fish tanks (one 20 gallon, one 45 gallon) in our bedroom ... complete with fish in both. Neither of us has that 'nagging cough' any more, and I know that there is humidity in our bedroom, because I have to add at least a gallon of water to the larger tank and 1/3-1/2 gallon to the smaller tank once or twice a week. There will be an 'added good effect' if you put fish tanks with real fish into your daughter's bedroom ... she'll be calmer and be able to study harder, and her grades will improve. Yes, I knew about the 'calming' effect of fish, but have found that I can 'study harder and do more and better work, both mental and physical, since we added fish to our daily lives.
I'm sorry your doctor wasn't much 'help' with this, but believe it or not, doctor's DO NOT know everything ...
There could be a 'third' problem you daughter may have that could cause both the cough and the odor ... allergies. If your daughter has a runny nose, is it 'clear' mucus or 'white/yellow' mucus? If it's got color to it, it's a cold ... if it's clear she has allergies and you'll need to take her to an allergist for treatment ... her regular doctor or pediatrician can't 'test her' to find out what she's allergic to as easily. But here the 'added humidity' will also help ...

Answer 11

Sounds like something bacterial, has she been given amoxycillin or some other antibiotic? Has she had her sputum analyzed by a pathologist? I would take her to a different doctor and demand, if you have to, that they take a swab of her vagina and a sputum sample to determine if there is an infection underlying these symptoms. If she has a dry cough then it may be Pertussis (whooping cough) -- which can last for three months -- combined with a UTI that could be causing these symptoms. Go to Web MD and check out these two illnesses and see if they match your child's symptoms.

Good Luck, I hope she feels better soon.