could you please help me

[doziduck]

some of you may have read my other posts, basically ds2 got nipped by a dog and i was wondering about tetanus. the gp advised over the phone to bring him for his pre school booster (he hasn't had it yet and he's 5 because he has been found to have a lower than normal imune system and has had some extra jabs to try and build it up)
Anyway, just got to the surgery, sat in the nurses room and the nurse discovers he has a temperature then he starts crying he feels sick, all very sudden.
she goes off to check with the doctor and comes back saying come back in a couple of weeks and gives me a prescription for antibiotics.
I have been told by hv that anti b's don't cover tetanus so i am left wondering (a) what are the anti b's for and (b) what about the tetanus thing, is it just tough luck now if he gets that or what?
I am suffering anxiety anyway and feel like this is all too much, please help

[pixiefish]

Does the nurse know about his immune system?

[doziduck]

she did look at his notes

[Twiglett]

message withdrawn

[pixiefish]

But did you point out that he's got a weakened immune system. I ask this because I've got a condition which means my immune system is weak and have to be very careful of infection. I tell the doc/dentist/nurse etc EVERY time as they don't always read that far back. Admittedly your ds is years younger than me but his cond may not be written in a prominent place.

[Rowlers]

Phone up GP surgery now before they close and say you are not happy, need to speak to GP before he / she goes home and are really worried. Don't take no for an answer. What are they doing prescribing antibiotics and not telling you what they are for! Don't sit and worry when a phone call could sort it all out.

[doziduck]

phoned back and have been told that the doctor gave antibiotics because of the temperature and was not aware that he had been bitten and that i have to bring him for the tetanus on monday so long as there is no temperature.
but i didn't think they would do it if he's on antibiotics and nhs direct have told me that he needs to have the tetanus within 72 hours (he was bitten Wednesday)

[MummyToSteven]

do you have an NHS walk in clinic or a & e you could go to? alternatively try and get hold of your local out of hours GP service.
remember it is very unlikely that your son could contract tetanus

[susanmt]

Hi doziduck, I got your other message.

Neither dh or I are vaccination specialists, but dh says that if it was one of our kids or a patient of his, he'd want to have the tetanus jag just to be in the safe side, as bites can be pretty dirty - infection could have been forced quite deep without you realising, and with his temperature (which could be totally different in origin,and just an unlucky coincedence but you never know).

Dh would recommend antibiotics after a bite like that because of the possibility of a wound infection - especially he says as your ds has a low threshold in his immune system he would be more likrly to develop an infection, so best to nip it in the bud. So even though your doc gave you them for the wrong reasons, he's probably done the right thing IYKWIM.

Dh can't look it up (vaccination) for you just now as he'd not at work and all his protocalls are in his on call gear. But he did say sooner the better.

Dunno if this helps, its a traditional medical pov, and there are quite a lot of people here who would have differing opinions, especially about the vaccination. But antibiotics and tetanus and keeping an eye on his temperature and the would site to check for redness, swelling, excessive heat around the bite, to see if there is an infectio, is what he would tell one of his patients to do, and what he would want done if it was one of ours.

HE did say that if the doc didn't know that your ds had been nipped, he might have prescibed an inapptopriate antibiotic, but if you let me know what it is he couls tell you.

It makes him mad when doctors are being cr*p cos he works so hard, listens to people and is the GP in the practice that everyone takes their kids to see. Sounds like there has been a bit of a sorry lack of communication in your practice.

Please just ask if you have any other worried, can't promise we can help, but he could try! Hope your ds feels better soon.

[doziduck]

Thanx ever so much susanmt. The antibiotic he has been given is Erythromycin.
Ds seems fairly o.k today so i am presuming it is probably nothing to do with bite.
I don't really want him to have a vaccination if he is under the weather but nor do i want to chance tetanus although there is barely anything to see now where he was bitten.
I have the appointment for the vaccination but i think i will try and get an appointment for him before hand on the monday morning to speak to the doctor first.