dd2 (15mths) just diagnosed with Measles, would really like some advice

[Wills]

Help. dd2 just diagnosed by the doctor. She has all the symptons and she asked if I wanted a blood test. Since it wont make any difference to the way she's treated I declined. The gp said that if she got any worse I was to take her straight to hospital. I asked her what "worse" meant so I could judge but was only given very vague advice. Currently dd2 has a temp of 39, covered in spots, is very floppy but does react eventually, has been sick, has a hacking cough, and a streaming nose. I'm currently giving her medised and watered down milk (she's hasn't got an appetite and at the moment my main concern is getting water into her as she's sweating a lot). Anyone have any advice?

Just for the record I was going to give her her mmr at 18 months .

[nailpolish]

poor thing. sounds scary, was she like this at drs? i would maybe take her to hossie for a 2nd opinion

[nailpolish]

or phone nhs direct (nhs 24 it called up here) and ask them. they are very good - ive had to call them twice in middle of night

[Wills]

Yes she was like this and the gp admitted that dd2 was a very ill child..... The problem is that I have my dh's first doc's appointment for his treatment tonight (briefly he has cancer) and this can't wait either.

[nailpolish]

blimey, you poor thing. sorry to hear about dh.

i really would take dd to hospital though - or can someone take her? do you have to take her to drs later too or is someone babysitting? what a nightmare.

[bakedpotato]

wills, how awful, you have a full plate.
dd caught measles around 15 mths. symptoms the same as these: feverish, listlesss, sleepy, coldy, coughy and spotty. can't remember about being sick.
it wasn't much fun -- i feel for you. i remember trying to get her to drink as much liquid as possible. we gave up on food for a few days. she slept A LOT and, for the first time in her life, saw the point of cuddles (that was, for me, the upside of measles...). lots of telly.
i think it was bad, ie feverish, for 2 days, then it took her another 2-3 to get back to normal.
ring NHS direct for more pointers on what 'worse' could mean, just to put your mind at rest.
in restrospect, it was no worse than a very bad cold. but the word measles just scares the bejesus out of you when you first hear it doesn't it.
HTH.

[tortoiseshell]

Oh Wills - you don't need this do you! Hope she's feeling better soon, and I know it's scary to hear 'measles' but prevaccination, MOST measles cases were fine, it really was the exception that had problems. xxx

[Marina]

Oh, NO. I have no experience of measles Wills but how sorry I am to hear this. Apart from ensuring that dd2 makes a good recovery (and do remember that the DoH publicity for MMR does rather overdo the risk of complications from measles in otherwise healthy, well-nourished children in the developed world), what I am thinking is that before your dh starts any immune-system compromising treatment, does he know if he's had the measles?
Can your dd take Nurofen, I find that, given with Calpol for pain relief, is a good regime for feverish illness.
Sending you hugs, I cannot believe I am reading this. XXX

[Roisin]

Wills - what treatment is your dh having? Radiotherapy should be OK I think, but make sure you tell them about dd's measles. They won't be happy about compromising his immune system (i.e. chemo) if he's in contact with a contagious disease like this.

[bakedpotato]

oh yes, agree with Marina, we double-dosed her with calpol and ibuprofen to fight the temperature.

[maomao]

Poor you, Wills --- you certainly have loads going on! Not sure whether this info might be of help

Hugs to you!

[prufrock]

Oh Wills I am so sorry. This is the last thing you need.
I would second Marinas suggestion of nurofen as well as the Calpol/Medised. That was you can give her something every 2 hours so her temp will stay down. If she's being sick as well then you can get Paracetomol suppositories from most chemists so you can be sure it's staying in.
Will she suck on ice chips (or even ice lollies - this is not the time to be concerned about healthy food) to get some liquid into her?

[lisalisa]

Message withdrawn

[Wills]

Brilliant advice, thanks everyone. She's had some more sleep but I couldn't get her to wake. She had her eyes open but wouldn't respond to us. When I picked her up however she started to respond (bit freaked there for a while). I've now put teletubbies on which she loves and she's even sat up and tried to chat with them. I'd heard of using neurofen and calpol just wasn't sure of the timescales so basically alternate every two hours?

My inlaws are coming down to look after the girls whilst dh and I go to the doctor - thanks for the heads up on his treatment. He's due to start BCG treatment which will certainly affect his immune system but I'm not sure whether it will surpress it or not.

I will also give NHS direct a call. My mum tells me I need to dim all the lights? is this true????

[bakedpotato]

wills -- i'd forgotten that dd also had sore red eyes. my mum also mentioned dim lights! i think it was something to do with increased sensitivity, that must have been the theory when we were children, but i'd ask NHS Direct for reassurance on that one.
the delayed response thing post-nap sounds scary but i remember dd being dopey/unusually passive. can you get NHS's take on this too?
wishing you well.

[bakedpotato]

just got this off NHS website. mums were right about light!

Symptoms
Symptoms usually develop in a well-established order.
A mild to severe temperature of around 39°C or 102.2°F.
Tiredness and general fatigue.
A poor appetite.
A running nose and sneezing.
An irritable dry cough.
Red eyes and sensitivity to light.
Tiny white spots in the mouth and throat.
A blotchy red rash that starts behind the ears, spreads to the face and then to the rest of the body and lasts for up to seven days.
Causes
It takes around 10 to 12 days for the virus to make its presence felt after infection from another child. Physical contact, sneezing and clothing contaminated with nasal secretions (mucus from the nose) all help to spread this infection.
Prevention
Although immunisation rates are now very high you should isolate your child from other children if you think they may be infected. Immunised children and those who have already caught measles are virtually immune.
Complications
Meningitis and pneumonia are rare but serious complications. More commonly, eyes and ears develop secondary infection which may need antibiotics from your doctor.
Self care
Once the rash starts it is a matter of treating the symptoms.
Check the child's temperature.
Use paracetamol syrup (for example, Calpol) for fever and aches and pains.
Light sensitivity can be helped by reducing sunlight or electric lights in the room.
Use a ball of damp cotton wool to clean away any crustiness around the eyes.
Cough medicines are of little value but do ease ticklish throats. Try placing a bowl of water in the room.
Avoid dehydration. Feverish small children rapidly lose water. It also makes a cough worse.
Some people may find it helpful to try one teaspoon of lemon juice and two teaspoons of honey in a glass of warm water.
Ideally, you should keep your child away from others for at least seven days after the start of the rash.
After four days the child usually feels better

[suedonim]

Sorry to hear about your little one, Wills. Istr Jimjams talking about extra Vit A for children with measles but I'm not sure what form it comes in or the dosage - maybe JJ's will see this thread later on and give you more details.

[hmb]

REgarding your husband, it will depend on exactly what sort of treatment he is having. When dh had his chaemotherapy we were given leaflets telling us to stay away from large gatherings etc to avoid infection. I would tell his doctor prior to any treatment starting.

Hope that your dd2 gets better soon. Hugs to you, you are going through it at the moment.

[prufrock]

Hope everything went as well as possible tonight Wills.
You can give a full days dose of Nurofen, and a full days dose of Medised or Calpol. So up to 3 5ml doses of Nurofen and 4 5ml doese of Clapol per 24 hours. You have to leave at least 4 hours between giving the same medicine, and IME you want to be able to give one during the night
So to save you having to think it through:
7am Calpol
9.30am Nurofen
12pm Calpol
2.30pm Nurofen
5pm Calpol
7.30pm Nurofen, then you can give one more calpol if necessary in the night.

DD once had a viral infection that caused a v. high fever and vomiting and I was beside myself because she was very floppy and unresponsive. I rushed her into the private GP's, but by the time we got there the Calpol had taken effect and she was much better. She told me to only start worrying about the floppy, clingy, stary stage if paracetamol doesn't make a difference within 15 minutes or so.

[misdee]

measles and Vit A stuff,


Measles/Vitamin A studies have shown that supplementation:

? Enhances immune response

? Reduces the severity of measles

? Decreases the incidence and/or severity of major complications
(diarrhoea, pneumonia, croup or otitis media)

? Results in fewer days inhospital

? Leads to faster recovery and fewer post-measles complications

[Angeliz]

Wills, hope your dd is o.k
Hope you and dp are too, sounds like a busy time!

[meysey]

it's also worth consulting a homeopath, I seem to remember mine prescribed drosera. it's not a cure but did help.

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Hope your dd gets better soon. What a tough time you are all having. Thinking of you xx.

[Marina]

How are things today, Wills? Update us if you have a chance but be sure that we are all thinking of you and willing dd2 to be much improved today. XXX

[Wills]

Thank you everyone. Prufrock you star. The timescales are great and the bit about the floppy unresponsive behaviour is wonderful because that was sort of what happened. I rang NHS direct and they gave pretty much the same advice as bakedpotato has printed off their website (thanks bakedpotato). They also advised me to take her temp every two hours during the night and to go to casulty if it rose above 39.4 despite any calpol/neurofen. Anyway I'm completely shattered but dd2 is onto her second bowl of cereals and although she's still very poorly there are distinct signs of improvement this morning. At least her appetite is returning (we don't call her the stomach for nothing ).

Dh's treatment can go ahead and the consultant expects to start either end this week or Monday next.

Thanks for all the support and advice everyone

[Angeliz]

Great news Wills

Hope you all have a more peaceful day++