RUNNY NOSE AND COUGH - ALL THE TIME - Five things that offer relief

Every winter brings the same story, beginning with the first rain and a temperature drop. Oh, and with kindergarten. Definitely with kindergarten. It's that time of the year when a sneeze propels me into a home-pharmacy-inventory frenzy. And I will not sit still if any essentials are missing.

Vitamin C - drops

Our whole family relies heavily on vitamin C. And not just from lemons and oranges. Excuse my opinion, but given the way food is grown, processed and brought to our tables nowadays, as opposed to what our grandparents ate, I believe much of the nutritional value is lost. So, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is not my mantra. However, drops full of pure vitamin C, mixed in a spoon of honey sourced from bees my uncle tends to - that's a whole different thing.

The body needs vitamin C for various reasons - it's an antioxidant, aids in skin and bone health, improves iron absorption, and helps with wound healing.

While vitamin C can’t prevent sickness, some studies suggest it can help lessen the severity and duration of colds and the flu, potentially reducing the risk of further complications.
Devon Peart, RD, MHSc, dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, Canada

Vitamin D - drops

We are lucky to have the option of spending the entire summer by the sea, soaking in this precious vitamin straight from its natural source - the sun. However, the rest of the year, we live in a country that considers sunny days as special occasions. That's why vitamin D is mandatory, prescribed and regularly checked by a paediatrician if parents are giving it to their kids.

While strong bones remain the most significant benefit of vitamin D, it also supports nervous system health, strengthens defenses against infections and may improve lung and heart health.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The importance of vitamin D seems even more pronounced for children with a congenital heart defect (CHD). Studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D before and after a surgery may contribute to dysfunction of multiple organs crucial for the recovery (cardiac, respiratory, immune), potentially prolonging the stay at the Intensive Care Unit and even reducing the survival. In summary, the literature suggests that optimizing vitamin D levels can expedite recovery and improve outcomes. 

Vitamin B - drops

A small dose of an entire range of B vitamins was given to our daughter with a CHD in the hospital when she was just a baby. I knew nothing about it at the time, but it turns out one of the B vitamins boosts the production of red blood cells.

Red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout your body, which turns into the energy needed to keep your body functioning in a healthy way.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vitamin-b12/

Some B vitamins support brain health, fight weakness and tiredness by boosting energy, and aid in the proper functioning of the immune system and the heart.

Dragon syrup - Traditional Chinese medicine

One of Emanuela's complications after the second open-heart surgery was food intolerance. Specifically, whatever went down, came back up. Eventually, she got a button-loop feeding jejunostomy (a small button-like tube was surgically placed on her belly, connecting a part of her small intestine on the inside with the outer tube through which she would get her daily needs of a special baby milk). Since we didn't get any professional support or training on how to teach her to eat and help her get rid of the tubes, it was all on us. That's when I first stumbled upon acupuncture for babies. But that's a story for another time. My point is, we always kept traditional Chinese wisdom in the mix; although not sure it ever really made a difference, it definitely never hurt.

Herbs can literally work miracles. When you combine them correctly and add extracts from vital mushrooms, you can positively support the child’s body in a purely natural way. 
MycoMedica, the Dragon syrup producer

With its ingredients, Dragon syrup is supposed to strengthen the body's natural immunity, boost energy, and contribute to the normal functioning of the upper respiratory tract.

Inhalation - with saline solution

In our experiences with numerous hospitalisations, we've learned various techniques to aid our daughter's breathing, coughing, and lung recovery. I remember, when she was just a little baby; I would massage her, lift her arms one at a time, and gently tap on each side of her chest. Such tapping is supposed to produce a sort of vibration of the lungs and help the mucus peel off and get out. A few years later, we were introduced to a bouncing ball. She sat on my lap, breathing out loud, while I bounced up and down, occasionally tapping her upper back first on one side, then on the other. Blowing soap bubbles helped during the recovery after having bronchitis, for example (but also after the surgery and intubation).

But the one thing I have always persisted with, since her first respiratory infection ever, was inhalation.

The use of isotonic saline nebulization to moisturize the upper respiratory tract, decrease cough, ease congestion, and help deliver inhaled medications is a routine practice, in particular, in respiratory infections in the pediatric population.
National Library of Medicine, article / study

Our nebulizer is practically part of our furniture. We put it away only in summer. Together with a room moisture meter, to ensure the environment is not contributing to the party of harmful microorganisms, and an oximeter, but just to ensure her O2 sats really dropped to a level when a doctor is unavoidable.

WHEN NOTHING HELPS...

Having a single ventricle, our daughter's heart has to work very hard to fight off whatever comes through her bloodstream. Her lungs get tired quickly, and it can all go downhill very fast. The winter after her Fontan surgery, she ended up hospitalized, needing oxygen support. Bronchitis made her O2 levels drop from her usual range of anything between 83 and 87, down to 76 or so. That was not good, and we almost spent Christmas at the ward. We are not risking that anymore. As soon as she coughs for longer than a week, with a thick yellow and / or green discharge, her cardiologist prescribes Azithromycin. A small dose, every second day, keeps the doctor away. She still coughs and has a runny nose, but it clears up, and there is no need for hospitalizations. We decided with her cardio team that for her and her lungs, it's better to stay on such a preventive dose of an antibiotic for a few months than on a full dose of therapy with Amoxicillin every few weeks.

According to their labels, many of these supplements are not supposed to be given to children before the age of three. But they can be, in smaller doses. Make sure to consult the child's doctor first.