To take baby to hospital and demand an answer

[notsurewhattodo7]

Hello

Regular user but changed names.

Baby is 7.5 months old and nearly 3 weeks ago, she started coughing, nose running etc. she also cut her 2 bottom teeth around the same time. We started calpol/nurofen, baby Vicks, humidifier, snot suction etc.

Within 3 days her cough was so bad and she was taking less than half of her usual feeds so I took her to GP and they listened to her chest, diagnosed RSV and sent her to paediatrics to be checked over.

Her oxygen levels and temperature were fine at the hospital, they monitored for 6 hours and sent us home with an instruction that if she had dry nappies etc to bring her back up.

A few days later, her chest was vibrating, you could feel it when holding her so DH took her back to GP who started antibiotics as she said the infection had moved lower and was now a chest infection.

5 days of antibiotics, cough went but still wheezy and rattling chest/snotty nose and unhappy.

30th December, called 111 again as she was so unhappy, no calpol or nurofen seemed to help and just a feeling that something isn't right. They sent us back to paeds, they listened to her chest and told us she should never have been given antibiotics and it's still RSV and will improve.

It's now 2nd Jan, still really unhappy and crying/fussy most of the day which is not like her, she's always been such a happy and content baby, snoring, hates being laid flat, sleeping more than usual, chest still sounds like it's rattling and hasn't had a poo in 2 days which isn't like her.

I'm so worried that something is being missed. I hate seeing/hearing her like this. We've got the humidifier running all night, calpol is still being used, she's pale and her eyes have dark rings around them but I feel like if I take her back to GP or hosp or call 111 they are going to think I'm an absolute pest, overprotective first time mum and not listening to them that it's "just RSV".

I'm worried she has pneumonia or something more serious and I can barely sleep at night.

What would you do in this situation?

Definitely take her back, the vomiting would be worrying me along with everything else.

This happened to me twice - dc at 2 and dc at 4 - both times after multiple trips to GP and A&E dc was finally admitted and put on a drip/antibiotics. The first time dc had to spend over a week in paed ICU. So, yes, do trust your instincts and do keep at it. I think that being sick is relevant, so perhaps write down all the symptoms with a date line to give to the doctor when you go in so that they have a full picture. Also give details of what you have been doing and when, including the dehumidifier etc

If you are worried about breathing, you could ask them to do a quick test for oxygen blood levels again and test other vitals - these are all quick tests with immediate responses.

When dc was 2, something was caught in their throat - it took 6 trips to A&E/GPbefore they would test oxygen levels, found them to be 85 percent - brain damage levels - and finally did an x ray to find most of the lungs black with infection. It was possible that throwing up made things worse as some of it reached the lung. The first 6 visits I was sent home with a couple of days' cortisosteroid and being told it was laryngitis. Asthma was also considered after seeing the oxygen levels and this stayed an issue for a few years.

I am not knocking the doctors, but they are busy and human and by setting everything out in in a date line with all symptoms in clear print you are giving them a crystal clear picture which may make a difference.

Best of luck and good wishes to you both.

Trust your mammy instinct. I always say I'd rather be the parent who went to Emergency Department unnecessarily than the parent who didn't go and should have.

Definitely take her back in. It’s your job to advocate for her as she’s so small. I found nhs staff incredibly kind about this type of thing even when it turned out to be paranoid-parentitis! They would rather parents who were overly concerned than under concerned .

Hope she recovers quickly

But yes ask about an inhaler

An inhaler won’t do anything for RSV either. But lots of babies and children get a viral wheeze at this time of year which can help with a wheeze temporarily.

The only treatment for RSV is time, oxygen if they need it and help with feeding often via a tube. Babies are nose breathers so when they can’t breathe they struggle and it means they can’t feed either.

The cough can last weeks. Antibiotics don’t help as it’s a virus, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have RSV and an infection.

If you’re worried then of course take her back.

Look of it turns out to be the same than that's good. Just go and make sure she's ok. I've been there, done the same recently. It's been very frustrating. But it's better to be safe than sorry!

Hi OP, so my six month old son has been the same - exactly what you're describing in terms of symptoms. He was under observation at the hospital as he didn't have any wet nappies in 24h but they didn't do anything and when he eventually had a wet nappy they sent us home. He gradually got better and just today, about six weeks on, he is finally smiling again.

If her ribs aren't sucking in and/or she isn't severely dehydrated they likely won't do anything, there's not really anything they can do. I know it's horrible and frightening, it was for us, but she's probably better off at home with you with lots of cuddles, calpol, and close supervision. If you think she's getting worse and is really lethargic or sucking in or no wet nappies then get her to hospital straight away. All that said, my GP always says come in if you're worried so at least you can get reassurance that her chest is ok/she's not in imminent danger, so do if you think it will help you feel better.

I agree with everyone else that it is good you are going to get her seen , I hope she is on the mend soon OP.

my daughter had rsv at 5 weeks. she was on oxygen and a feeding tube for a week in hospital, i kept going back to the gym for weeks after because her symptoms hadn’t completely changed but they told me up to 6 weeks recovery is normal! i was so worried thinking something else was going on but they were right, it did just go away eventually. i would still get her checked though just so they know it’s ongoing and can double check her.

^gp not gym.😂

I work on a Paediatric ward (I’m not medical) and all the staff are always very happy to help any baby. There are lots of babies on the ward at this time of year with RSV so you won’t be the only parent with this. Definitely go get her seen on the ward again if you can (rather than GP as you said they had said she shouldn’t have been given antibiotics by GP so I’d trust them more than GP next time), even if just for your peace of mind.

You've already cleared up you're not going to be storming in and demanding answers, so I think the question you're asking is, should I seek further medical attention.

The answer is yes, you have parental concerns, there's been a lot in the media about not ignoring parental concerns. I would probably be wanting to go via the hospital to see a pediatrician rather than the GP given you were there a few days ago.

I don't understand why you took her to the GP instead of back to Pards as they told you too.

Dont mess around with the GP, take her to paeds today. They should give her something for the lack of poo, if they say the rest is to be expected with RSV ask them to explain the timeline & expected symptoms.

Dont give one more thought about 'bothering them' or being 'that mum'. It's your job to look after her & get her the help she needs!!

Has anyone checked her throat or ears for ear infection or strep?

My little boy had all the same symptoms as your little one over xmas and we ended up at the out of hour dr. I mentioned him being sick after each feed, he checked his throat and he had bad strep!

Also, sorry if you've said this but have they checked her oxygen saturation and heart rate are ok?

With my little boy, his SPo2 was less than 90% so we ended up admitted with oxygen until this was better. If these vitals are ok I'd be tempted to try and wait it out at home (because hospitals aren't ideal) but keep an eye on retractions around the ribs or throat. Or if she looks like she is working hard to breathe.

But also, go with your gut and if something really doesn't seem right straight to paeds!

We were told at the hospital that as long as their eyes are following you around (so alert), they are fine even if they are listless in your arms!

Be the squeaky wheel and insist they see her.

3 weeks is standard for a chest infection, she has been checked several times by several doctors and her vital have been fine... I'm not really sure what you magically expect them to do?

The symptoms of RSV are a wheezing (rattling/vibrating) cough, reduced feeding, irritability, tiredness and nasal mucus, nothing you have said is not a standard symptom.

Its a common infection that almost every person gets in infancy, and thats just how it is... yes they are miserable and as a mam it sucks to see your kid upset but nothing can be 'medically' done about it.

To put this into perspective for you 2% of children end up hospitalized with RSV and almost all hospitalizations have pre-existing conditions like premature birth, immune issues or heart conditions. A healthy 7 month old who has passed vitals multiple times is not hospital worthy.

It 'can' become serious but that has symptoms if she developed a temperature (possible sepsis), dehydrates (may need a drip) or her O2 sats drop (Bronchitis or pneumonia) then she needs a doctor but currently according to your own post and history of whats going on shes is just snotty, rattly and miserable which is just standard for RSV.

2 days is not too long to go without a bowel movement either, she is eating less so producing less its just a reactions to being ill.

This is why the NHS is struggling, all parents get worried about their children but several doctors have cleared her and everything you have said is standard but you still insist on retesting when nothing has changed. People who are genuinely dying are struggling to get help we are that overstretched, sometime you have to accept the copious test results do not match the paranoia and no one is out to unnecessarily make your child suffer.

I would also explicitly say what you are worried about and they can hopefully reassure you about why they don’t think it’s that.

Take her back in OP. I really hate that mums with clearly unwell babies can be made to feel like they are wasting the time of medics on here.

Your baby is ill and she needs to be checked over again - this is not time wasting and I am sure that any Dr that sees you will agree.

Best of luck with her and I hope that she turns a corner very soon.

And yes - this in spades!

I would get some tests done. Better to be eeen as a pest then have a severely Ill kid.
did they send any swabs to microbiology? I would get a nasal swab done to check for flu, RSV etc, so they know what they are dealing with.
I would get some of the mucus sent for investigation too (culture and sensitivity) so you know if abx are needed.
it’s not uncommon to get a bacterial infection after a virus . Maybe blood tests if worried to check infection markers etc. I would ask them how you need to manage your DC daily?

until then I would use saline spray and snot suck before any nap/sleep opportunities. Let baby nap on you so more upright to catch up on sleep in day time. Sit in steamy bathroom before bed to loosen it. Lots of milk- little and often to keep hydrated.

On the other hand if your baby isn’t sleeping well could explain dark rings.

hope they get better soon.

In addition to going to a&e for her respiratory concerns I also think you need to review her 'feed'. It sounds like she's not absorbing the relevant nutrients if she's bringing it back up. Perhaps A&e could look at allergies through blood tests. And if they diagnose her with colic ask them what they ruled out to get to that conclusion and what treatment they suggest as mostly colic is nice way of saying your baby is stressed by their environment and having respiratory distress is quite stressful.

Without being rude, a group of strangers are unable to assess your baby through a computer screen. I empathise and have been there with the extremely unwell baby and been sent home even with fever of 41c so I totally understand your distress. Best port of call is 111 right now. I really hope she feels better soon

Thanks everyone for your replies.

She has an inhaler which was given to her a couple of months ago after having recurrent chesty coughs, it does absolutely nothing for her.

She has a dairy allergy and we have started weaning, every new thing she tries we do for 3 days so that we can monitor and see if any reactions happen (we give dairy free food as haven't started the dairy ladder yet and we probably won't until she's 1).

The humidifier we have is the Vicks Cool Mist one.

I didn't take her back to paeds as they only gave us a 48 hour pass to turn up without notice, it was after 48 hours.

DD is seeing Dr at 4:20.

Also, no swabs or bloods have been done.