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About a month ago, my husband went to the dentist for the first time in about four years. Needless to say, his teeth were really dirty, and it took two visits to get all the crud scraped off them. However, a day or so after the first visit he developed this deep, racking chest cough that he's had ever since. It hasn't really gotten any better or worse overall in the past month, it's just always there. It immediately gets a lot worse when he lies down, which makes getting to sleep a half-hour- to hour-long ordeal, and sometimes he coughs in his sleep also. It's mostly a dry cough, when it does produce any gunk, it's colorless. OTC cold medicines don't seem to do much for it, and it sure doesn't seem to be going away on its own. So, Sara and whatever other medical type people might be out there, do you think he might have inhaled some bacteria from the loosened tooth-crud that infected his lungs? He's hesitant to go to a doctor because we have no health insurance and not much money, but if this is something urgent, I suppose we'll find it somewhere. What say you?
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Stray, I think it's very very unlikely that this has anything to do with the teeth cleaning. Let me clear my head & catch up on some work stuff, and I'll try to clarify what I would and would not worry about, myself. I hope that will help.
Meanwhile, he doesn't have any known heart disease or diabetes, or any other chronic medical conditions, does he? Any major surgeries or hospital stays in the past?
(Theca would be better than I to help you think through this, since she is someone who takes care of grownups, but I'll do my best.)
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Sara, is there anything going around the young child set right now? Thomas is sick, after having been in day care a few days and around other kids more recently, I was just curious if there was a particular ailment this could be.
He mostly has a fever (101-102) and just wants to be held. No other symptoms that we've noticed. I don't think he's teething as he typically doesn't get a fever like that (and he would usually be running around still).
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Tick,, there's a definite cold bug sweeping through here, but I don't know about New York. Sometimes these things get very specific.
Things to watch out for:
1) increased fussiness when you lay him flat, tugging at ears, and inability to console (with this spectrum I'd wonder about ear infection even without the typical runny nose first)
2) highish fevers but no other symptoms for about three days, then suddenly fevers are gone and he breaks out in a lacy little pink rash (think roseola, which peaks in fall and spring, and which we are seeing a few cases of here in Wisconsin)
3) frequent small wet diapers, nasty odor to the urine, ongoing fevers (think urinary tract infections, which is rare in boys but important to catch if it's there)
How old is Thomas again?
(Good luck! Keep him hydrated.)
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Okay, thanks Sara, I really appreciate any advice you can give, whenever you can give it No rush. To answer your questions, no, Paul is really healthy, he has no ongoing medical conditions, no surgeries or hospital stays, nothing like that. He hardly ever catches a cold, even. He's been to the doctor two or three times in the past few years, just for stuff like a sprained thumb and an ear infection, and none of it recent. He and I were joking that the four-year bacteria cultures in his mouth were keeping all the other germs out, and now that his defenses have been stripped he's vulnerable to foreign invaders.
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He's closing in on 18 months quickly. I don't think it's an ear infection...Jen got those through her whole childhood, so she'd recognize the signs. No ear pulling, etc. There WAS an odor to the last diaper I changed, but that was the one from overnight so I dismissed it. I'll definitely keep a check on that. Thanks! (((Sara)))
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Stray, I have to shift my brain back into grown-up mode. I promise to do this by suppertime. But congratulations to him for getting those teeth done! (I had to do this too, much the same way.) There is some evidence that ongoing inflammation of the gums may (may, mind you) be implicated in long-term diseases like coronary artery disease. Healthy teeth & gums are likely going to prove to be more important to living a good, long, happy life than we realized. (Again, good for him!)
[ October 14, 2004, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
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Yeah, since we don't have any kind of insurance, and the first several years we were together were extremely financially unstable, this is the first time we've been able to afford to get our teeth cleaned (and new contact lenses, too, for that matter). And in his case, add in that the one sound he absolutely cannot stand, that drives him instantly insane, is metal scraping on teeth. Even a dining companion's teeth grazing against their fork makes him flinch and glare. So yes, I'm proud of him for going and getting it done. He loves having the sharp shiny clean teethies afterwards though, so hopefully I can get him to keep going regularly now.
In your above post, did you mean to say chronic inflammation of the lungs, or of the gums? When considered with the sentence right after it, it's slightly confusing.
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Stray, I am so glad your husband got his teeth cleaned. When my mother died, we were told her conditions (heart disease and diabetes) had most likely been complicated by the many years she had gone without dental care. She was on Medicaid and they would not pay for dental, and no one would take payments. I'm no expert but it seems every year they are finding another condition that is affected by dental health.
Tick, I hope Thomas feels better soon!
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Maybe it was the stressfulness of the experience made him prone to other bugs. I have some teeth that have really weird stuff going on- when they clean them they should probably check the scrapings for a new strain of penicillin or possibly biological weapons applications. I do brush everyday, but I have some loose fillings and stuff where who knows what's going on.
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He's doing okay so far...he fell asleep on his way to grandma's house (Jen stayed with him in the morning). Hopefully some rest will help.
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I cancelled my last cleaning because of the hurricane (we thought we might have to go rescue Wes' mother). You guys are reminding me I need to call and get it rescheduled. *wince*
I hate having my teeth cleaned but I've been a good girl and for the last couple years had it done every six months like clockwork.
On the other hand, I make sure my kids don't ever miss - and am thrilled that have not had a single cavity in any of the four. I don't want them to end up like me with a mouth full of fillings.
My parents didn't have dental coverage either...and I went years and years between visits.
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Stray, again I'll preface this by saying that I am a pediatrician, not an adult physician. But were he my husband, these are the things I would be thinking about:
1) What else was going on at the time of the teeth cleaning? Any cold symptoms (stuffy, runny nose, sore throat, coughing before the procedure, fever, cold sweats, etc)?
2)Does he have any smoking history? Does he smoke currently?
3) Has the cough also come with a decrease in exercise capability? That is, even if he'd have to stop to cough, could he play touch football, or run around the block, or go up stairs just about as well as he used to (whatever that was)?
4) Does he have any swelling in his ankles that he's noticed? (specifically, the sort of swelling that makes a dimple when you push on a bony area with a finger)
5) Does he have any history himself or in his family of asthma? Does his chest feel "tight," like ther is a band around it? Any history of chest "tightness" with hot or cold air, or after a cold, or with exercise?
6) Any other symptoms like: -fevers -rashes -heartburn -muscle or joint aches -headaches -stuffy nose or sinus problems -sore throat -leg pains -diarrhea/constipation -abdominal pain -weight loss -other stuff?
There are a few things it's most likely to be, and there are a few others that would need to be ruled out (the rare scary stuff), and then there's a bunch of stuff in between. Your answers would help sort it out.
We can also do this over email if you like.
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Thankies Sara The answer to most of those is no, I'll have to ask him about a few. I'll email you with the answers when I get them (he and I both have a crazy couple of weeks ahead of us). But I noticed when he came to bed last night he did not spend the next half an hour coughing up a lung, so I'm hopeful it might be getting better on its own. So, yeah...email as soon as I know the answers. Thanks again!
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Coughing that is worst at night is often a symptom of airway reactivity (asthma is a long-standing version of this). If he's otherwise healthy, it's unlikely to be heart problems, which can also cause coughing & difficulty breathing when you lie flat.
There's a certain type of cold virus called RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) which can cause bronchiolitis (inflammation of the little end airways of the lungs). It causes real problems in babies, who have little pulmonary reserve. In adults, it's usually more like a bad cold, although you can be kinda asthma-ish for weeks afterward.
Given that he isn't really coughing up anything substantial, and that the cough is worst at night (like all reactive airway problems), and that this is RSV season, my money would be on that. If so, I'd expect him to get gradually better, although he may have lingering coughing (likely not this bad, though) after any cold for the next year or two. RSV makes your lungs kinda extra-touchy for awhile.
Ruling out the other stuff (heart problems, lung cancer risk & symptoms, pulmonary embolism) is impossible without at least a good physical exam, but I myself would be very happy with a lot of no's to the questions. That, and if he continues to get better, would lead me to be less concerned about making sure he gets in to see someone.
You could try a humidifier or running a steamy shower for awhile. Keep him well-hydrated (lots of water). With the cold weather coming on, there is usually a problem with air getting too dry inside after it is heated. Try hanging up wet clothes or towels instead of using the dryer -- this puts moisture back in the air.
If you know anyone with an inhaler for asthma, he could try a puff or two to see if it helps the cough. Check and make sure it's the right kind of inhaler first, though -- I am thinking of albuterol (brand names Ventolin, Proventil).
I'll watch for the email. Posts: 2919 | Registered: Aug 2004
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