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General health

How do you differentiate a chest infection from a heavy cold?

13 replies

IamBlossom · 19/12/2006 07:20

DS2 19 weeks has an absolute stinker of a cold, loads of snot, runny nose streaming eyes and hacking chesty cough. Is there any other signs i can look out for to tell if this is a chest infection that needs Anti biotics? I am treating it as just a cold at the mo, and giving calpol, using a menthol vaporiser thingy in his bedroom and propping him up as much as i can.....doom and gloom DH thinks a doc's trip is in order, (as usual) and I am happy to take him but can they actualy do anything for a heavy cold???

TIA for all advice...


Bloss

xx

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Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 07:24

I had the same worry... basically, what I thought was a chest infection lifted, so i think it was just a cough. I think if it goes on more than 2 weeks, get it checked... but thats an adult xxx

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belgo · 19/12/2006 07:26

A doctor would need to listen to his chest to see if it's infected. Does he have a temperature? What's his breathing like - is he finding it difficult, groaning for instance? Does he look pale? Is he still drinking well?

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IamBlossom · 19/12/2006 07:27

morning Quootie. MN before 8am, only mothers do this this early! Thanks. I am concerned i may be not treating it properly because a little boy we know had a chest infection last week, but I don't think we have been in contact with him when he has been ill....plus it's such a HASSLe getting an appt, schlepping two boys out in the cold, to be told there is nothing to do except what i am already doing (that sounds terrible doens't it?)

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IamBlossom · 19/12/2006 07:29

Hi Belgo - he is off his milk a bit, but still drinking about 15-20 ounces a day...breathing is raspy but the snot is all on his chest....bit of a temp yesterday so gave calpol, but no temp since yesterday morning.....breathing isn't laboured, it's more wheezy with a very chesty cough.....

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IamBlossom · 19/12/2006 07:29

not pale.....red eye where it's been streaming so much...

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Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 07:31

I think phlem (cant spell) is a sign. Worth getting checked out xxx

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belgo · 19/12/2006 07:34

I would take him to the doctor, as he is still very young. Doesn't mean that they'll tell you to do anything differently to what you are doing!

My dd was three months old and given antibiotics because: she wasn't drinking much and was losing weight, sleeping very badly due to coughing, groaning while coughing, and was very pale.

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gladbag · 19/12/2006 07:51

As others have said, I'd take him to see the doctor anyway. They never seem to mind too much with little ones.

My ds has had a couple of times when I wasn't sure if he had a chest infection. The GP gave me a few pointers - is his stomach pulling in slightly under his rib cage as he breathes? Are his nostrils flaring? Off his milk? Higher than normal temperature? All of these can indicate an infection, but I I still think it's best to have his chest listened too.

Hope he feels better soon.

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WeWishUAMerryXmasNANappyNewYr · 19/12/2006 08:08

just to warn you doctors don't seem to know this anymore than we mothers do. i took ds to the doctors 2 maybe 3 times a week for about a month with a horrible horrible cough. it was that bad he would go bright red and start choking only to be told it was just a bad cough and there was nothing to do for him but use a vaporiser. the last straw was when i went in started to take his coat off to be examined and the horrible doctor told me not to bother cos she wouldnt be examining him and i was wasting her time. i took him straight to a & e and they admitted him immediately and he stayed there for a week until the diagnosed bronchiulitis (sp?) he had to go on oxygen and they told me if i'd left it another 12 hours he could have died. and they say you can trust a doctor with your life. they now think ds has asthma and i can vouch for the tummy thing - he has always had a funny looking tummy when he breaths. i love how when he was born I said he had asthma they told me it was rare before 12 months, impossible before 6. and they still can't diagnose it as asthma techincally until next week when he turns 6 months. what a load of codswallop! sorry i have gone on haven't i ....

basically take him to the doctors and see what they say. keep going back if it doesn't clear andif you get no joy please just take him to A&E - better to be safe than sorry and don't worry they WON'T think you're a neurotic mum - i was adamant they would think i was a nutter dragging ds up there with a cough, but they said i'd done the best thing for him and my doing that could have saved his life. oops i'm going on again, i'll go sharpish ... i really do have a bad case of Verbal diarrhoea today!!

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IamBlossom · 19/12/2006 08:48

right then, going to the docs! Thanks everyone, I love MN.

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LIZS · 19/12/2006 09:05

It might yet be nothing but after dd had bronciolitis at 3 months I'd always suggest any wheeziness in an under 1 should be checked out. It doesn't respond to ab's but you do need to be aware of the condition in case it worsens. A productive cough with discoloured phlegm could be a chest infection.

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LIZS · 19/12/2006 21:23

how did it go ?

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AbbyLou · 19/12/2006 21:33

My ds was diagnosed witha chest infection after a trip to the emeregency doctor on Saturday night. I was rather like you and didn't want to waste an appointment if it was 'just a cold'. However i became worried when his temeprature was up, he had a terrible cough, he was wheezy and breathing extremely rapidly and very drowsy.

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