RSV - Are Any Other Moms Dealing with This or Have Dealt with This... ??

Hello! My name is K. and I read your posting today and thought I would write to you. My son who is now four had been diagnosed with RSV two times once when he was about five months old and 2 years old and had to spend a week in childrens both times. A little advice I can give you that the doctors told me when he had it was sit in the bathroom with the hot shower running. The steam is good. They also gave me a boppy to keep him elavated. They showed me to also cup my hand and pat his sides to loosen up the congestion. I hope these help. Good Luck. I hope you little one gets better.

.

My son was diagnosed with RSV last December when he was 18 months old. He was on 4x a day treatments forever! Everytime the weather got cold and everytime he got sick, we were back on neb treatments. They started him on Pulmicort in April (after he got the roto virus which also aggrivated it) so he had 2 Pulmicort/Albuterol treatments and 2 plain Albuterol treatments a day for awhile. Finally they put him on Singulair (which, for him, is a powder we put in applesauce) and that did the trick. Now, as soon as he gets a runny nose we give him Singulair and Pulmicort before he goes to bed. This helps him get over the cold in 3 days rather than 3 months like last winter. It was a tough 7 months for us, trying to fit in all the treatments, but he was never so bad to be hospitalized.

About the treatments. After the first 2 days, he didn't even care. We put the TV on and watched whatever he wanted until it was done. We took him on vacation with them and my parents even had him overnight a few times with them. It just becomes part of the routine. Now he "helps" us squeeze the medicine in the chamber and holds the mask when it falls. While it's a pain, the treatments do get easier.

Good luck. I hope it clears up faster than ours did!
T.

My daughter Riley, who is now 17 months, went through this when she was 8 months old. I was also given a nebulizer that I had to administer every 4 hours except at night when she slept. I can't remember the prescription she was on for the RSV, but I don't think it was Albuterol. Anyways, she did get worse before she got better. Much worse. And she HATED getting the nozzle thing stuck over her face for the steam to get in. Her breathing was terrible, and it took about 2 weeks to get it back to somewhat normal. I can't give you any tips on worrying less..(I got up throughout the night for 3 weeks to make sure she wasn't having a heart attack or something) but it eventually does go away. Just thought it would help to know someone else went through this! Good luck!

My son as RSV and I say has very lightly because I know you cannot get rid of it. When he was 6 months old he had his first attack of it and it was bad to the point where he almost died. He is however fine and normal and active now. I read up on it when I learned he had it. It is a very common virus (it is spread from child to child through daycare and family my son got it from his cousins) and usually only has effects on children under 4 my son is now 2 and a half and has no breathing problems whatsoever. Just give him his meds on time every time until he cough goes away. Then every time he gets a cough make sure you notify the doctor and give him the nebulizer. After a year you should be in the clear, his immune system will be stronger then. But just as a warning this may lead to childhood asthma.

I agree with the other mothers, but from my own experience, if your sons breathing seems more labored(worse) I would call the ped. My son had a similar thing happen when he was almost 14 months old. He had bronchiolitis and was hospitalized for 4 days. Went in for a day, then sent him home, his breathing got worse, I went back to the ped and he had a pulse ox of 86. He was then put in for the remaining 3 days. Go with your gut instinct, if you think he needs medical attention, get it. I was told my son would get worse before he got better too. Had I not taken him in he wouldn't have gotten the oxygen that he needed. I hate to think what could have happened. Good luck.

When my daughter was 2 months old I brought her to the dr and she rec'd a breathing treatment. I took her home and called the Dr because she began wheazing. The Dr advised me to take her to the ER where she was admitted and diagnosed with RSV. That was the scariest week of my life. My advice to you would be to contact the doctor...even though they told you it would get worse...I would err on the side of caution. I would also ask him for a script for Pulmacort. I can't remember exaclty how it works but the 2 meds treat in different ways. And the other advice is to cup your hands and pat you son's back...it helps loosen up the gook in his chest. Lastly, I wanted to let you know it's normal for a child to throw up after a treatment..the coughing may provoke it and it's how they get all the mucus out.

Most good pediatrician say that there is no need to worry about a child's fever unless it goes beyond 104.5. I never even give my children any fever reducing medicine unless the fever is causing them severe sleep deprivation which is not good for the body to recover. The fever is your child best natural defense for fighting the germs in their body...never reduce it unless it is absolutely neccessary. Kids are much better at dealing with the discompfort of a fever than we think. My daughter had RSV when she was 6 months old. We did the whole nebulizer thing. Keep with it at the regular intervals suggested by the doctor. Try not to medicate him beyond the nebulizer. RSV sounds much scarier than what it is...especial if your son is otherwise a typically developing baby. It is very very young babies and severly premature babies that have a harder time with respitory viruses. The danger of it is when it goes untreated. Once you start treating it and are under the care of a good doctor, your worries should be calmed. Seeing our children sick is always scarey and worrisome, but the truth is, God has made them more resilent that we think. So, take a deep breath, know that you are a good mommy who has taken the correct steps in helping your son, and enjoy the quiet restful time where you can just lay with your child and comfort him because soon he will be darting through your home again!
God Bless,
L.

Hi B.,
My daughter had that when she was only 4 weeks old and they put her on Albuterol and Pulmacort which is a steriod. They way I delt with her RSV is when I did not do the nebs I would take her in the bathroom and let the hot water run and it would loosen everything up. And then at night they told me that I could us some Vickes Vapor pulgs in the bedroom and a cool mist humidifer and and that worked for me. And I found that if you use the nebs before he eats it is alot easier.And just to let you know when they are dig with RSV they alwasy have syptoms of it like right know my daughter just turend a year and she has gotten a stuffy nose and a cold now and they have her back on the nebs so that she can breath. But when she fist got it after she was born they kept her on the nebs until the weather gotten warm. Well I hoped that I gave some advice. If you need to know me just email.

My son went through the same thing and just about the same age (he was 16 months), my son was hospitalzied for a day with it. Try not to worry too much. Make sure you get a follow up appointment though. We lifted the head of his bed and tried to keep him propped up, it helps with the congestion and heavy breathing. Comfort as much as possible. Liquids help so that he doesnt dehydrate. and you too! My son didnt eat a whole lot the first few days with it. And if you are ever really unsure Call the Dr again. I think he was feeling better in about a week or so.

I know its not alot, but hopefully it helps.

Hello B.,

I actually went through this with three of kids.... My first one i took back to the ER when her breathing got worse and they admitted her right away... If u have a shower in your bathroom, Take him to the bathroom with you,, Put a towel by the door to block the steam from leaving Turn your shower's hot water on full blast let the bathroom full with steam and keep him in there for 15 minutes make sure you have a bucket next to you he might have to vomit up the Gook from his chest