Go to another doctor?

Vel

I'll try to keep this brief!

My son is nearly 15 months and since he started creche at 12 months he has been pretty much constantly sick. We expected this and are certainly of the 'let them try to fight the infection themselves before resorting to antibiotics' school but we are at our wits end at this stage.

He has had a constant cough and runny nose and has at times been extremely lethargic and unhappy. We took him to our doctor who said to let him fight cough but prescribed antibiotics if needed. He seemed to shake the cough so we didn't fill the prescription. Then a few days later it came back.

We then got a call from the creche a few weeks ago to say he wasn't well. He had developed a rash all over his body and was really lethargic. Took him to doctor who again said it was better to let him fight it, said it may develop into measles, showed my OH what they looked like and said to take him straight to A&E if they got worse. She said this was a precaution as I am pregnant. She also diganosed a fungal infection on his chin and gave us a cream for that.

This week, the poor fella has come down with conjunctivitus in both eyes. He still has the rash, although it isn't as bad and still has the cough. Took him to doctor on Monday and she gave us drops for the eyes and then said if they got worse to take him to A&E as he may need a strong course of antibiotics. Eyes are clearing up well so we didn't take him.

He is very miserable, tries to play for a few minutes and then gives up and just wants to lie on your lap. I'm a bit baffled at this stage as to why we have come away from the last two doctors visits with no antibiotics and a direction to take him to the hopsital if he gets worse so they can give him antibiotics.

Would you expect at this stage that a GP would have prescribed antibiotics by now and would it be usual for them not to but to keep advising to go to the hospital should his condition worsen? I would have thought that this wasn't the type of issue that hospitals deal with?

cbyrd

Antibiotics will only work on a bacterial infection... which means he'd have to have a temperature above 38C for 24 hours or more before an antibiotic will work.. otherwise it's just going to run down his immune system even more.

I went through this with my first when she started montessori at 2yrs 10months, it seemed like she was sick forever with viral chest infections (intermittent temperature)and had a runny nose all the time, she ended up being hospitalised for 4 days but she had the raging temp for 2 days previous.
The doctor in the hospital told me to take her out of the school for a while (took 3 weeks) to let her recover and give her a multivitamin to try and build up her immune system. it did work, is it possible to do this?
It does sound like he's catching everything going. has he had the MMR yet??
is the rash an allergy or is the fungal infection spreading??
its probably no help..:o

Vel

Thanks cbyrd! I was only saying earlier that we might have to think about leaving him out of the creche for awhile but I don't know how we will do this :rolleyes: He is due the MMR but doc won't give it to him until he isn't so poorly.

Like your little one, he too has a runny nose all the time and this is how he got the conjunctivitus most likely as he has been rubbing snot in his eyes when he is tired.

The doctor said the rash is the result of his body fighting a virus. He still has it but it has improved quite a lot and has never been as bad as the day we were called by the creche. The fungal infection on his chin is separate to the rash and hasn't spread but also hasn't cleared up despite using the cream given. Again the doctor said its all a sign of his body trying to fight virus. His chin must have been bothering him this morning as I turned my back while he was in his high chair and he scratched the chim off himself, with blood everywhere. He really is a very unhappy little fella at the moment

I guess we'll just have to keep plugging away with him and as I said before I ceertainly don't want to be giving him unnecessary antibiotics but I'm just at a loss as to what to do for him and don't want to be bringing him to the hopsital unnecessarily. I hate the thought of putting him back in the creche next week as he is really not himself, clingy and wanting cuddles all the time but we both work so don't know what we are going to do.

Can I ask what multivitamins you used?:)

gowayouttadat

Oh this sounds so famililar!

I started my guy in creche a few weeks back in preparation for going back to work. He was only going 2 days a week and within a week of starting was sick. He was then sick every week onwards for about 5 weeks. Every time he went down he came back sick. Bronchillitis, colds, virus, v & d. It is completely wearing!
I asked the doctor what he thought I should do. He said he was what he'd call a "creche kid"... one that was going to pick up everything. He said if it was him and he had the option i.e time to change before going back to work, he'd get a childminder. I've now taken DS out of creche which is a shame because he liked it. I am not going back to work until July so am in the process of finding a childminder.
Anyway he is out of creche 2 weeks and guess what? He was sick again this week and is currently on his third antibiotic in 6 weeks. I know he definitely needed them to clear the infections as he had awful high temps.
The thing is he has just broken out in a rash! I only noticed it this morning, all over his back and his tummy. It's not bad, kinda faded blotches.
Not sure if I should be worried about measles or not?!! He has been completely lethargic all week which we were putting down to the throat infection he has had.
Anyway I don't really know what to say to you only that we took him out of creche and he still got sick. Now he is teething badly and cutting three teeth and a lot of people are saying the sickness is probably teething related.
I was told by someone to get echinecea drops and give them to him so I am starting that tomorrow to try and help.
It is awful to see them miserable and it makes you miserable having to deal with them! It nearly wore me down this week dealing with my small man because all he wanted was his mammy and nothing could keep him happy. Thankfully he is more himself today so a sense of normality has returned.

Vel

Its good to hear of others in the same boat. Well, not good that our kids are sick but you know what I mean!

I've been lucky this week as my parents have stepped in while I'm at work but I have had him for the last two days on my own while OH works long shifts and goes to college and I'm totally worn out. He absolutely kicks off now anytime we go near his face, so getting the drops in and keeping his nose clean is a nightmare. He wants to play and sing but then gets whingy and tired and just wants to be in my arms all the time. All of this is bad enough without me being 30 weeks preggers!! I will admit to some woe is me crying this afternoon after he puked all over himself after a coughing fit!

He also used to take a soother for around an hour a day in the evening when he was getting tired but now he cries for it all the time, which I'm not happy about either but I've been giving in

I'm due at the end of August so will be on maternity leave and able to take him out of creche much easier then when I am at work but for now its our only option, and if truth be told I would really, really like him to stay in it. He only goes three days a week and when he isn't sick he loves it. And the fact that your little fella got sick again when he wasn't in creche doesn't necessarily mean taking him out will be the end of his sickness

I guess we have a 'creche kid' on our hands! Great!

I won't even mention the cost of all these doctor's visits or I may just jump off the nearest cliff!!

eimsRV

Hi Vel,

My daughter (16mts) has caught loads from the creche too. It feels like since she started last November she has had a non stop runny nose! I was reading reviews for this humidifier and think I'm going to try it.

http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_841_10751_-1_14054_85344_10001_14054

My dd spent a week in hospital with suspected meningitus, and now has a skin rash, think its ring worm on her face :mad: . She is in the creche 3 days a week, but I'm changing it to only 1 day a week partly for financial reasons though. Family are going to mind her the other 4 days.

just to add I asked Gp about a multivitamin and he advised against it as generally she is a good eater. He said too much of certain vitamins can prevent other vitamins being absorbed, so maybe check with your chemist? I've started to give her lots of blueberries as was told they are a superfood!

Hope your son improves soon, its very hard on everyone when they are feeling poorly.
E x

gowayouttadat

Oh stop, my little man has barely eaten anything today or yesterday. He's in bed since 7pm and is a very windy baby (even at 10 months) so the middle of the night bottle really doesn't agree with him. If he wakes early for it he won't resettle properly for the night and I'm up all night with him. It's a nightmare that way!

I would agree with you that taking him out won't necessarily end the sickness. When I was with the doc this week she said that their immunity that they got during pregnancy wears off after a couple of months and they can pick up anything and everything.

Thankfully my doc is great and because I end up down there so much with Jack he only charges me 20 euro a visit.

cbyrd

Yeah there's that massive problem of the multi anti-biotic problem...once you give it to them it doesn't differenciate between good and bad bacteria in the body... it kills both...so you end up with a baby that if s/he comes within 10 foot of a sniffle will catch pneumonia!! :rolleyes:

my 2nd girl got tonsilitis every time she cut a tooth she was on 15 antibiotics in 17 months.. the bottom of her 2 top teeth discoloured and she didn't grow much for ages.. it got to the stage i could ring the doc and say... grace needs distaclor(antibiotic) i knew by the smell of her breath.. she also had scarlet fever which is tonsil related..

we got her vivioptal junior to help boost her immune system, plus she loves fruit in anyshape or form.. and beetroot.. plus for the older ones a good probiotic aswell.. the antibiotics just flatten their systems and they really do just end up catching everything for a few weeks afterwards

i really feel for you's i've been through it twice, i'm staying at home with number 3 i reckon it'll save me a fortune!!:D

Vel

:rolleyes: The saga continues.

Got a call from the creche on Monday to say that the little fella wasn't well. Arrived to pick him up and he looked terrible. His eys were all red and puffed up and streaming tears. He looked oike he'd been crying for hours but he hadn't been. He was also scratching himself to bits all over his body and face.

The girls in the creche suggested that he might have a pollen allergy whihc is what I had been thinking as the rash appeared when the good weather started and both myself and my dad suffer from bad hay fever.

OH took him to the doctor yesterday and explained the history of hay fever/allergies in my family and suggested to doctor that we try an antihistimine. They generally don't prescribe them to under 2's so she rang the hospital and they recommended neo-clarityn. So he is on that now as well as a cream to be used very sparingly on his body to see if we can clear up the rash. The doctor said she was sure the rash was linked to a virus he was fighting and that now that seems not to be the case, so by a process of elimination we are now treating it as an allergy. She is also going to refer him to a dermatologist.

He looked slightly better this morning and his eyes weren't as red and puffy.

Interestingly, up to now we have always been told to treat his skin with aqueous cream but both the doctor and a pharmacist told us not to use it at all on him as it can cause burns in some cases and make the skin worse, so we are just to use E45 for now.

cbyrd

God love you, you must be so fed up of no answers...!

just on the aqueous cream... i'm using that now on ben for dry skin, that's one the pharmacist recommended (she knows his story) and i told her i found the silicocks base a bit to thick to massage in.
He only has a bath every 2 or so weeks cos the skin on his upper arms will go raw and a couple of tiny patches on his body...
i've only used it a few times but is it just in relation to your baba's rashes that you shouldn't use it or in general???
i'm only asking if its a case of doctors differ type thing..

Vel

The pharmacist just said it to my OH when he was enquiring about antihistimines before we saw the doctor and pharmacist has never seen our son so was speaking generally. When OH mentioned it to the doctor the next day she agreed with pharmacist and said it can, in certain circumstances make the skin worse and may even cause burns :eek: Its so hard to know who to listen to but I think we will just stick with the E45 cream for now.