the Persistent Cough

Kae started having a cough 2 weeks ago.

At first it was not that serious. Then she started to cough in her sleep. So last week we brought her to the clinic at Thomson Medical Centre. It sort of grew worse even after she completed her course of antibiotics. Hence we went back on Thursday. The pd was quite worried and asked for a blood test and an X-ray to make sure that the culprit was not pneumonia. Luckily for us, Kae was a very good girl, not to mention brave, and did not flinch when doing the X-ray and the blood test. She did whine a bit when she saw the red blood and not when she was poked at her finger.

The tests were all clear. No pneumonia. But it turns out that there are some "pericascular mottlings" in Kae's lungs, i.e. slight mucus found in her lungs. The pd said it's a mild case of bronchitis. Kae was given another round of antibiotics amongst the usual medication. Plus inhalation therapy: medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs using a device called a nebuliser.

This is the first time I've seen or heard of such a treatment. Apparently, it is commonly used in treating respiratory diseases like asthma. Kae had to sit holding the mask at her nose for a good 10-15 minutes inhaling the smoke. Which is quite tough as she is really quite hyper and can't sit still for too long. She did not however reject the treatment as other kids did (a lot of kids were given the same treatment at the clinic), but instead, find it to be fun and interesting. We call it her breathing toy, and she somehow keep thinking that it's a dryer, as in hair dryer. Hah!

So she has been on her medication and the inhaler (3 times daily) for the past 2 days; we had to rent the nebuliser from TMC for the treatment. Her cough seems to not have improved much, though it was said it will take some time for the mucus to clear.

Hopefully, she will get well soon. She will be away from school till next Wednesday; we still have have to bring her back for a follow up coming Tuesday. Sigh. I wonder if its our fault for bringing her to the pd a week too late. Sorry Kae.