on sunday my 3 1/2 year old developed a slight fever and cough. her appetite was fine, behavior was normal, we figured it was a mild flu. the next couple days she seemed to be getting a little better though she was always a little warm. yesterday hit her like a truck. she doesnt want to get up, she doesnt want to eat, the cough is much worse and shes still warm though never has had a high fever. im getting concerned that it could be whooping cough. today is the same as yesterday, her eyes are bloodshot, she doesnt want to get off the couch, not eating. shes never sick like this and im getting very nervous. i can google flu and whooping cough so im looking for personal experiences. im aware she could be vaccinated against this and she isnt. i dont want to hear it. im also aware i could just bring her to the doctor which we are considering. im just wondering if anyone has experienced a flu with these sorts of symptoms or has seen a case of whooping cough personally. thank you. **just feel like i need reiterate - just looking for experience, not "medical advice." thanks to all who commented so far.**
thanks all! took her to the doc - double ear infection, bronchitits, pretty bad cold. shes never been this sick so we have a course of treatment to follow and she should be better in no time. thanks guys!
it sounds more like H1N1 or type A flu than whooping cough.
whooping cough has a more violent, very loud cough.
Rather than worry, just take her to the Dr. to rule anything out. There are after hours pediatric clinics where I live, hopefully where you live too. You could probably still take her to one tonight. They are usually open until 11:00 at night. Google After hours pediatrics in Grand Rapids, MI. to find the nearest one to you.
Good luck & God bless!
I can understand that you don't want to run off to the doc when it isn't needed. Money, insurance, no insurance all affects what we do every day. If you read what you typed, then you should not be surprised at the number of moms saying to take her to the doctor. In fact, I hope that she has already been. From my experience with my own kids, the symptoms looked like they could also be croup and/or pink eye. In fact, my hubby just had pink eye really bad last week. Also, just mentioning the whole vaccination issue would suggest that you may not be solid in your position. "Doing our homework" takes a back seat when we see how sick our kids can get. Also, my mom had whooping cough as a child and now has lung problems. Of course, she was a child before vaccinations were available.
With your tender loving care, I'm absolutely sure that your daughter will get better! I do hope that is real soon! And, follow your instincts - I almost always know that the kids need the doc before my hubby. He is just not home all day like I am to know their normal behavior.
Hope this helps! Hugs and prayers!
D.
I teach in a preschool and also have two young children. This has been a VERY bad week for illnesses! Therefore, it could be any number of things. My 3 1/2 year old had similar symptoms and was diagnosed with a double ear infection and a cold. My 10 month old caught this from her brother and has been diagnosed with RSV. This explains their terrible coughs, decreased appetite, and irritability.
I would probably get her checked out to rule out something serious like a middle ear infection or strep. Hope she feels better soon!
With whooping cough, she would have extremely violent, uncontrollable coughing fits. She would also be struggling to breathe...making a "whoop" sound. This sounds like she has the cold that is going around the GR area. My family is just getting over it and it hit hard and fast. I started feeling a little funny on Tuesday, but nothing too bad. By the time I woke up Thursday morning, I thought I was going to die. I didn't get out of bed until Monday. A lot of my coworkers and their families have it, as well as a lot of the families at school. If she does have the violent coughing though, I'd get her to the dr immediately.
Please get her to the pediatrician. Whooping cough IS NOT something to ignore. My father's younger brother died from it in the 1950's. Googleing and internet are not substitutes for the pediatrician.
Also, I have never seen anyone on this message board claim to be a doctor, so this is not a great place to get medical advice, even if it is well meaning.
take her to dr. it could also be croup.
When my daughter had the flu this fall, she had similar symptoms. But unfortunately, many illnesses have these same symptoms too so it's hard to tell exactly what she has based on experience. Don't worry - no judgment here on the vaccination front (I vaccinate selectively and slowly). And even if your child HAD been vaccinated, immunity is not 100% guaranteed (my nephew had the typical 3 shots of DTaP at 2,4,6 months and by 2 years old, he had NO immunity to Pertussis anymore).
In all honesty, even if it is whooping cough, this ailment is only truly a concern in infants (because their airways are so small - if there's any constriction due to the pertussis, they can suffocate). But in a child of 3 1/2, it's typically no more dangerous than the common flu. A doctor can likely confirm what exactly she's suffering from (when my daughter had the flu, they swabbed the inside of her nose and confirmed it because we weren't sure if it was flu or something else).
I hope I've given you what you were looking for (as I am known to ramble!)
No experience of whooping cough , but my daughter has just had a similar thing , she woke up monday morning with a cough and no other symptoms , she then had on/off fever from monday PM for 2 or 3 days but always with the cough , the worst day was Wednesday where she led around the couch most of the day falling in & out of sleep and her fever at the highest was 103F....today she is back to her old self , eating & playing but still has the cough (although not as bad) and has a runny nose.
If I were you I would call the Dr tomorrow and see what they say , her symptoms sound almost the same as my daughters but going on for a little longer , it doesn't hurt to call and put your mind at rest.
Hi A.,
My sons had whooping cough a couple years ago. I had it also-AND>..My Dr. had it! The cough will last 4-6 weeks! I have a daycare-and one of the moms said her neice? or nephew has it right now. Also too-I have only had 2-3 kids at my daycare all week! They all have the same symptoms your child does. Cough, fever, not eating and one had an ear infection along with it. Lasts about aweek with the fever-One returned yesterday-still with a bad cough but fever is gone. Some have had it for 2 weeks now-second trip to the dr. with antibiotics today! Weird year! Lots of water! Good luck!
If she is lathargic you need to take her to the dr now. My daughter did that when she was 3 and we had been to the dr the day before. Turns out she had pnumonia and ended up hospitalized for 3 days. She didn't feel good on Saturday when we saw the dr and by Sunday I couldn't even get her up. It hit her that quick and that hard. Please let us know what happens. Hugs and good luck.
you best take her to the Doctor asap.
It can be anything....pneumonia, infection, bad flu,
She sounds pretty sick to me, and I would take her to the Doctor pronto.
If the Doctor office is closed already, take her to the ER.
Asap.
Do not guess at it... because time is passing by.
We are going through the same tging right now with my 2 1/2 year old. It started last week with a runny nose, and slight fever. turned into a cough and still had a fever. She was sent home from daycare yesterday, so i took her to the docotrs. the doctor is trying to rule out a sinus infection and pnuemonia. She never lost her appettite and drank lots of water so i know its not the flu. This morning she woke up with another fever and her cough is still pretty bad, so we are calling the doctor again today like she told us to do.
