My 5 yr old has been ill for 6 weeks now.
She started with a temperature and cough and generally off food. I took her to the Drs after about 10 days. Dr said - her ears are slightly inflamed but I think it's a virus - nothing to be done - just give Calpol. She has two days off school.
She's never been a good eater or drinker anyway - but I've been trying to keep something in her. So she's been eating yoghurt, bread, fruit and not much more.
3 weeks later - she seems to be getting slightly better - still not eating and drinking well and having at least an hour every the night just coughing, trying to get her breath.
Then she gets worse again, raging temperatures, soaking wet all night, despite maximum doses of Calpol. Coughing and coughing - sometimes two hours a night, trying to get her breath.
I take her back to the Drs. A young (seems a bit inexperienced) Dr says - it's a virus it's nothing to worry about - there's nothing we can do - give her Calpol.
So we come home. She has another three days off sick - she has raging temperatures - and now she's getting very isolated. I don't want to go back to school, nobody likes me, i have nobody to play with etc.
She is still coughing for about 2 hours per night. Her ribs hurt, her throat hurts. Her stomach hurts. Sometimes she vomits - seems to be mucus.
The temperatues seem to abate a bit. I send her back to school. The office tells me I shouldn't keep her off - I'm over reacting. The classroom staff seem to be saying - in a bit of a passive aggressive way - she's clearly ill and why is she here.
At the moment she is crying when she goes to school, crying when she comes home. She complains of throat pain, rib pain and stomach pain. But I'm told by Drs it's a virus and there's nothing they can do. She has at least an hour in the night coughing, desperately trying to get her breath. She's not eating well. She's tearful.
Please can somebody tell me what I should be doing?
Any advice much appreciated.