I have a baby girl that is 6 1/2 months. I took her to the doctors 2 1/2 weeks ago because she wasn't feeling well and they said it was just a cold. It started as a cough and a slight fever. She has gone to the doctor 2 more times because I am worried. She has now had a fever for at least 5 days and she is vomitting daily and the cough seems to be getting worse. I brought her back to the drs because I don't think this is normal. The doctor said that she has white bacteria on her toncils but there is nothing they could do about it. He told me to give her tylenol for 2-3 days and she should be fine. She is so tiny and I am so worried. Has anyone else had this problem?? Should I be this worried?
Thanks everyone for your input. Magically she woke up the next morning and was herself again!!!! I am looking to find a new pediatrician because of the way they treated me when she was sick. Her doctor said I should read books instead of bringing her in 3 times in a week and a half! I couldn't believe it she is so tiny I was a so worried. Anyways she is better and I hope I never have to go thru this with her again. It was very scary.
definitely take her to an ER asap. I am not trying to scare you, but this isn't normal and I would be concerned too, esp. with all the vomiting. This is not a normal cold.
I agree with the mom who talked about RSV. If the doctor is not listening to you, or shrugging you off, take your baby to the ER. Make them test for rsv, and a chest x ray for pneumonia. Stand up tall, walk into that hospital and do not back down til you get some answers. You are mommy, you know best. Alot of times with new moms (and it happened to me more then once) they treat you like your dumb and you dont know what you are talking about. Well every time I butted heads with a dr over my babies, I was right. At 6 mos old that baby can dehydrate in less then 12 hours. It can happen faster then you think, it happen to my son. Take the baby in right away. Good Luck to you
Hi J.,
I feel your frustration. We would much rather be sick ourselves than our little ones.
Have you considered working at getting her healthy, rather than continuing to treat symptoms? I agree that she could very well have thrush especially if she's been on antibiotics. I'd be happy to share how other moms have helped their children to build up their immune systems and are better able to fight things off. One thing to remember is that fever is the body's way of killing undesireable germs/bacteria, etc. You certainly don't want it to get extremely high, but when fever is suppressed, the body doesn't go through its normal process of imprinting that particular virus or bacteria so that the body can build up natural antibodies to fight it off next time.
Please let me know if I can help.
S.
Hi J.,
My duaghter used to be sick all the time when she was little and in daycare. This is what I did and my adice to you. Take her and get a diffrent look at her. If you don't thnk something is right, then get it check out. She is your baby and you owe it to her to ge this looked into. I didn't care how many people (doctors) laughed at me because I had her in there office so much or called.
My daughter is now 3 years old. She does much better now and not as sick. Kids that are in daycare just get sick more, and are exposed to so many diffrent things.
I feel for you and I know how very upsetting it is when your baby is sick. I wish i could tell you the worry gets less when they get older, but it really nver does. It just changes. My duaghter can tell me where it hurts now and stuff like that which helps.
I also use clorex wipes and Lysol spary all the time. Just remember to keep it and the smells away from her for at lest an hour. Keep wahsing everything you and she uses all the time. I changed sheets and stuff like that every night. Do you use a cool mist vaporizor? If not you may ned to get one of those. Get one that looks easy to clean. You have to change the water in it everyday and clean it good.
I will pray for you and your little one. Really get a second and third opion if you have to. Having her on OC's can't be good for her either.
Take Care
S.
It's possible that she's suffering from an undiagnosed allergy to cow's milk, whether that's via your breastmilk or via cow's milk based infant formula. The way to find out is commit to eliminating all cow's milk products (and any cow's milk derivatives like casein, whey, etc.) for a period of 4 weeks to see if she starts to heal (no vomiting, less mucous, etc.). Undiagnosed food allergy can be really difficult for kids. If she has any patches of eczema on her body, this is another sign of probably food allergy. For more info, check out:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.htm...
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041800.asp
Hope she gets better really, really soon!
I agree with the other moms. Take her to the er. I have a 5-year-old who has been sick a lot in his life. So i have been to the doctor and er quite a bit. Just remember do not let them make you feel stupid for taking your child there. Which has happened to me. It is better to be safe than sorry.
J.,
I don't know if you're breastfeeding or not, but could it be "thrush"? I found this description online, although it doesn't mention anything about a cough...
"Oral thrush usually produces creamy white lesions on your tongue and inner cheeks and sometimes on the roof of your mouth, gums and tonsils. The lesions, which resemble cottage cheese, can be painful and may bleed slightly when rubbed or scraped. Although signs and symptoms often develop suddenly, they may persist for a long period of time.
In severe cases, the lesions may spread downward into your esophagus — the long, muscular tube stretching from the back of your mouth to your stomach (Candida esophagitis). Signs and symptoms of Candida esophagitis may include:
Pain or difficulty swallowing
A sensation of food sticking in your throat or the middle of your chest
Possible fever if the infection spreads beyond your esophagus"
Just another suggestion. I hope you get it figured out!!!
I would recommed that you take her back to the peditrician and request she be tested for RSV. My son had pnuemonia and RSV back in March, and he had everything you just described. A cough, fever, vomitting. It got so bad he became dehydrated and stayed 3 days in Children's Hospital for it. They waited until he had been sick for a week before they even tested for it. The pnuemonia was detected by chest X-rays (other symptoms for pnuemonia was rapid heartbeat....super fast breathing). To answer your question, yes I would be worried. Trust your mommy instinct and don't stop until she gets better! Good luck!
(Oh, and the first doctor that my son saw said, "Well, there is some pus back in his throat so it's probably bacterial." He prescribed an antiobotic (amoxcilian). Needless to say, it wasn't bacterial....and was much more serious).
J.,
I would definitely worry about your daughter. I have a home daycare, and that is something that requires medical attention. It sounds like its either thrush or strep-throat. I would get a second opinion from another doctor, or even better, take her to your nearest urgent care clinic or emergency room immediately. With a child that small, and a fever for that long, something is not right. How high is her fever? I hope this helps. I have 3 children, and things like this shouldn't go unanswered. Good luck.
C. Elias
