Older babies - raspy throat noises?

[superfrizbee]

My son is 9.5 months and sometimes his throat sounds quite raspy and a bit watery. Anyone else?

 

[sethsmummy]

aww is he poorly hun? Rohan has a raspy throat but hes tonsilitis right now.

it could just be he makes for phlegm after the bronch as rohan does but it doesnt usually cause any issues bar a tonne more drool xx

 

[superfrizbee]

No he's not poorly hun. He just does it periodically maybe once or twice a day for a few minutes. I'm worried it might be connected to his hemi and he's aspirating a little, although it never causes him problems or distress. I've emailed his physio because she's so knowledgeable and helpful with all paediatric areas but she's away until Thursday. I might call the SALTs on Monday, but they have listened to his swallow before and said it's ok.

Maybe it is the bronch or the intubation - hadn't thought of that.

I hope Rohan is feeling better soon! Poor little soldier! X

 

[_Meep_]

I rang a SALT helpline once because when we started solids, my LO used to sometimes sounds a bit congested afterwards. Then she would cough and it would clear. I was, of course, terrified she was aspirating.

The lady was really nice and said if it cleared with a good cough then it wasn't going down far enough for it to be entering the lungs, just lingering a little at the back of the throat. She also said if it were aspiration, it would be likely to make her breathing sound very junky and give her chest infections. She's never had one. She's not even had a cough. But she said if it went on for months and months, to get it looked at.

She seemingly grew out of it soon after. Then, coinciding with a bout of teething, it happened again. I realised that at the point we began weaning, she was also teething. She would sound randomly rattly and gargly at points during the day, but as soon as the teething stopped, it stopped.

She's teething again now and we're back to the odd gargly throat noise. She doesn't get it after eating any more unless she's particularly dribbly and it's something like a yoghurt but even then it doesn't happen every time. My theory has been that with thicker foods like the pureés we gave her to start with, the saliva gets thickened and sits in the throat.

If it clears with a cough or just goes away on its own after a couple of minutes, I really don't think it can be a sign of aspiration, though of course with an existing condition, I can understand why it is worrying. Absolutely gross I know, but I used to smoke before I had N and my throat would sometimes make a rank noise due to phlegm sitting there. Obviously I'd just cough straight away, but babies don't know to do that until it rises far enough to be irritating and trigger their reflex.

Is Alistair teething/going through a dribbly stage?

 

[sethsmummy]

I have been doing a lot of research Hun and it seems
It can be quite common in bronch babies who were ventilated. Tonsillitis has turned into btonchiolitis round two. Stupid out of hours doctor was wrong with the tonsillitis, it was darn rsv. Xx

 

[superfrizbee]

Oh no hun! How is he? He's a bigger, stronger boy this time around and he will get through this again. I will be thinking of you and sending all the positive vibes I can. I know how I'd be feeling if Alistair were to get it again, so I really hope you're ok xxx

 

[sethsmummy]

hes ok thanks hun he just cant catch his breath when he is coughing. we had him at the hospital last night at the out of hours clinic and the doc said he could hear a wheeze in his right lung, resp rate was high and he had slight chest recession. so he sent him through to a&e where a locum doctor told me his lungs are clear (he was asleep by this time so was a lot more settled then he had been and not wheezing as there wasnt as much effort to breathe while he was asleep). he knew i wasnt impressed with what he was saying at all. Im a lot more likely to believe two doctors than him xx