Sunday morning at 5am my son woke up croup cough and so I did the normal run to the bathroom and turn the shower on for the moist heat that my doctor told me about many years ago. Well his throat closed up on him and he could not breathe it was the scariest thing I had to EVER deal with. I grabbed my daughters inhaler this helped get him to breathe again we rushed him to the ER and was told that they no longer tell moms to use the shower to treat croup it is now take them outdoors for cool air or open a freezer to help with the breathing. t(((hey are seeing a new trend with croup the throat closing and wheezing/pnumonia type symptoms.))) I HAD NO IDEA they also treated it with steroids which since I had gone to bed at 4:50am that same moring woke up to him coughing at 5am it makes for a VERY long day. He was so wired and I was very tired. I stayed up all night again for fear it would happen again. So mom, and Grandmom's just an FYI since I had been treating my son's croup like this for 4 years. I hope you don't have to go through this but if you do. Open the freezer instead of running a shower!!

I had always done the shower too. Thanks for the heads up.

thanks for letting us know, will save a life

What a fright you had. I would have done the same thing as that is what they told us to do and it seemed to work ok back then..Good to know about the cold air. I hope all is well with your family.

I was told this 7 yrs ago with my grands... I sat outside with them for hours, bundled up, rocking them while they slept. I guess it is the cold moist air...
I didn't know that there was a risk of their throats closing up with warm, moist air though :shock:

I am glad that there was a happy ending to your story! :D:D:D

Good to know! I ended up in the ER quite a few times when I was younger b/c of croup and I remember my mom sitting with me on the edge of the shower and the panicky feeling of not being able to breathe. I wouldn't wish that on anyone! DS has already had pneumonia (at 10 months old) so I worry he might have some of the same breathing troubles I had growing up.

Then how come it helped when we put them in the hot steamy bathroom back when my boys had it?
I can't imagine that croup has changed...back then the cool air seemed to make it worse...

Yep that is the newest trend. Of my 3 children, 2 had a lot of problems with croup. My son seemed to respond to the warm moistness, but when his sister came along 5 years later, she responded to the cold moistness. Her last really bad attack happened when she was about 5. She is now almost 28 and still talks about the night she and daddy sat on the front porch in the middle of one January night throwing snowballs into the yard! (In reality, it was daddy throwing the snowballs in an attempt to ease her fright at not being able to breath until the cold eased her breathing.

I wonder if there are different strains - like with the flu and many other illnesses?? They react differently to different environment changes??

{{{Hugs}}} I know exactly what you went through. My oldest son had frequent bouts of croup when he was a baby/toddler. We spent many nights in the ER and he was given the steroid injections. The doctors always told me to take him outside in the cool night air because it was better than the shower. It's a scary experience.

Since I had 1 who responded to cold and 1 to hot, I really think it depends on the child, but when you think about the physiology, it is inflammation and swelling that causes croup, and when you have an ankle that is swollen from an injury you use cold to reduce the swelling, so cold moistness makes sense. Interesting thing is that the same thing that causes croup in kids causes laryngitis in adults. I guess you just have to go with what works best for your child. But, I think that knowing what I know now, that I would try the cold first. Either way, it is always better to listen to your pediatrician.

With 2 boys, we were in the emergency room all the time...either sick or hurt! The one with the asthma is the one that responded the least, now that I'm really thinking back 20+years. I just did what the Dr. said...

One of my daughters was born with Asthma, and when her temp got up well over 100 and she was gasping for breath, I put her in a cool bath till it went down. Then, in the early 1960s, the Air Force doctors did tell us to use the warm, moist air. I remember sitting over a pot of steaming water with a sheet over my head with the baby gasping for breath under it with me.

Coffee was our first line of defense, no milk, just a little sugar. It seemed to help, as did chamomile and comfrey tea my Grandma suggested. Daughter's now 51, still has Asthma, I'll suggest she try the freezer bit when she has an attack.

Just remember, Asthma and croup are not the same thing. The cold air can trigger an asthma attack for some folks. Asthma is caused by airway constriction. I think that it triggers attacks for some folks because cold constricts or shrinks.

When my son had it many years ago- the docs said try the shower if that didn't work take him outside - start warm :wink: LOL

But seriously- it is not something to second guess - always consult a doctor

My now 29 year old son had croup twice a year like clock work from the time he was 1 until he was 4. He would feel it coming on and would cry and say "I'm getting the cough". Broke my heart.

Back those many yeas ago I was told to take him outside in the cold air. It was especially good if the air was misty. So that's what we did, worked really well.

We rushed him to emergency the first time he got it too, worse thing ever!

When I get broncitus ,I can usally breath better if I go outside in the cold air,it helps me stop couphingfor alittle while

Oh you poor thing, I went through that with my youngest. Its horrible when your child cant breathe. We spent hours in the bathroom with the shower on. I was afraid to sleep...oh gosh, I feel for you and your son. My sons now 17 and he has mild asthma only in the winter time. The cold air actually bothers his breathing. He's always been a little weird, thats why we love him!

Absolutely!

Been on the porch many a night. And it is so scary when that doesn't work. My daughter had the flu when she was three and developed what they called "strider". She was trying so hard to breathe that her tummy was sucking in almost flat. Very, very scary. And I was pregnant with Ben. She was so scared at the hospital. They kept us over night and she would only sleep with me, not in the hospital crib. She slept, I didn't. I was so worried and uncomfortable with my big belly and trying not to move so I didn't wake her. She didn't get a shot, but they nubulized her.

Just remember, Asthma and croup are not the same thing. The cold air can trigger an asthma attack for some folks. Asthma is caused by airway constriction. I think that it triggers attacks for some folks because cold constricts or shrinks.[/quote]
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Yes. She'll have to try one thing and then another, still has her inhalers that lives in her purse and in the house, just in case.
Still, the coffee thing still works a little for her even now. Being a teacher has her exposed to many germs and viruses that most folks can avoid, unfortunately. She's willing to try almost anything, even my old hill remedies.

As someone with Asthma, exposure to cold can really aggravate an attack. Asthmatics should follow the regimine that they and their doctor has determined works for them.

My son turned 30 this year and had very bad croup and asthma as a baby. When he started whezzing I always took him outside. I think his Dr.told me to do that back then already. Hope your little guy gets well soon.