AIBU to think this doctor's wrong about my baby?

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I posted two days ago about my 6 month old babys bad health (currently bad chest and frequent waking) here

Hes been waking every 15 mins for 6 nights now, hes been chesty and ill with no improvement for 7 days so I took him to the doctors this morning, I just wanted to check it wasnt an infection anywhere.

She listened to his chest which is clear, its just a nasty cough. But said he has infections in his ears and a viral throat infection as well. He has green and clear running from his nose and a temp thats being kept down by calpol and nurofen.

She refused to give me antibiotics, said they wouldnt help. Now, I know they wont help a virus, but they may well help infected ears and given the he my baby has been through recently (see link) surely it would be better to not let him ride it out?

At one point she said she didnt want to give antibiotics for 'the good of the community' I couldnt give a sparkly christmas shit about the community, I care about my baby who hasnt been well in months (one thing or the other).

Is she right? AIBU to think shes a nob whos prolonging my babys suffering?

I don't know about the medical stuff so don't know if YABU or not, but just want to say I hope your DS is better soon, it's awful when they're poorly and you can't help them :(

Can you see another doc?
My DD 19m, gets recurrent ear infections esp during the winter months. She is given antibiotics every time.

I know they are reluctant to prescribe antibiotics unless urgently needed but sounds like your lo needs them! Read your previous thread and feel ever so sorry for you and your ds. Can you go back and see a different doctor? They won't help his throat though and maybe his ears aren't bad enough? I really hope things improve soon x

If you are concerned, why not ask to see a different doctor, who can either confirm the original doctor's view, or suggest and alternative?

I can totally see how the 'good of community' comment was v insensitive, but doctors have a duty of care not just to your child but to, yes, the community, - over prescription of antibiotics does no good and encourages the development of antibiotic resistant strains of infection. If the doctor feels that antibiotics will NOT help, then she would be being irresponsible to prescribe them just to be 'doing something'.

See another dr for a second opinion. I would think he needs antibiotics!

I think you should make an appointment with another doctor, can you do that at your surgery?

My DD2 had a very similar situation, made worse with asthma type problems but caused by a virus. But the doctor gave antibiotics for the ear infections, she said that the antiB's won't help the virus, but would help the ears and it did.

The doc said that the virus and being poorly for weeks on end had made her vulnerable to getting secondary infections, like her ear infections.
DD2 was massively better once the ear infections cleared, even though she was still ill with the virus. Her ear infections must have been really uncomfortable for her.

Go and see a different dr if you're worried. The "good of the community" was insensitive. She might have to consider that, you don't. You only have to consider one tiny member of the community.

It's a horrible age for them to be ill and you worry about everything as it is.

Hope he, and therefore you, are feeling better soon.

ok, Just thinking out side of the box, was the reaction against anything possibly milk based? These type of intollerences can cause ear ineffections and a non productive cough.

I AM NOT suggesting that you stop giving baby milk, but maybe phone consutlant and ask!

Sorry you are having such a bad time of it

I am totally antoi- antibiotics. My daughter had lots of ear infections, then lots of antibiotics that gave her a dicky tummy and made her feel worse. The doctor finally admitted that really, pain relief was what she needed and ear infections DO NOT clear up quicker with antibiotics. I stopped the antibiotics and her immune system was able to kick in. She pretty much stopped after ear infections.

It was a silly comment for the doctor to make but sorry, I approve of not doling out antibiotics. I have read a huge amount of info about them and they are often given because of pressure from parents, not because they are effective. The most important thing is to give pain relief, get the child lots of fluids and build up that all-important immune system.

Perhaps the qualified doctor believes all the infections to be viral, hence ABs won't work.

It makes my babys asthma worse too, PITB but we have an inhaler that works well so thats good.

Was very tempted to make another appt but was worried another doctor might agree with his collegue just because he should.

We'll go to the OOH doctors tomorrow I think, definitely if its worse. Part of me feels if he stays the same to go back monday and see a different doctor at least then they can see I gave it two more days but as DP said thats two days more of suffering.

Soup Absolutely, they might have done. But if the mother has come away feeling that they haven't been listened to and the level of care was not good then I thinks a second opinion won't hurt.

Qualified doctors aren't all good you know, and even the good ones aren't right all the time. Last week my DH saw 3 different doctors, the first 2 insisted his condition was one thing, treated it incorrectly and he was in agony all week. At the end of the week we decided the 2 qualified doctors we'd seen didn't know their arse from their elbow and went back to a third doctor. He re-diagnosed the problem and treated correctly. Maybe we shouldn't have gone back because we should just automatically trust doctors and never question them?

Ohgodwhatnow - he has a severe milk allergy. He cant have anything milk based, hes only eaten veg and fruit. And my milk, I dont touch anything mill based.

id go back today to see a different gp, trust your own feelings.

ds is asthmatic and had a chest infection once - i took him to gp who promptly stuck a light up thermometer on his forehead and announced that he did not have an infection. didnt even listen to his chest.

i took him back to see another gp that afternoon, he had (as i knew) a chest infection.

same gp practice then misdiagnosed his meningitis 4 times, which resulted in him in hospital for 2 months.

i changed practice, needless to say.

If it triggers his asthma then you need to go back for sure. We've had several asthma attacks this winter that have led to hospital stays, all kicked off with viruses. Its not nice for them, or us parents!

They won't give you anti-biotics if you don't need them, and for anything viral, you don't. If the Dr diagnosed a proper ear infection, they would have given you an antibiotic.

Sounds like you are selfdiagnosing.

Self diagnosing? So when she said 'yes his ears are red, theres an infection there' what was I supposed to take from that?

If yours DS's ears are still hurting by Monday take him back to the GP. Otherwise it would be better for his immune system to fight the virus itself. Antibiotics won't actually make any difference if it's a virus, so it would be pointless taking them.

However my DS has chest problems and our consultant always gives antibiotics to prevent a chest infection. Depending on the severity of the asthma your DS has, this could be a possibility. But if it's not severe then I think you would be best to see if the virus clears up on its own.

Probably supposed to take that the qualified GP know better than you do when anti-b's are warranted, I would imagine.

Trust your instincts & if your GP doesn't listen, take him to your nearest childrens A&E

but MOST importantly of all, trust your instinct & keep on pushing until you get the correct help - far better to look like an over anxious Mum & be wrong, than to be right & not get him the help he needs.

I went through similar twice with my own DD, once at 10 wks - 5 Doctors & I even got the sympathetic pat on the hand & " all babies cry & its the stressed out Mums we worry about" - When I finally reailsed we had an A&E & took her there her oxygen levels were very low & she spent 2 weeks in hospital, 1 in an oxygen tent with Bronchiolitis

Same again at 5 yrs - this time it was double pnuemonia & yet still missed by 3 different GPs

OP really feel for you and your LO. My son is nearly 4 and has had these sort of problems every winter for 4 years.

I am happy that there are times when the illnesses are viral and that AB's won't work. But sometimes, and this has happened every yr to my DS - what starts as a virus can end up with secondary bacterial infections that require AB's. My DD had a virus recently for 5 weeks, we went to DR's a few times as things developed over that time and each time he said it was a viral ear infection and upper RTI. However, as his temp was ok ish and he wasn't madly complaining about terrible ear ache he was happy AB's weren't required. AS I have had a child with cancer I am happy for AB's not to be used as I can see that it is good to be sure that when you need them they work, and so when I don't get them I'm happy. However, after the 5th week my DS developed temp of 39.8C that was difficult to bring back down to normal even with calpol and nurofen and had raging ear ache. Dr said this time that a bacterial infection had now developed in his ear and that AB's were now required.

I do not necessarily think that the Dr was wrong before. I am happy to play things out and hope that they won't be required.

What I am trying to say is that it is quite possible that even if AB's weren't required as your initial visit the illness may progress in a way that they are required and it is not unreasonable to ask for this, or even another DR to look at your LO again.

Sometimes contacting OOH can be useful - we have had to go down this route quite a few times ourselves.

HTH, good luck xxx

get a 2nd opinion if you aren't happy.

My 18 month old is just coming out the other side of something similar it sounds.

He was given amoxicillin for his ears.
And the second time I took him (could not be put down in cot, would choke on phlegm), he was given a non steroid inhaler to soothe his lungs, as his cough was bad.

At night, raise his bed/cot up at the head if you aren't already, it will drain the phlegm down and not pool in the throat and cause coughing

Yanbu

Thats scary rockinhippy. Good thing you werent Neuro who apparently would trust every word the GP said.

We too have been misdiagnosed and hugely let down by doctors recently. The same doctor was treating his severe hives as eczema as well, never mentioned that it was an allergic rash, just kept givinv us moisturiser.

Good thing I did my own reserach and self diagnosed then or he'd still be suffering badly witg that too.