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Any experience with Croupe?

stgn01stgn01 member
in Stay at Home Moms
DD woke up at 3am today and couldn't breathe.  She was scared, I was scared, and I couldn't wait for the pedi to call me back.  I took her to the ER and she ended up throwing up as soon as we got there.  She could not regulate her breathing.  They diagnosed her with Croupe and gave her a steriod treatment.  They said this will likely be her only time experiencing this because it usually happens to kids under 3 and usually happens in the fall/winter.  It was scary as shit seeing her not being able to breathe.  She seemed fine as soon as she was done the breathing treatment and this morning is acting normally (minus the hyper steroid attitude).  I don't think this is something we'll be dealing with the next few days....at least that's what the nurses seemed to think.  What was your experience?  And how do you get the picture of your child not breathing out of your head?  Seriously, scary!


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Re: Any experience with Croupe?

  • NicoleWINicoleWI member

    Yes, my first DD got croup frequently and still occasionally does. So, I don't necessarily agree you won't have it again. My youngest has never had it and my middle has only had it once. Just weird genetic luck, I guess. It is SOOO scary. The first time DD had it she wasn't even one year old yet.  I had never been so scared. I thought she was going to stop breathing on the way to the ER.

    Most people seem to get croup more mildly. Like, they get a cold, get a croupy cough, and maybe have some stridor (the rough breathing that makes that whistling noise) at night, but it resolves with steam or cold night air. For us, DD usually had almost NO symptoms and then would just wake up at night having trouble breathing. They should have given you guidelines on when to treat at home vs. when to come in. If there is stridor even at rest and the chest is retracting with breaths, you definitely need to go in. If it's not bad and you can get through the night, then in our area we go in the next morning for an oral steroid that helps get them through the next couple of days. That oral steroid doesn't seem to be widely available, though. It's decadron and they put it in a cherry syrup. Some places either don't have it or offer it only as an injection. The steroids are absolutely magical.

    Now that DD is 5.5, she has only had it about once a year and we have been able to sometimes treat at home. She was in the ER this winter one time, though--it had been a long time and I thought we were done with croup but I guess not! I'm hoping that was the last bad round.

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  • stgn01stgn01 member
    NicoleWI said:

    Yes, my first DD got croup frequently and still occasionally does. So, I don't necessarily agree you won't have it again. My youngest has never had it and my middle has only had it once. Just weird genetic luck, I guess. It is SOOO scary. The first time DD had it she wasn't even one year old yet.  I had never been so scared. I thought she was going to stop breathing on the way to the ER.

    Most people seem to get croup more mildly. Like, they get a cold, get a croupy cough, and maybe have some stridor (the rough breathing that makes that whistling noise) at night, but it resolves with steam or cold night air. For us, DD usually had almost NO symptoms and then would just wake up at night having trouble breathing. They should have given you guidelines on when to treat at home vs. when to come in. If there is stridor even at rest and the chest is retracting with breaths, you definitely need to go in. If it's not bad and you can get through the night, then in our area we go in the next morning for an oral steroid that helps get them through the next couple of days. That oral steroid doesn't seem to be widely available, though. It's decadron and they put it in a cherry syrup. Some places either don't have it or offer it only as an injection. The steroids are absolutely magical.

    Now that DD is 5.5, she has only had it about once a year and we have been able to sometimes treat at home. She was in the ER this winter one time, though--it had been a long time and I thought we were done with croup but I guess not! I'm hoping that was the last bad round.

    This is exactly what happened!  No symptoms, no fever or coughing, nothing!  Just woke up in the middle of the night not being able to breathe!  The nurse said that as kids get older, they have a tendency to outgrow it because their airways get bigger?  I just hope it's a once and done thing.  They also told me about home treatments in the future, but said it was good I brought her in because she wasn't able to regulate her breathing by herself.  I'll be on edge the next couple of nights!  Thanks for telling your story.  That was pretty much how it happened.  Makes me feel better we're not the only ones this happened to.   


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  • JMC11511JMC11511 member
    It is really scary! DS has had croup a handful of times. For us, he does well with a humidifier in his room, Vicks on his chest and the bottom of his feet, a steamy bathroom for a little while, and he has an inhaler. He ALWAYS gets bad chest colds in the winter and tends to have some breathing troubles anyway. He was a preemie and spent time in the NICU because of his lungs, so I won't be surprised if it turns out he has asthma. Hope your LO is feeling better and you don't have to deal with it again! 
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  • zbeesma86zbeesma86 member
    No experience with croup-- but wanted to say hope your DD feels better! Sorry you had such a scare this morning!!
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  • NicoleWINicoleWI member

    If your DD is four already, you are probably mostly okay but it could happen again. My post wasn't totally clear. My DD had croup a whole bunch of times as a baby until, oh, about 3 years old. Since then, though, it's only been maybe once a year, so it definitely has gotten much better with age. And, I'm still hoping that maybe we're done with it now that she is 5.5.

    Good luck and good job for taking her in!

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  • JCMJCM member
    CnAmom said:
     In addition to the treatments, taking her into a steamy bathroom and/or outside in cold air will help open her airways. 

    Stuck in the box: I agree with what @CnAmom said.  DD got it last fall at 4 years old & her pedi said to alternate between warm steam & cold air.  Since we're in TX & we don't have cold air in the fall so she said to open the freezer door & let her breath in the cold dry air.  Both of these things seemed to really help her. We kept a cool mist humidifier in her room & put Vicks on her chest.  Best of luck!
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