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Children's health

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Original poster

Temp, gunky green eyes, 8mo

39 replies

Gracie123 · 02/04/2011 18:22

Pretty sure youngest DD has conjunctivitis and secondary chest infection. Asthma has been really bad recently and she's been sleeping loads (hooray! Blush ) with a streaming nose (nice) but today she woke up with eyes stuck together with bright green gunk, which needs removing every 15 mins and quite a temperature.

I know she'll need mess for the eyes, but can it wait til Monday?
Doesn't seem very serious but I always worry about getting it wrong with very little ones Blush

OP posts:
Original poster
Gracie123 · 02/04/2011 18:23

She's 8mo by the way

OP posts:
ZhenXiang · 02/04/2011 18:30

Make up a salt water solution using boiled water and let it cool to warm temperature then bathe eyes regularly to reduce the bacterial growth which is causing the green gunk or pus. The eyes will be very itchy and bathing will give her some relief. Just had conjuctivitis myself and cured it with just salt water bathing. Given her age though I would see GP on Monday to get eyes checked out.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 02/04/2011 18:33

Thanks, I'll do that.

They must be itching because she keeps scrubbing her face on the carpet/sofa/anything within snatching distance...

I'll just keep her on calpol til monday then.

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Crystyclear · 03/04/2011 14:15

if you're breastfeeding, you can use breastmilk as well - full of good antibodies.

my gp also said to use a little bit of johnson's baby bath diluted in warm water too.

RunningOutOfIdeas · 03/04/2011 14:34

DD had bad conjunctivitis along with difficulty breathing at about 8 months. It was all due to a respiratory virus. DD ended up needing to be in hospital for a couple of days. I am not writing this to scare you, but if her breathing is laboured, fast or shallow you might need to consider going to A&E.

I was advised to use Johnsons no more tears shampoo, just a couple of drops in boiled water to help dissolve the gunk sticking DDs eyes together.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 18:29

Just warm water seems to be doing the trick (it's still very wet iykwim).

Her breathing is bad, but she's asthmatic too, so I thought it might be that? DH has been sleeping on the floor next to er cot because he's worried about it.

Last night she slept from 6.30pm til 10am havin had no dinner and then drank 2oz of milk and promptly fell asleep again from 11am til 3.45pm. She seemed a bit chirpier after that and drank about 4oz milk but has now gone to bed having refused dinner again (and vomited when DH tried to force calpol into her mouth).

Definite early morning trip to the GP I think.

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Clarnico · 03/04/2011 18:32

It might not be conjunctivitis - it could just be overflowing gunk from her nose (delightful!) which of course would irritate her eyes.

GP a good idea - has she been diagnosed with asthma already?

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 19:07

Yes. She's been on inhalers four times a day since she was 6mo

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blinks · 03/04/2011 19:09

if her breathing is bad, you need to get her seen pronto. just because she has asthma doesn't mean she should be left with laboured breathing, esp at her young age.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 20:53

Her asthma gets worse whenever she is ill (as does my sons - he was also diagnosed at her age).

When we call NHS I'm told if her lips aren't discoloured it's fine to wait until the GP is open. Obviously we've given her the reliever inhaler on top of her normal one. It helps, but doesn't clear the rattle/wheeze completely. Despite the fact that she sounds like she is breathing fast and shallow, her fingernails and lips are all still pink.

I'm confident that if it's just asthma she'll be okay to wait until morning, especially as she's ill, I don't want to wake her and keep her up at the hospital. I was more worried about leaving the conjunctivitis on saturday because I don't know much about it, but I'm pretty okay with leaving it until tomorrow now.

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Dilligaf81 · 03/04/2011 20:56

My DD gets the eye thing and (as have the other 3) I always used cool tea and massaged between the eyes and nose as it wasnt conjunctivitus but snoot. Hope your dd'S feeling better soon. x

winnybella · 03/04/2011 20:57

Conjuctivitis can wait til tomorrow, obviously, but I'm not so sure about secondary chest infection, tbh. Breathing fast and shallow is not good. If her fingernails were turning blue it would be an emergency and you would have to call an ambulance. Just because they're pink at the moment, doesn't mean it can't change really quickly. Did you check her respiratory rate?

Dilligaf81 · 03/04/2011 20:59

Also if she carries on bretahing fast I would tkae her to A&E - I understand what NHS are saying but the fact that she is only 8 mths, breathing fast is very tiring and they go downhill very quickly at this age. Last weekend I called NHS Direct with the same thing with my DS (4 with no asthma history) they gave me the same advice as you but I did take him to A&E and the consultant there told me I did the right thing as he had to stay in for 3 days.

blinks · 03/04/2011 21:07

she's clearly getting oxygen if there are no signs of cyanosis but fast and shallow breathing over hours/overnight, for an 8month old is very tiring.

ballstoit · 03/04/2011 21:15

I would take 8 mo to A&E is they had fast, laboured breathing. The amount she has slept today indicates that there's a bit of a problem to me. I agree with what others have said about how fast they can go downhill.

DSS has asthma but also got regular chest infections, which needed treating for longer and with more medication the longer they were left to develop.

I agree that with little ones it's hard to judge how bad they are, which for me is why I'd rather err on the side of caution.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 22:06

You are all confusing me! What is cyanosis? How do I check her respiratory rate? Is there a measurement?

I know it's faster than normal, but she doesn't appear to hyperventilating. Is it just more obvious because she is breathing through her mouth?

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winnybella · 03/04/2011 22:18

How many breaths per minute? Count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 or 30 sec and by 2.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 22:20

64

What's normal?

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TheOriginalNutcracker · 03/04/2011 22:25

When she breathes in is she pulling her lower chest in and up towards her ribs ?? If so she needs to be seen.

I was also told to take dd in if it looked like the skin on her neck over her windpipe was being sucked in with each breath.

Tbh I would take her to a&e to be on the safe side.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 22:27

Neither of those are happening. To be honest she just looks so peaceful. Her temp is down a bit from yesterday too.

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winnybella · 03/04/2011 22:28

She has tachypnoea. Over 50 is alarming, over 60 it's serious in a 8 mo.

To A&E with you now.

winnybella · 03/04/2011 22:28

here

winnybella · 03/04/2011 22:33

Hope you're on your way, OP.

winnybella · 03/04/2011 22:34

MY DD, whan she had over 40 degrees fever with a flu and was breathing quickly, was at only about 30bmp. 64 is very high.

Original poster
Gracie123 · 03/04/2011 22:35

Oooh. Thanks Winny. That hart is super helpful. I guess I'll wake her up then.

I'll let you all know the outcome. Thanks for the advice.

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