My 13 month old has high fever and bronchiolitis - hand holding please?

[Kalypso]

My baby boy is not feeling well at all. He started out with a runny nose, but his temperature shot up overnight to 39.3 this morning, and now he has a cough that is croupy overnight and sounds a bit more productive at times. I sat with him in the shower room for the steam, gave him ibuprofen and that brought it down again to just under 38. He was still miserable though and then his fever peaked again at 39.1, and he started shaking and didn't want to leave my arms, so I got him down to the doctor.

He has been diagnosed with bronchiolitis and has been given amoxycillin - the doctor said that this had ben administered because of the high temperature and the fact that DS had hand, foot and mouth last week, bless him.

I just want some advice on what signs I need to look out for- I'm scared that it will worsen. Although he's not overweight at all, he has a sticky-out tummy and I'm not sure if that will disguise his chest being drawn in to breathe should he be struggling, IYSWIM (I know the chest being sucked in is a major thing to look for).

I think I just want hand holding! He's cuddled up in my arms saying "Mumumumumum" in a sad little voice :(

My DD had this at 3m and it was hell, so I know how you are feeling. Because of her age she was supposed to stay in hospital but they had problems with MRSA and we ended up caring for her at home. I remember that we ended up keeping her upright for 5 days (DH and I split each 24 hours into 3 X 8 hour shifts and took turns) - keeping her cuddled upright in our arms was the only way we could relax IYSWIM - and the doctors wanted us to do this because of her age.

It did pass after 5 days and she was fine. But I remember being v emotional through out the whole episode.

You're already doing all the right things.

Hiya - just keep cuddling him! He'll be fine...if you are at all worried, at any time, go back to the doctor, or call NHS Direct.

its scary when they are sick,isn't it...

Awww, no advice but sounds nasty. It's horrid when they are ill, especially when they are too young to understand.

Awww your poor little boy. My DD had bronchiolitus at 8wks and the Doctor told me to watch her chest carefully. If the skin was being sucked in between the ribs then I had to take her to the local Childrens Hospital. (He said I could take her back to the GP's but they'd just send her to the hospital for a bit of oxygen so may as well go straight there. ) Luckily it never got that bad. ( The skin was being sucked in at the base of the ribs/top of stomach but not inbetween the ribs. ) I hope that makes sense and I hope your Ds gets better soon. It's horrid when they're ill.

Aww, Ds is 16 months and has had this 4 times so I know how horrid it is. Give him a few days though and I am sure he will be running around again, always amazes me how quickly they bounce back at this age!

Thank you all :) Sorry you have also been through this.

He is currently asleep on my duvet, next to me. His breathing is louder than normal, but not too raspy/wheezy.

I've been keeping on top of administering painkillers (alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen) but should I be worried that I can't bring his temperature below 38? Even when the most recent dose was ibuprofen? (which I generally think works better than paracetamol)

He's very, very clingy - keeps reaching up to cuddle me - but is otherwise 'with it', in that he managed a little play with his toys and board books. I know that should reassure me a lot, but it always scares me when he has a high fever.

Damn, it's back up to 39 and his last dose (ibuprofen) was two and a half hours ago. I need to wait a bit before I give him paracetamol, don't I?(I think it's 3 hours between doses) He's still asleep.

How bad is 39?

The key think is when he had the last paractamol not when he had the brufen.

Temp of 39 isn't great but it isn't a massive worry either. I would try to resist checking it to often and go off how he is in himself more. The fact he is still interested in playing is a good sign.

My ds had bronch at 13 days old and was in hospital for a week. Was bloody awful. He's 15 months now and fine and gorgeous.

Watch his chest and for flaring nostrils. I have to be honest, if you are unhappy, I would nip him along to the dr or at least call NHS Direct.

Kalypso, remember that fever is not your enemy! Its the body's natural way of fighting infection - if you keep bringing it down, your DS's body will be less able to fight the viral infection that is causing an inflammation of his bronchial airways.

Sleep is also VERY important to boost your DS's immune system, so its good that he is sleeping.

Thanks for the replies. He's woken up now, unhappy,temperature 39.5. Dosed him with paracetamol. He keeps making these little 'uh uh uh uh' sounds as if everything's an effort. His nostrils aren't flared though and he has just found a stray cheerio from the floor and eaten it.... This boy is addicted to Cheerios.

He's walked a little bit but seems weak and wobbly, and wants to be in my arms.
Would it be a terribe idea to take him out in the buggy for some fresh (humid air) provided he is wrapped up well? It's quite dry in here which I don't think is helping, and he perked up a bit on the way to the doctors this morning.

I think some fresh air is a great idea :)

I don't think fresh air would be a bad idea at all. Just as long as he's wrapped up.

Well, I took DS out,but to the doctor! His temperature went up to nearly 40 and he was really miserable, with a rash all down his torso. By the time we got there, his fever had come down quite a bit (so the doctor no doubt thinks I'm being all PFB!) but at least the rash was still there so that the doctor could check it and confirm it's not the 'scary' one. Going out really did help though, I'm certain he was pleased to be outside.

Last night was awful....temp of 39.7, and he screamed for about an hour and a half between 1:30 and 3:00am, with his fingers shoved down his throat, so I'm wondering if the amoxicillin gave him acid reflux?

However, he seems quite a lot perkier this morning! :) He's playing all on his own right now, and babbling away happily so I feel a lot calmer. Fingers crossed he is over the worst bit....

May I ask you ladies for some more advice please? He has to take the amoxicillin for 5 days in total and he absolutely loathes it, and is consequently refusing to take it. I don't blame him - it's fluorescent yellow and has this vile fake banana taste. I've tried the syringe but he has perfected the art of clamping his mouth shut, turning his head away and flapping at me with his hands to push the dreaded medicine away. Poor little chap. Any tips on how to get him to take it? The last two times I've had to pop it in the side of his mouth when he's screaming, and I feel very mean!

Glad he is on the mend.

I am afraid I tend to go for the popping into mouth when screaming option. When in hopsital they showed me to slowly put them into the cheek.

If he really hates it ask if there is another he can have

He's on the mend - fever is down quite a bit and he's playing happily.

Sirzy, thanks for the tip regarding putting it slowly into the cheek. I think I might have been trying to do it too quickly. Anyway, I seem to have got the hang of it now. After several furious screaming fits when having to take his medicine, he has now realised he's getting it regardless, so he more or less resigned himself to it this morning! I found it helped to have a yoghurt right next to me, so he knows he's getting that immediately afterwards. I thought he was too young to respond to bribery, but apparently not!

Still have to go back to the doctor though, as he has developed a rash from the antibiotic (his dad has the same thing). Sigh.

Thank you everyone for your support, hugely appreciated :)

He's got a bit worse again. Now it appears he may have measles. They don't know - they've switched his antibiotics anyway. I'm scared - he still has a temperature, he's covered in spots and he's losing his appetite.

He was booked in for his MMR and everything :(

I think I may still need some hand holding.

Poor baby. Poor you! Have they told you to just sit at home and wait it out?

Aww bless, hope he is on the mend soon. Hopefully it was a reaction to the antibiotics, although you would have thought the GP would know the difference between the two!

Thanks - they've told me to monitor him and see that he doesn't get any worse. The thing is, when he wakes up he's awful and I immediately panic but he tends to 'come to' a bit and is less lethargic and grumpy.

Still, I'm going back to the doctor in about 15 minutes as he keeps tugging at his ears and tilting his head. I can't help googling about measles (if it is measles) and I'm worrying about everything...about what it means for him(all those awful potential complications), what it means for any pregnant women he's come into contact with over the past few days, as he's likely to have been infectious before the rash.

Another doctor saw him today and thinks it isn't measles. He's still got a very high fever though. My poor little boy. It's really hard watching him suffer and not being able to help him.

How is he now?

Thanks for asking:)

We have just got back from hospital. We've been there for a week. I am so tired. DS was not in a great state last week(soaring temperature that we couldn't in the end control easily via painkillers) so was admitted to hospital, and then to top it all off I also had to be assessed by A&E and then put on fluids as I was vomiting and close to passing out. It was the worst thing ever - they were trying to get blood from DS and he was screaming 'mama' and reaching out for me and I couldn't go to him because I was crouched on the floor being sick :(:(

After having had fluids via the drip, I was released in the early hours so could get back to be with DS who had also had fluids via a canula (I spent the majority of that time crying because I felt so guilty at having left DS). DS still had a fever but he was discharged on Sunday morning as they felt he was improving - we did too, to be fair. However that evening he suddenly took a turn for the worse - his temperature soared again even after painkillers and he was breathing really quickly - so we rang NHS Direct and were directed back to A&E. DS was admitted again that night, as they were getting a bit concerned about the length of time he'd been feverish - nearly a week by then.

His fever continued. He was put on a drip at one point because his fluid intake was so poor, and by the 9th day of fever his swabs started showing other infections, so he got put on antibiotics again (they were stopped initially as there was no indication of a bacterial infection).

On the 10th day of DS' fever, my poor husband suddenly sat down on the floor and couldn't get up, so was taken down to A&E and then admitted a couple of hours later. He ended up on a drip too.

At that point, my husband and little boy were both in hospital and I couldn't go see my husband in his ward as I had to be with DS :( I felt completely helpless.

We are all home now though! Dog-tired, but hopefully on the mend. It appears we've had a nasty virus that caused secondary infections in DS(and probably us, but our body is fighting those without antibiotics, save for eyedrops). We are still awaiting results but they were happy for us to go home with DS, now that DS' fever seems to be finally under control, touch wood.

Our families live far away but have been amazing - my dad came up yesterday and my husband's parents are with us now.

It has been really nightmarish but I really hope things are going to be okay now. God knows what this virus is/was, but it sure as hell is a nasty one. We will be keeping well away from other people and children for a while yet. I've told the nursery that James won't be attending for a while.

Thank you for all the hand holding. I only wish I'd had the internet a couple of nights ago as I could have really done with Mumsnet then!!

Glad you are all on the mend now, must have been awful for you.

Heavens above, what a terrible time you've all had. On first reading I thought a few days and DS would be fine. Just goes to show sometimes things can go badly wrong, but at least you are all on the mend now. You all need a holiday now and thank goodness you've got family to look after you.