Rsv and Pnemonia Serious?

RSV and pnemonia don't get cured overnight. It'll take a little time before the girls feel better. If it was me I'd continue to do the medication and watch to make sure they aren't getting worse. Make sure they have plenty to drink so that the boogies stay loose and they don't become dehydrated. If they get worse or don't seem to be making any progress after a couple days then get them to your ped and have him call ahead to the children's hospital.

I don't think the hospital discharged you because they couldn't care for them. If their needs were over the level the hospital could provide I'm sure they would have called ambulances and transferred your girls to the children's hospital. I'm pretty sure that they are correct in stating that they would be doing the same treatments in the hospital that you can do yourself at home. Keeping them in the hospital longer would expose them to more germs which could be a disaster.

Do they have a pediatrician or primary care dr? Id try to get in TODAY and have them evaluated. One of mine had rsv, she came through it just fine, was never hospitalized. What you really want to watch for is breathing and hydration - those two things can go downhill in a bad way SUPER fast. Now, me personally, I don't want my kids or myself in a medical facility unless it's absolutely necessary. Too much germs, people, mistakes, chaos - not nearly enough comfort or sleep to get well. But when it's something I can't do at home(Iv fluids, etc), that's different. But I def encourage you to follow up with someone, and keep them as rested and hydrated as possible... Hang in there!

First, google the Children's hospital and "nurses line" or "advice line". My local Children's hospital has an advice line staffed by a registered nurse. She can tell you if you should bring them in.

If they don't have an advice line...
How old are your girls? If they are babies (under 1 year old), I'd drive straight to the Children's ER. If they are older, I would ask your doctor to refer you to a pediatric pulmonologist at the Children's hospital. If he doesn't know any, then just call the pediatric pulmonology department at the Children's hospital and tell a nurse what's going on, and ask her the next step - if you should bring them in or if she can set up an appointment ASAP or something else.

RSV can be serious - it is not always serious, but in infants who were born prematurely or with compromised immune systems, it can be.

ETA: Since you couldn't talk to a nurse in the ER, call the pediatric pulmonary department and ask to talk to a nurse. You can be polite, and still very very insistent that you need to talk to someone.

your doctor sees patients at the local hospital?
or they went there as emergency patients?
most doctors don't have 'visits' at the hospital.
hospitals are hotbeds of disease and germs. in your shoes i'd be thrilled they were released ASAP and would much prefer to nurse them at home.
you don't say if 'the doctor' is their pediatrician or just whatever doctor was on rotation when your girls were admitted. it makes a huge difference if it was the doctor who knows them and is familiar with them and their histories or just the guy trying to clear the beds.
if you feel that they are too ill to care for at home and want another opinion, take them to the children's hospital.
but with sick kids it would seem like a sensible thing to talk to your regular doctor instead of all this running about to hospitals.
khairete
S.

I hope your twins are ok this morning. I didn't reply because my thought was a doctor wouldn't discharge babies if there was cause for concern that you couldn't care for them - but I have to agree with the moms below. As a mom, I'd want a second opinion.

Sometimes when the antiobiotics kick in, you'll notice a big improvement. Now that you've had them on it for a bit can you tell? If not, then if you haven't checked with the children's hospital, now is the time. Good luck. Please let us know how it turned out. These serious health questions always leave me wondering for the well being of the kiddos. I hope they get better soon.

Pneumonia lasts until antibiotics clear out the infection. Also, the symptoms you describe are normal while recovering from an illness.

I suggest you call theit pediatrician when you have concerns such as this. The ER always tell the patient to check with their doctor if the illness doesn't improve. Be sure to give your babies the full amount prescribed.

If you don't have a pediatrician or family doctor, it's past time for well baby checkups. Make an appointment now to get started with a doctor.

know that the automatic response of any person in the er is to tell you to go to the er. its their butt if its really something that needs immediate attention
as of right now i would trust the dr, and keep in close contact with them. they know your children and understand the situation. if the twins start getting worse and the dr does not have any helpful answers then a trip to childrens hospital is in order. but for now let them rest, relax and keep them as comfortable as possible.
sick kids are no fun. and its hard on any momma so take a few deep breaths and keep calm, if you get worked up the babies will get worked up. and they need to rest.
hang in there, you can do this

My 11 month old spend 4 days in the hospital with RSV and we were in a contagion room (everyone in and out had to put on a gown, gloves and mask) to keep from spreading the RSV to other kids.

My DD pre-admission "crashed" at the pediatricians office...she went limp with 83 blood oxygen and was turning kinda blue. We went straight to the hospital via a tunnel building to building. It was pretty scary. She stayed on oxygen until she could be weaned off and keep her levels up.

Just to be on the safe side...I would drive them in for a second opinion.

We did not have pneumonia with the RSV. Do you have a blood oxygen machine to check their levels?

You are going crazy with breathing treatments around the clock times two and respiratory therapy times two and monitoring times two...good luck and get a second opinion!!

RSV can be very serious. Pneumonia always depends on how the person is affected. My 16 yr old daughter had pneumonia 2 years ago and just got a script for antibiotics. I had pneumonia when I had my son 4 years ago and was in the hospital for 3 days, then discharged with a script to last a week. I would definitely call the children's hospital and ask for a nurses line, then tell them the girls were observed then discharged. Depending on their age, you might be advised to drive there. Of course, some symptoms of colds, and viruses and other illnesses last longer than a hospital stay or doctor observation would be needed.

How old are these children? Surely they sent them home with medicines and they're not better yet? I would think they would be but they just got out yesterday right? I'd call your doctor again. Things can go south very quickly if they're super young. You have to be an advocate for them. I had my son get sick several years back. We too live in a smaller town but when the subject came up to have him admitted in a hospital because "they didn't know what was wrong", I immediately drove him 1 1/2 hours away to Texas Children's hospital to get the best of the best working on it. Let us know what happens!

Well....pneumonia , yes, is serious...fluid in your lungs, essentilally it's like "drowning" -- my son had it when he was 3 and ive had it twice at age and 12 and again at 49....makes you feel like death warmed over on a good day-wicked tired and cranky and cough alot (helps get all the gook out of your lungs)...even when your lungs clear up, your tired for a while (takes about a month for adults to bounce back) and also coughing for a while...Are they on antibiotics?
Neither one of us were ever admitted....but that was us and only you know your little munchkins best....but yes, pneumonia is nothing to fool around with.

Hope the feel better soon (and take care of yourself too!)

Just in case you have to go to that Children's Hospital, start keeping notes now. Note how many ounces of fluids they're taking in, how long they're either nursing or taking a bottle, and how many diaper changes you're having to do (a good measure, sometimes, of dehydration).

Look for signs of dehydration, such as dry cracked lips, very few tears when crying, and the color of the whites of their eyes (sometimes dehydration can cause the whites to appear a little gray-ish).

Make sure you have the doctor's name and number (the one who treated them in the local hospital) in case Children's needs to contact him for records, observations, etc. You think you're going to remember all this stuff, but it's amazing what flies out of your brain when you're being asked urgently "what was the doctor's name who discharged them because we need to see his records" and you can't believe that you can't remember. Have the local pharmacy's number too (where you got the antibiotics from).

Don't get yourself too stressed (I know, easier said than done), just keep trying to keep them rested and hydrated. Let the basic chores go (use paper plates and never mind about polishing the woodwork or extra things like that). Take care of yourself, and keep yourself hydrated and fed, and put your feet up when you can. If someone offers to come help you, let them.

If after a reasonable time they don't seem to be getting better, prepare a bag to take to the Children's Hospital. Medications (yours and theirs), comfortable shoes and clothing for you, a change of clothing or extra underwear for you, phone/tablet/laptops and their chargers, a book, wallet with insurance cards and debit cards, etc. If you end up not needing it, it's no big deal to put the stuff away when the twins have improved and things have settled down.

Keep in touch with the local hospital. Find out if that Children's Hospital has an ER and a nurse you can speak with. If you have insurance, your insurance company may have a nurse you can consult with.

I understand - my daughter was 4 and we were living in northwest Kansas, and she was really, really sick. The only hospital wasn't even a real hospital - it was a "medical center" with offices and some basic equipment. Denver was 4 hours away, Wichita was 6 hours away, and Nebraska choices were a little closer but not much bigger. We ended up having to go to Denver, and I wish I had been more prepared (baggage-wise). It was a mad scramble to remember things to pack, and there were things we forgot and wished we had brought.

Yes, drive them to the children's hospital. RSV is a deadly virus that can and does take babies lives. Yes, take them to the children's hospital. Have someone drive you, you sit in the back between your babies and make sure they're okay.

RSV has taken a couple of babies in my family and friends. I would not ever, EVER, not want them in the hospital if they tested positive for it. Not in any way. Not until they suctioned stuff out and tested it and RSV was no longer positive. Period.

Yeah, it can get pretty serious.
Get them to the Childrens Hospital.
A few hours drive is nothing if it helps them get better.

Two hours is nothing. Get them in the car and take them now. This is nuts. They discharge children with RSV and pneumonia? If they died, a lawyer would tell you to sue them for malpractice!

I'd go to the Children's Hospital. RSV and pneumonia are extremely serious and I'd want my little ones to get checked out at a hospital that has experience with kids. This way you can get a bag packed and not rush out the door whereas if this turns into an emergency you will have no time to plan. Good luck and keep us posted!