11 year old Ill and not getting better

Newuser75 · 2024-04-28T17:46:45+00:00

Im just wondering if anyone has any experience of some really nasty virus going around at the moment. My 11 year old became ill over a week ago with a sore throat and a cough. Last Sunday he was out in the garden playing and started saying he couldn't catch his breath. He sat down for a while but didn't feel any better and his heart rate and respiratory rate were high so rang 111. Took him to urgent care who then sent him to a and e. By this time he had a high temperature so they gave him some paracetamol and waited a while then sent home as all vitals were now normal. Put it down to a virus. Since then he isn't any better. Once a day he will spike a temperature (normal temperature for rest of day) that comes down with paracetamol. He is still coughing loads, has hardly eaten, been sick a couple of times and has hardly been off the sofa. I took him to gp on Thursday who again said it was a virus and just let it run its course. I know things like flu / Covid etc can linger on but surely a week is a long time for a very active, healthy child to be lying on the sofa. He has slept all this afternoon. Will ring the gp again tomorrow but just wondering if anyone has had similar issues with kids.

CommaChameleon7 · 28/04/2024 18:54

Has he been checked for whooping cough? There's a lot of it around at the min. Hope he's on the mend soon

Lovemusic82 · 28/04/2024 18:57

Covid or flu can last longer than a week, the cough can last for 3 weeks or more. I have had covid 4 times, first 3 times I was only ill for a few days but last time it took me down for a couple weeks (I’m pretty fit).

Rocknrolla21 · 28/04/2024 18:57

Op mine was like this from the 18th dec (remember the exact date as we were on holiday), until the 20th of jan when she was finally ready to go back to school after a month off, and she still wasn’t 100% then. In one 2 week period all she’d eaten was half a piece of toast, her ketones were off the charts from starvation. We went to the doctors and walk in a couple of times but there wasn’t really anything they could do. She did get sent to alder hey at one point by a walk in centre for IV fluids and anti sickness medication. Her blood tests showed she had influenza a, untreatable basically and we had to ride it out

Rocknrolla21 · 28/04/2024 18:58

Lovemusic82 · 28/04/2024 18:57

Covid or flu can last longer than a week, the cough can last for 3 weeks or more. I have had covid 4 times, first 3 times I was only ill for a few days but last time it took me down for a couple weeks (I’m pretty fit).

My DD’s flu lasted nearly 2 months?

RoundRedRobin · 28/04/2024 18:59

Sound the same as what we have, we’re on week 3 and today starting to feel better 🤷🏻‍♀️ we’re still coughing and having headaches but the fever and sore throat are going.

We had Covid 6 weeks ago and I think it has weaken our immune systems so we’re struggling to get over this virus now

Rocknrolla21 · 28/04/2024 18:59

Misread sorry, I thought you said CANT last!

Octavia64 · 28/04/2024 19:00

Most colds last a week.

If he has anything worse than a cold then yes it would last more than a week.

There's a whole load of stuff that he can get that will knock him out for weeks if not months.

Mumoftwo2022 · 28/04/2024 19:00

As annoying as it is some virus’ take a while to get better

SpoonyGoldBiscuit · 28/04/2024 19:00

Could it be hayfever ?

StormingNorman · 28/04/2024 19:02

Whooping cough was going around in my area a couple of months ago and now there seems to be a lot of pneumonia.

I had whooping cough and coughing so hard made me sick…and pee myself! It’s worth checking with your GP.

blackcherryconserve · 28/04/2024 19:08

Both DGSs aged 11 and 8 had this virus and took a full two weeks to get better.

Original poster

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:11

Can they test for whooping cough?

I know things like this can go on a while it's just the fact that he seems no better at all which is worrying. Probably because he is never ill.

Hopefully he will pick up soon.

OP posts:

Londonrach1 · 28/04/2024 19:11

There's a very nasty bug doing the rounds here, cough for 100 days and high temperature... What does your gut say. You know your child if worried please seek more medical attention. Hope better soon

CanaryMary · 28/04/2024 19:16

A lot of viruses can last at least three weeks and then there’s this cough that’s going around that apparently lasts three months!

my dc had similar recently and after four dr trips he eventually was diagnosed with an ear throat and chest infection! Antibiotics cleared it up but was poorly for two weeks before the antibiotics and one week after! Then probably another week after that to feel better

there tons of viruses around it feels worse than normal to me this year

Mnk711 · 28/04/2024 19:16

You would know if it was whooping cough, it's pretty distinctive. But my son had something very similar recently which lasted almost two weeks. Lots of coughing, spiked a high fever at night but only slightly raised during the day, and got a viral rash at the end of it. So many nasty bugs these days 😭

CanaryMary · 28/04/2024 19:17

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:11

Can they test for whooping cough?

I know things like this can go on a while it's just the fact that he seems no better at all which is worrying. Probably because he is never ill.

Hopefully he will pick up soon.

I’m sure I was once tested for that in pregnancy i think 🤔

JustJoinedRightNow · 28/04/2024 19:20

Get him checked for mycoplasma - "walking pneumonia" - it's just ripped through all four of us in the house and the kids were the worst. It only responds to two certain antibiotics.
GP just tested with a throat swab.
Hope he feels better soon

Iscreamtea · 28/04/2024 19:20

There is a virus doing the rounds (maybe flu, I was warned it was a bad one this year by DCs consultant) that lasts a good couple of weeks being properly poorly.

Having said that, if it does persist do go back to the gp. When that happened with my DC I had to fight to get an appointment as they tried to brush me off but I'm glad I did, my DC turned out to be type 1 diabetic. It can be triggered by illness. DC was pale, lethargic and had no appetite. Also look out for lots of drinking and frequent toilet trips.

Original poster

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:22

JustJoinedRightNow · 28/04/2024 19:20

Get him checked for mycoplasma - "walking pneumonia" - it's just ripped through all four of us in the house and the kids were the worst. It only responds to two certain antibiotics.
GP just tested with a throat swab.
Hope he feels better soon

That sounds nasty!

OP posts:

Original poster

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:23

Iscreamtea · 28/04/2024 19:20

There is a virus doing the rounds (maybe flu, I was warned it was a bad one this year by DCs consultant) that lasts a good couple of weeks being properly poorly.

Having said that, if it does persist do go back to the gp. When that happened with my DC I had to fight to get an appointment as they tried to brush me off but I'm glad I did, my DC turned out to be type 1 diabetic. It can be triggered by illness. DC was pale, lethargic and had no appetite. Also look out for lots of drinking and frequent toilet trips.

Hmm, he is drinking a lot!

OP posts:

AllThePotatoesAreSinging · 28/04/2024 19:23

Londonrach1 · 28/04/2024 19:11

There's a very nasty bug doing the rounds here, cough for 100 days and high temperature... What does your gut say. You know your child if worried please seek more medical attention. Hope better soon

That’s whooping cough. It’s also called the 100 day cough.

Original poster

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:24

Rocknrolla21 · 28/04/2024 18:57

Op mine was like this from the 18th dec (remember the exact date as we were on holiday), until the 20th of jan when she was finally ready to go back to school after a month off, and she still wasn’t 100% then. In one 2 week period all she’d eaten was half a piece of toast, her ketones were off the charts from starvation. We went to the doctors and walk in a couple of times but there wasn’t really anything they could do. She did get sent to alder hey at one point by a walk in centre for IV fluids and anti sickness medication. Her blood tests showed she had influenza a, untreatable basically and we had to ride it out

That's awful!

OP posts:

SueSheeMee · 28/04/2024 19:28

I work in a large primary school, there's so much of this around at the moment.

Oh and I too have it, heading into week 4 and 2 colleagues as well. Not so much the temperature anymore but the lethargy and cough are relentless. DH also suffering and teen DS had it all over Easter.

Original poster

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:30

SueSheeMee · 28/04/2024 19:28

I work in a large primary school, there's so much of this around at the moment.

Oh and I too have it, heading into week 4 and 2 colleagues as well. Not so much the temperature anymore but the lethargy and cough are relentless. DH also suffering and teen DS had it all over Easter.

Really hope everyone feels better soon!

OP posts:

AllThePotatoesAreSinging · 28/04/2024 19:30

Newuser75 · 28/04/2024 19:22

That sounds nasty!

Show quote history

I had this a few years ago. It is incredibly nasty. It took 4 rounds of various antibiotics to shift it and if the last lot hadn’t worked they were going to admit me for treatment in hospital. I had to have lung X-rays for months after to check it hadn’t scarred. One of the two antibiotics it responds to is normally used to treat syphilis and even in my terribly ill state I made sure I told the pharmacist that wasn’t why I was having it 😂

Another thing to check (and again it’s from personal experience!) - my kids caught Parvovirus (slapped cheek) recently and while the big one was fine, the little one and me both had similar symptoms to your son. I thought it was Covid or flu at first. Slapped cheek and whooping cough can both be confirmed with a blood test at the docs. Hope he feels better soon