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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect the doctor to give me antibiotics for my 3 year old who has had bad cough and cold for 5 weeks?

74 replies

isleangel · 09/10/2011 09:49

My 3 year old took the cold in the 1st week of September. His nose has run constantly and he has developed a bad cough which is getting worse and has kept him awake every night for the last 4 weeks. I don't like using antibiotics, which is why I left him until last week to take him to the doctor, but the doctor said that antibiotics wouldn't make any difference after this length of time and instead presribed him prition syrup to dry up his nose. This hasn't helped and I know its not an allergy, as his brother had exactly the same thing only his cleared up after a week. AIBU and if I'm not how to I get him antibiotics now?

OP posts:
Catslikehats · 09/10/2011 10:06

electra MN has also become a place of late where unless everyone agrees with the OP in a cutsey hugz type fashion at least one poster pops up saying "ooh everyone is rude/ mean/bullying bjitches these days" Hmm

If you post AIBU that the dr wont give antibiotics for a cold then you are frrankly lucky you don't get flamed.

Had the OP wanted advice she could have posted in health or even just explained that he son is on inhalers and she believes he is suffering complications at which point I would suspect the universal response would have been seek a second opinion (which OP, is what you should do if you are worried).

electra · 09/10/2011 10:06

I would be concerned too after that length of time. Also, children need sleep to help them heal and when they can't sleep because of a cough the whole thing becomes a viscious cycle.

Original poster
isleangel · 09/10/2011 10:07

He is on the brown inhaler and sabutamol and I am using them correctly. He had bronchoilitis when he was 1. The cough is happening during the day too, not only only at night and they don't seem to be having any effect. Normally they would help.

OP posts:
sausagesandmarmelade · 09/10/2011 10:11

There is such a thing as a bad doctor..........or should we never question their decisions?

I'm always advised to increase on the brown inhaler when I get a rare chest infection.

Good luck with this OP....and definitely seek a second opinion or return to your GP if worried!

You sound like a good, sensible and caring Mum

BigusBumus · 09/10/2011 10:12

Of course a cold is a viral infection that anti-biotics can't treat. HOWEVER, sometimes a bad cold can lead to a secondary bacterial infection, ie a sinus infection, tonsilitis or a chest infection, which needs anti-biotics to clear up.

If after 5 weeks your child is still coughing day and night I would definitely want a doctor to listen to his chest and symptoms, and see if he has a secondary chest infection. Go back but see a different doctor to last time.

Original poster
isleangel · 09/10/2011 10:12

Ok, maybe I was wrong to post on here and maybe I phrased it badly and I am new on here, but I'm afraid 4 weeks of no sleep and concern for my son has altered my logical mind. Thanks to everyone's posts. Maybe I am being unreasonable, but at the moment I would try anything.

OP posts:
electra · 09/10/2011 10:14

Queenofdenial don't be disingenuous - the OP is posting because her son appears to have complications following a cold ffs - not for the initial cold itself. If you think someone should get flamed for that then you are a symptom of why MN has become so unplesant lately.

I've never known posts on MN to be so rude and deliberately not consider people's ops properly in the 7 years since I've joined.

electra · 09/10/2011 10:15

For clarity I'm not just talking about this thread

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 09/10/2011 10:18

Coughs can last for 6 weeks after a virus even if no bacterial infection is present. I think if there is a bacterial infection he would have been coughing up green/yellow sputum and having a fever, if none of this it maybe just is a long lasting cough.

Very hard to endure for so long though, sympathies.

purplewednesday · 09/10/2011 10:19

Have a cuppa, gather your bag together and then go along to your local NHS walk in centre and ask for a review.

Seeing someone different may give you a better consultation and answer whether he has a chest infection or an exacerbation of asthma.

catsareevil · 09/10/2011 10:19

Did the doctor listen to his chest? If you feel like your DS gets worse then you can get him seen again, or if it carries on like this without getting better.

The other thing that can cause a prolonged cough is whooping cough (also called the 100 days cough!), apparently even immunised children can get it.

FannyFifer · 09/10/2011 10:21

Can you ask for referral to children's asthma clinic?
They are the only people whose advise I trust with DS asthma, GP's have been utterly useless.

Things I have tried with ongoing chronic cough in DS are,
Antihistamine (sometimes helps)
Singulair ( helped but extreme side effects)
Ventolin syrup ( didn't help)

He gets his blue inhaler followed by brown inhaler x 3 daily and then blue as required,he is 6 and we use the aero chamber with mask.
He also has Nasonex nose spray once a day.

If his cough starts now he gets a 5 day course of prednisolone which usually nips it in the bud.

Hope some of this helps.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 09/10/2011 10:22

what electra said.

Original poster
isleangel · 09/10/2011 10:22

Unfortunately I'm in Northern Ireland and we don't have NHS centres, we have emergency out of hours centres, but they need to be an emergency. also there is only 1 doctor at our health centre at the moment, as they are quite small, so don't think I can get a second opinion.

OP posts:
VivaLeBeaver · 09/10/2011 10:23

Definetly go back to the Drs in the morning or if you have a walk in out of hours clinic go there today.

VivaLeBeaver · 09/10/2011 10:24

x-post

VivaLeBeaver · 09/10/2011 10:25

Cam he have Calpol night or medised which might help him sleep a bit? Not sure how old they have to be for this thesedays.

Groovee · 09/10/2011 10:25

I had a chest infection in August and 8 weeks down the line still have the cough and now have a cold which the lovely children I work with gave me for the past fortnight. But I've had my chest checked 3 times and it's clear now, it's just getting the cough to shift.

From experience children often have winter long colds as their hygiene isn't as good as adults and they often wipe their noses into their eyes.

I'd make sure plenty steaming is going on and unless his breathing becomes worse, I'd just try to ride it out. Extra pillows or raising his mattress at the head end may help him during the night.

mememummy · 09/10/2011 10:26

I would recommend extra fluids a good diet with supplements regular piriton and a troop to gp/ walk in centre it's flu season after all and bronco illness time to be strong op xxx

Original poster
isleangel · 09/10/2011 10:27

Thanks Fannyfifer. He's on the 8 puffs of the brown inhaler a day and the blue twice a day. The consultant treating him at the hospital didn't think he had asthma, but he does have a pigeon chest. Now even the consultant at the hospital has retired and they haven't found anyone to replace him!

OP posts:
ggirl · 09/10/2011 10:29

I can understand your concern.
dd had a prolonged cough , obv started as a virus
she didn't go to the doc (she's 19) for ages as she just assumed it would go
ended up with pneumonia
needed 3 lots of ab's and steroids to sort

she did have bouts of fever throughout this whicg suggested bacterial infection ,also got swollen lymph glands

does your ds have any other signs suggesting infection
I would take him back and voice your concern again

purplewednesday · 09/10/2011 10:29

Given your situation and lack of options I would go to the out of hours centre.

You could (tearfully) explain that you are very worried and need a second opinion, even though you know its not a true emergency.

Health care staff are usually understanding and practical when it comes to small children, especially as they have such good compensatory mechanisms that they can deteriorate quickly.

ScaredTEECat · 09/10/2011 10:32

isleangel you can always get a second opinion. If you only have one doctor at your health centre, take your son to emergency. I live in NI as well and would love NHS walk in centres!

Or you could try ringing another practice and see if they will see him on a second opinion basis.

Failing that, go back to your GP tell him the medicine is making no difference and say you want your son nebulized. Even when my son is viral and they won't give him antibiotics they will nebulize him and he's usually much better after that and gets better quickly.

I also recommend a cold mist humidifier for his room.

mrsmellow · 09/10/2011 10:40

Hi Isleangel, that sounds like a funny regimen - is it 4 puffs of the brown inhaler twice a day?
The Blue inhaler (salbutamol) can be used more frequently for symptom relief(6-10 puffs), but if you need to use it more than every 4 hours (for wheeze/excessive coughing) then he should go to the out of hours. It should be used with an aerochamber with 10 breaths per puff. Also beneficial to use it immediately before the brown inhaler to maximise the effectiveness of the brown inhaler. There is no evidence that nebulisation is any more effective than 10 puffs given correctly through an aerochamber, so worth trying that at home. I'm guessing there was no wheeze when your GP saw him and if he has no fever and no chest signs on listening with the stethoscope, your GP is probably making the correct decision regarding antibiotics. But you may benefit from seeing an asthma nurse or paediatrician (in a further away hospital if necessary -hope they replace the local one soon) to optimise his chest care as it sounds like he may have seasonal-type asthma or post-infective reactive bronchitis type picture - some children only have problems in the winter half of the year secondary to recurrent viral infections. Piriton may help with his symptoms but isn't really a long term solution.
I hope he gets better soon, make an appointment to return to your GP early next week if he's not improving and ask for further advice re: management of his symptoms. HTH

Catslikehats · 09/10/2011 10:57

I'm not being disingenous in the slightest.

The OP didn't mention complications at all in her original post: she said he has a cold for a while AIBU that dr wont give antibiotics? At this time of year in pre schhol aged kids such things are not uncommon.

And of course the answer is yes. The over prescription of antibiotics has far reaching and devestating consequences. Yet every year there will be a handful of precious mummies who think it is the end of the world that little Timmy wasn't given anti b's for something that cannot be helped at all by them. If you fall into that category and post in AIBU about how unfair it all is then yes you deserve to be flamed.

The OP came back and clarified her concerns stating that her son has an inhaler etc so doesn't fall into that category but if she had I make no apology for saying that she would deserve a pasting.

And now I shall retire because I am more than a bit fed up with "the nobody loves me everybody hates me, think I'll go and eat worms" arttitude which seems to prevail at the moment.