When Do You Know?

I know that the doc says not to give them any cough med, but I give my daughter some benadryl, now this will put him to sleep so i give it to her at night or right befor a nap and just give him the recommended amount and i use lots of vicks vapor rub and maybe put the plug in that vicks has out now. My husband and I also give her a bath in the Johnson & Johnson vapor bath it really seems to help clear ouy a lot of the mucus. If his nose is stuffy or congested try little noses it's a saline spray then use the sucktion. Try that and let me know how it works.
angie

T.,

I'm a paramedic for the City of Va beach, and a mom of 2, so I see this from both sides! Usually my professional advice to Moms is that a fever that spikes over 101, or does not respond to Motrin should be checked out. Runny noses that include ear tugging (but you probably know the ear infection deal pretty well). Any cough that is worsening at night - ESPECIALLY if it sounds like a barking, weird sounding , kinda like the noise a seal would make - could potentially be croup and needs to see a doctor.

More than anything else, the best advice I can give is just to trust your gut. You know your child better than anyone else, including his doctor, and if something doesn't feel right to you - take him in. It's what doctors are for!!

Good luck!
K.

I am no expert, but it is my belief that you can never take your child too often. Kids get sick really fast and luckly they get better really fast too. Most pediatricians would much rather see a kid for no reason than not see one that they could have helped keep from getting sicker...at leat that seems to be the way my peds office works. I love my pediatrician's office (Randolph Peds) because they never make me feel like I came in for nothing or have inconvienced them or anything like that. Anyway, that's just one opinion...if your not sure, better to take him in. Hope your little one feels better really soon!
M.
M.

Hi T.-
I can totally relate to wondering when to call or take my kids to the doctor without calling for nothing. I always error on the safe side though. If you feel concerned because of the way your child is behaving - like he seems out of it, extremely lethargic, and of course doing anything serious like seizures, losing consciousness, etc...It would probably be best to call the doctor and take him in. This is the gage I use with my two kids. My son could have a fever of 103 and still be running around the house so those times I just let the fever run it's course. But the times he's sick and just seems really out of it or uncomfortable, I take him in.
Hope that helps some. :)

Take him in. Your peace of mind is worth a co-pay! Trust me -- your doctor has seen kids for all kinds of things! I have fought that "I feel stupid" feeling a lot, but I'd rather feel stupid and have them tell me that all is well than NOT go for fear of feeling stupid and have it be something, y'know?

Hi T.!

I completely sympothize. We are a military family and I don't know how many times I had to make the call on my own whether or not to "take them in" to the er or doctor. (Never having family nearby!) Although I'm fortunate my mother is only a phone call.

The best advice I can give you is go with your gut. A mother's intuition is usually right. However, a few things to watch:

Listen to his back. Listen for a "crackle" so to speak. If you hear that...definitely take him in. If the mucus is bright green, this is a sign of infection and fever over 100 is something to worry about. And any time they vomit, unless it is just something they ate, is always a warrented trip to the doctor. Go for you peace of mind, if nothing else. It IS definitely worth the co-pay!!!

However, I would also stress to the doctor your concerns. They are usually happy to go over a list of symptoms that should be red flags to you.

Also remember, with kids, you never know what is going to happen next when they are sick. My daughter was bouncing off the walls, not really acting sick when I took her in one day. The doctors and nurses all of the sudden looked at me during triage and said "maam, are you aware she is running a 104 temp?" I felt like the worst mother in the world. She went from 101 to 104 in 30 minutes. So sometimes, its just best to take them in. But always, go with your gut. It is usually right!

Good luck! Lee

P.S. E-mail me if you have any questions. I'm happy to help. My brother was a baby that spent the first six years in and out of hospitals. My mother has me pretty well versed on what to do when my twins get sick! I would be happy to be an e-mail buddy. Being a mom should come with a set of instructions!!! LOL ~take care.

MY PHILSOPHY(I DON'T THINK I SPELLED THAT RIGHT)IS IF I FEEL LIKE MY CHILD NEEDS TO SEE A DOCTOR THEN WE ARE GOING TO THE DOCTOR I CALL THE NURSE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT AND I DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!!AND I'M SURE THAT IN THAT NURSE'S CALL ROOM THAT THEY HAVE IT POSTED ON SOME BOARD THAT "IF MRS. BASS CALLS YOU MILES WELL SEE HER KIDS'CAUSE SHE AIN'T GONNA QUIT CALLING TILL YOU DO" LOL!!!BUT MOST OF THE TIME I'M RIGHT!!!AND I DON'T CARE IF IT IS THE PRESIDENT NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HOW YOUR CHILD IS FEELING OR ACTING!YOU ARE THE MOTHER THEY CAME FROM YOUR BODY AND YOU HAVE A SPECIAL BOND WITH THEM IT'S LIKE YOU CAN ALMOST FEEL THEIR SICKNESS!!SO IN SHORT JUST ANY TIME YOU,YOU,YOU,YOU,YOU FEEL THE NEED TO CALL THE DOCTOR OR GO TO THE DOCTOR THEN BY ALL MEANS GO!!

Ok I might sound like a crazy lady, but this has worked for me and I have read entirely too many success stories to not believe it. I use Collidal Silver whenever my daughter starts to get sick. I started using it with her ear infections when she was 24 months and I could not afford to miss so much work because she was running a fever and was desperate for some help. You can put it in their ears, swab their nose and they can take it by mouth as well. It tastes like water so there is generally no adversion to it. My daughter is now 5-1/2 and has not been to the doctor for illness in over 3 years. It is an amazing product. What I learned while reading was that colds are a virus and cannot be treated with antibiotics so most of the time when doctors were prescribing them it was doing no good, and to make matters worse it was killing the good bacteria so they were more likely to get sick again. Silver has been used for several years to treat severly burned patients, it kills bacteria without any stinging or pain and allows wounds to heal. then scientists started testing it for other ailments like colds and other virus' with amazing results. There was even a recent test on HIV patients, who took a prescibed regime of silver daily and were completely cured of HIV. so now I don't feel so crazy. But I give it to my daughter today when she starts sounding like she is getting a cough or cold and within a few days she is completely better without having to endure the runny nose and cough that comes along with most colds. I usually give her 1 tsp twice a day for a week. I don't give it to her when she is well although it is completely safe to do that. When I first started using it, I gave her 1tsp 3 times a day, as well as swabbed her nose and ears. I did this for two weeks, then off two weeks then back on for two weeks, then I went into prevent mode. It is an amazing product, it will not harm them and is completely safe even for younger children. If you little one is under a year I would recommend 1/4-1/2 tsp twice a day. You do need to make sure you are getting collodial silver, and silverbiotics is a good brand, so it mesosilver, but it tends to be rather expensive and I have only been able to find that one online. I wish you the best and hope that your little one gets to feeling better soon.

T.,

Better to take him as what you consider too often, and pay those co-pays, than not enough! I am an LPN (nurse), and can give our patients routine advise, within my scope of practice, about this stuff. But, when it comes to my own children, I am the nervous mommy on the other end of the phone, not the reassuring nurse!! Sometimes we tend to "play-down" symptoms, thinking "its just a cold" and its a waste of time or money.
But trust your intuition! I took my kids to the dr and have been told "its a virus" plenty of times!
But the one time I wish I had taken my son (he was 5 at the time)to the Dr sooner, rather than brushing it off as a viral infection, he had scarlet fever! Which is basically strep throat that is worsening because of no treatment!! Talk about feeling like scum! But to my defense, he did not complain of a sore throat, his only symptom was fever. When the rash developed, that's when I knew I needed to check his throat, which looked terrible! So, just trust your instincts! Oh, if you're concerned about ear infections, you can get a simple otoscope at a pharmacy or other medical supply store. Take it with you to your dr, and have him show you how to use it, what to look for in a healthy ear and in an infected ear. That may give you some peace of mind when your child begins to pull at his ears.

My kids go to the doctor when:
1. green stuff is coming from nose
2. cough that sounds like their insides are coming out that last more than 2 days
3. a fever that is over 101 for 3 days or that I can't get to come down with med.
My hubby and I set down and came up with these when my daughter was almost a year old and we had been in the dr. office once a week for 2 months. I was sick of going for the things you listed. I use the triaminic cough patches they work great!
Good luck.
M.

T., first of all - and most importantly dont panic if he is gettign sick. Most of the time, your mother intuition kicks in. And alot of times, you can just call the Dr to ask before you make that trip to the ER or to the Dr office. They would be glad to answer your concerns. Its tough knowing "when" but as moms, we all are constantly learning because each situation is different.
Trust your intuition. As long as he doesnt have a fever that wont break that is 101 or higher for more than a day I would just try to treat it at home first and take it from there.

I think you should take them to the dr anytime you feel like they need to go..You are the mom, and you know best..I have taken my kids to the dr and the whole way there I have felt stupid because I think when I get there, he's going to tell me there's nothing wrong..And you know what once or twice he has, but at least I feel better and I didn't have to worry whether they were sick or not..So if you feel that he needs to go to the dr (even if it is just a cold) take him...

T. - I was much younger when I had my first child, but believe me the feeling is the same then as you are feeling now... it's your baby! A great rule of thumb that I've learned is fevers that last longer than 3 days or really high fever (call the doctor they'll give you advice or your insurance sometimes has a nurse on call you can talk to!) or vomiting that lasts longer than two days (because with little kids dehydration can set in fast) a cold that lasts longer than a week with a severe cough is enough to take them too. Always check them over for rashes and such when they are sick as well.
I remember an incident with my child when she would seem fine then spike a fever of 103 and after two days I took her into the doctor and they told me it was a virus and there was nothing they could do - well after repeated incidents I finally went back to the doctor and told them they needed to do more than just look in her ears and listen to her chest and tell me she had a virus. They finally took a chest X-ray and discovered she had walking pneumonia! So when I say that you know your kid best... believe me... and don't let any doctor tell you that you are a hyper mother and you are over reacting - cause you know them better than any doctor that sees them for 10 minutes and gives you prescription and sends you out the door!
And when he is sick, make sure you spend time with him. A mom's love is the best medicine! Cuddle up, read a book, give him lots to drink and get those vicks plug in things to help with the congestion... they rock! My kids are older now, but I still worry about them when they get sick... so it'll never change - once a mom always a mom! Good luck! D

PS - I read through other responses and looks like we all agree! Glad you got him to the doctor - keep us posted on how he does!

They say for just a cough if it continues for more than about 5 to 7 days they should be seen. I feel personally if it interfears with his sleep and sounds on the barky side you should make an appointment. With vomiting it depends a lot on other symptoms or if it goes on more than 2 days. Usually for vomiting as long as he is taking fluids and is active the doctor will just do nothing unless they get dehydrated or unless it is excessive. Now kids will vomit at times if they are coughing too much then I definately would talk to the doctor. Really if you feel he needs to be seen then take him in by all means. That is what they are there for. Just be sure he is getting plenty of fluids such as gatorade, water, broth is sometimes real good, pedialite or an off brand, even jello water works wonders. I use jello water all the time when my kids are vomiting. Just to warn you it may make them vomit if there is something in their stomache that needs to get out. Generally it will just stop and jello is good for them anyways. Just remember that doctors can't prescribe anything for a virus cause it will not help. A virus has to run it's course of action. Good luck.

T.,
I hope your son is feeling better. Keep him well hydrated, is the best advice that I have. We don't use cough medicine where I work because we want the patients to cough and get it out of their lungs. The more hydrated he is, the easier it will be for him to have a productive cough. As for when to call the Doctor...I am a pediatric nurse and I still question myself sometimes about when to call the doctor. The times that I wonder if I should go or not...I leave a message on the Nurse line...and talk to them about what is going on first. Just remember that you know your child better than anyone else...I would rather take my children and it be nothing than to miss something major.

Ok T. I know you have already recieved many e-mails but I am a mother of four and my advice is that it is already hard to go through a fever plus a burning sharp hacking deep cough for a child so i trust my instincts and I do whatever in my power to make them feel at ease I run the shower on hot while I hold them so the steam can clear out there lungs and sing or I read a book (though Im sweating) It makes me feel better knowing they are at ease and if I have tried everything and they are still misserable you better believe there doctor is going to be called and they will be seen because my children are first and you never know one day they could be running a fever and it is an allergic reaction to something they could have died from..I have seen many doctors and first I had some real strict ones that I felt if I did not do by the book as they had told me then I felt horrible . But by there book did not work for my children . So now I have a wonderfully loving doctor who goes by my childrens bodies and what is best for them because not everyone is the same...And she really takes the time to chat and play with them I really respect her its more like we are a team in making sure my kids are well...And she has taught me to never second geuss when it comes to my girls basically if i dont know she does and thats what she is here for ....Anyway T. you are a great mother .We all get frustrated and wish we knew all the answers sometimes but we dont.And sometimes just take that chance and go ahead,bother somebody ask millions of questions because that is the only way we learn and always,always!Get a second opinion every child is different.Wish you the best (Oh and I have been through the tubes in the ears and pneumonia and tonsils pulled many of nights in the hospital how it all started was with the signs of a cold)

Hello T.,I agree with Lee I's response a mothers Intuition is usually right. You will get to know your child and when it will get better or when it will continue to go down hill.

I have 4 children and my youngest is 5 she has her fathers allergies. It has been a rough time on her but it is getting better every year she goes longer and longer without getting to the point of a doctor's visit it takes time to build up there immune system.

Usually I will wait for the fever, the first day it comes I am a strong beleiver in taking to the doctor because by then it has been 3 to 4 days of the other symptoms and you can give the Tylenol and the Motrin but that is just a cover up, it helps control it but not make it better.