WWYD? Doctors and antibiotics.........

[MamaBear17]

My DD (19mo) has been really unwell all week. She had a very watery poo first thing Monday morning and didnt really seem 'herself'. She went to nursery in the afternoon and they said she had been quiet but fine. On Tuesday she was very tearful and clingy. I gave her calpol because I thought she might be teething. By Wednesday she had a slight temperature and was really pulling at her ear. She was really tearful and kept saying 'it hurts mummy'. For the last few nights she has woke up crying several times, on Wednesdsay night she was inconsolable for a while before the nurofen kicked in. Hubby took her to the doctors yesterday. She examined her and said that she has an ear and sinus infection and would be in pain. She told us that the procedure with ear infections now was to 'wait and see' because it might be viral rather than bacterial. She also commented that because DD's snot was clear it probably was viral so we should keep up with nurofen and calpol. Then she gave hubby a prescription for antibiotics and told him to give her it if she wasn't better today. I was a bit confused because another doctor told me (on another occasion) that the colour of snot wasn't a sign of infection. Also, DD's snot changes colour, this morning she sneezed and it was yellow. Now it is clear. She is congested, coughing, tearful, pulling at her ear and still waking up every 2 hours ish through the night, Her eye is weepy and she isnt eating properly. However, she also has times of being chatty and ok. I feel that she is not herself and obviously in pain my gut feeling is to get the antibiotics today and start the course. However, Hubby seems to think that because she isn't constantly crying that we should hold off. DD has had antibiotics a few times since she was 6 months old, but two occasions were to treat the same illness - she had a bacterial throat infection at 10 months and it didn't go away with one course. Hubby keeps saying that she has had 'a lot' of antibiotics and we should try not to give her more. I see his reasoning, but each time she has had antibiotics it has been under doctors orders. She is poorly and in pain and I want to help her if I can. So, this time, WWYD?

I would go with your gut. The doctor said give her the antibiotics if she's not better and she's not better. If your gut tells you to go back to the doctor, go back to the doctor, and maybe try to see a different one.

The doctor told you if she wasn't better by today to start them. She isn't better by today so of course you should start them.

I understood that Drs were much more reluctant to hand out antibiotics these days so the fact that they have given you some would, to me,indicate that you should use them.

My DS (21 months) has been on anti-B's for almost 2 months now bar a day here and there as he has a chest infection he just can't clear. His Dr is known as not being keen to hand them out but he's said himself he needs help clearing it.

I would give her the antibiotics too.

That's what the GP would always do for ear infections for dd1. She used the prescription about half the time it was given.

Ds always gets a prescription because his doesn't clear up without one-and the ear drum bursts. He had about 30+ lots of antibiotics in his first two years because of constant ear infections. That's when it gets to a lot of antibiotics.

Thanks, she was still tearful and pulling at her ear at lunchtime so I have given it to her. You are right DeWe, in comparison 5 lots of antibiotics is not much at all. I wish I wasnt such a nervous first time mum sometimes!