questions about hoarseness and throat clearing

[amber682]

I'm going to call the doc if it doesn't clear up, but it just started today so I figured I'd run it by you guys first...

A little background info...My son is at home with a PICC line. He's on tobra IV and ceptaz IV, duoneb(albuterol and ipratropium bromide) and pulmozyme, and extendryl (oral decongestant, antihistamine). His cough was completely cleared up and we came home to continue the last 5 days of IVs. It turned out to be PA.

My question is that he sometimes seems a little hoarse when he first wakes up and I'm wondering if you think its just from the meds. It clears up after a little while.
Also, more importantly, today he seems like he's trying to clear the back of his throat continuously. Not too much coughing, but I can hear stuff in the back of his throat (doesn't sound like its in his lungs) when he does a little cough or clears his throat. It sounds to me like if he was older he could clear his throat and spit out some junk.

Could it be that junk is just loosening up in there from being on meds? We're almost done with the IV's, just 2 more days. I hope he's not somehow getting sicker again. We've never done this before so I'm not sure what to expect. I know they drew blood to test for allergies. Since we've been home for 3 1/2 days now I wonder if there is something here he's allergic to.

Any opinions or insight are greatly appreciated! You all have a lot more experience than me with this kind of thing.

 

[anonymous]

has it been hot in your area? do you have the air conditioning on at night? that might be the hoarseness.

maybe it's allergies as well. post nasal drip is a sure-sign for me of allergies vs. CF.

 

[folione]

With all that's going on, if it were me I'd call the Dr. instead of waiting - I'm saying this not so much because I think the drip/hoarsness is a sign of something terrible but because it just makes sense to go straight to the top with questions when so much is at stake. Doctors get paid enough to be asked questions. I've actually got a call in to my son's CF doctor at this moment to ask about a cough that's come up.

Meanwhile, my son has had PA and taken Tobi and IV drugs for it and sometimes they make him quite hoarse and sometimes he gets post nasal drip or develops a cough while it's going on. I also read recently that if a child's parents have allergies, there is at least a 50% chance that the child will have them also and that allergies can start in the first season of exposure.

Did you take his temperature? We tend to worry less about a cough if there is no temperature or labored breathing or night-coughing going on.

 

[amber682]

Thank you! The trying to clear his throat thing has only been going on for a few hours (since he woke up this morning) so that's why I figured I'd see what you guys all thought first. Any chance he just had a hunk-a-junk to get up that maybe broke loose because of all the meds he's on? I know Tobi can cause hoarseness, but he's on Tobra IV. The allergy test reults are not back yet, but I think he's on the extendryl in case allergies are causing post-nasal drip, causing coughing.

Does anyone else use a duo-neb and pulmozyme, and if so does it cause a little hoarseness?

Sorry so many questions, this is his first real bout with a cf related infection so I'm new to all this. Before all this he only used ADEKS and Creon, and occasionally an oral med or some albuterol.

He's just waking up now from his nap, I hear him in there playing. I'm going to go see if he's still doing that clearing his throat coughing thing, or maybe call the doctor.

{@}--}---- Did that come out looking anything like a rose? Oh well, I tried<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[Ratatosk]

DS is on atrovent & albuterol (same as duoneb) and pulmozyme. I don't notice that he's hoarse in the morning or hoarse with that, more when he's on tobi, which your child isn't on right now.

Once in awhile he's gotten mucus in his throat that he can't seem to clear and eventually coughs it out.

Could it be the antihistimines -- they can cause dryness. L

 

[anonymous]

pulmozyme can cause hoarseness.

 

[LouLou]

just seconding what anon. said..
I had hoarseness when I first started pulmozyme back when it came out (90's) and then I started duoneb in Fall '05 and also experienced some hoarseness. You'll be relieved to know that I am not hoarse permanently although I do clear my throat usually there is nothing to spit out.

 

[amber682]

Thanks everyone. I feel much better now.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

The hoarseness seems to be when he wakes up, but clears after a short while. I've also thought that maybe it was the extendryl becase it dries up mucus secretions.

I'm glad to know it could also just be all the breathing treatments he does lately.

As for the constant clearing his throat this morning, and the coughing, no trace of it since he woke up from his nap. Maybe he did just have something he needed to get out of there.

I'll keep an ear open for anymore signs of it, it really had me a little a worried earlier. Before he was finally admitted for IV's, we had tried several courses of antibiotics and such and he would get a little better for a while but when the course was over he'd get sick again. I guess I was just thinking that was happening again. (But they didn't know it was PA at the time so he wasn't being treated specifically for it then. Plus he's still on the IV's.) Hopefully he's kicked it in the butt!

Anyways, I tend to get carried away and type an entire short story so I better go now. Thanks again!!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">