This is a case of a 4 year old who developed a fever on a Sunday night around 2-3am.
He was burning hot from the belly button up, and very restless in bed. The legs and feet were not hot. The fever continued for 2 more days with a 2-3 AM start. A cough started on Monday morning before noon. On the Wednesday, he still had a fever, flushed cheeks and neck when his mother got in touch for some help.
Mum had already given some Belladonna 30C when she spoke to me.
“ The cough is getting worse and is worse lying down. He is wheezing and rattling in the chest. He has a lot of mucous – yellowish, thin, I can hear it. There is congestion in the upper chest and throat, and he is breathing faster. The wheeze has got worse and I can hear it in his sleep.
His appetite is not usual. When he has fever, he is thirsty for water. At night the nose is dry and he is able to breathe through his nose.”
I asked if he had any other symptoms?
“The stool is not normal. It is loose and less than usual with a sour smell. There is a rash on the bum. When he coughs hard at night, he farts.”
What is his mood like, I asked? “More tired, but happy, playing, a bit more clingy to Mum. He doesn’t want to play alone” which was different from normal. He was looking for his father and brother who had gone away for a short trip on Monday.
Was there a reason for his getting ill? Possible virus from school.
Worst thing? “A cold back and sweating – he is usually a warm person. And wheezing and rattling in chest and neck. The fever is coming and going, during the day he is fine, but clingy.”
“Last night he was coughing very hard at 2AM- almost vomiting, and today he is worse. He is wheezing when awake and asleep.” The cough was not affected by eating or drinking.
Mum had already given him Belladonna and Bryonia at the start of the cough, and then Hepar Sulph and Pulsatilla which helped the mucous to come out. He was finding it very hard to bring the mucous up himself.
I asked about his tongue which was whiter than normal.
The top remedy coming up was Antimonium Tart and the next remedy was Pulsatilla. Mum did not have Ant-tart, so I suggested she give Pulsatilla 30C in water, sipping at regular intervals and to order the Ant-tart.
Over the next 2 days, our little man was better, the breathing calmed down, and he was eating – always a good sign. The sour smell from the stools had gone, but he had developed a rash on the belly and neck. The cough was less, not as hard and wheezing. Pulsatilla was clearly helping by holding things together but not getting rid of any major symptoms.
Finally, the Ant-tart arrived on the same day that a visit was made to the GP to check what was going on. Our little man was diagnosed with a viral chest infection.
But, fortunately, Ant-tart had arrived!! Mum was able to start giving Ant-tart – also in water.
The first thing she noticed was that he was able to sleep without ANY wheezing. There was a dip when the cough seemed to come back with the wheeze, and he was still sweating with feeling cold. Instructions were to continue with the Ant-tart.
His appetite returned, he was drinking well, peeing and pooing fine. That is always important!! He continued to get better.
When I checked in a few days later, he still had a lingering cough. At this point, I suggested one pillule of Ant-tart – to give a final kick to the healing force, and it worked. The cough went.
A combination of Christmas and the slow post meant that recovery was not as fast as I would have liked - but despite that, with Pulsatilla holding the fort and Ant-tart taking over and doing it's job, our wee man was back to being his cheerful self without a nasty cough by the new year.
Why Ant tart?
Many features of this remedy were present in the symptoms of this child. A pale face, cold sweat, a white coated tongue, a clinginess to Mum. Most importantly, the cough was
1. Rattling with asthmatic breathing and wheezing and 2. Expectoration (bringing up mucous), was difficult.
Pulsatilla did a good job of holding things together at the start, but it was the indicated remedy that finally pushed the vital force to bring the body-mind into balance again.
Ant-tart is a top remedy for a rattling cough with difficult expectoration.
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