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Original poster

Another chest infection :( At my wits end

20 replies

ElmoFan · 13/11/2011 17:50

DD is very sick again with another chest infection .She gets these infections every 3 weeks and has been like this for over 2 years now. We have been battling her temp now for the last 3 days and she has been on an antibiotic since last Wednesday . It doesn't seem to be helping her at all .
looks like we will be going back to the doctor in the morning if i can get an appointment. We have had one visit to the hospital where we were told she will just have to grow out of this , but she is so so sick and on antibiotics every month and steroid inhalers every day yet still she gets sick . This can not be normal Sad
I am just wondering should i ask for her to be referred back to the hospital or am i just wasting their time .
TIA

OP posts:
leftmydignityatthedoor · 13/11/2011 19:20

How old is she and how long has this been going on?

Has she ever had a chest x ray?

I would ask for a referral if its been going on for 6+ months and I wouldn't give in until I got one tbh.

In terms of the chest infection right now definitely take her back if temp isn't dropping and she seems no better after 3 days of antibiotics - she should def be recovering by now.

hellhasnofury · 13/11/2011 19:24

Ask for a referral back to the hospital.

My DD has a pocket of infection in her lung that causes problems similar to your DD's. It wasn't until we were back under a Consultant's care that it was even suspected. She's had a CT scan and x-rays as part of getting a diagnosis. She is now on an antibiotic which she takes once a day to try to keep it at bay though it does still flare up from time to time.

MollieO · 13/11/2011 19:28

When ds went through this his consultant said that by the time he was 5 he would have a stronger consitution than his peers but whether I survived until then was another question. He was on antibiotics from birth until 4.5 yrs. He got a month off in the summer. I was lucky that his CM didn't mind looking after him when he was ill or else I'd have had to give up work.

He is now a strapping and healthy 7 yr old and not ill at all. When he does get the odd cold his immune system is strong enough to deal with it. If you'd told me that when he was 2 I wouldn't have believed you.

Original poster
ElmoFan · 13/11/2011 20:05

Sorry - her temp is up to 39.9 ATM i have given 10mls of calpol at 5.30 and am waiting until 8.30 to give her nurofen . the two of them together seem to be the only way of getting her temp down for a few hours . She will be 6yrs old on New years eve. She has never had an xray or any tests . The consultant we saw in January told us she will just grow out of these infection Hmm but didn't offer any other advice .
She has Asthma & eczema .
This dose just isn't clearing up this time round Sad . She has been on an antibiotic every month sometimes twice a month for the last 28 months . so scared of the long term effects these might have on her . she is tiny for her age .

OP posts:
alibobins · 13/11/2011 20:09

Could you pop her to hospital tonight or ooh x x hope she feels better soon. Ds1 is 6 nearly 7 and is on antibiotics permanantly due to chest problems so know how hard it can be.

Original poster
ElmoFan · 13/11/2011 20:16

I have put a fan on beside her to cool her down and once she gets the nurofen she should be ok for about 4-5 hours then her temp shoots up again . If her temp is still up after the nurofen then i will call ooh doctor .
Sorry to hear your ds is having similar problems Sad poor little man x

OP posts:
alibobins · 13/11/2011 20:22

hope u have a settled night :(

dikkertjedap · 13/11/2011 20:35

You have to trust your instincts. If she had high temperature for several days in a row and if calpol and calprofen (maximum amounts spaced out over 24 hours) cannot keep it down, I would take her to A&E and say that you are worried that she may have pneumonia.

GPs are not very good at diagnosing it. Only reliable way is a chest X-ray.

It could be that the antibiotics she has been given is not strong enough or the wrong type.

Trust your instincts and if really worried take action.

leftmydignityatthedoor · 13/11/2011 21:09

Ds had very very high temp which was uncontrollable - his chest sounded clear but it was pneumonia.

If you're happy keeping an eye on her tonight then fine but kick up a fuss in the morning and ask for chest x ray if pos.

leftmydignityatthedoor · 14/11/2011 07:41

How is she this morning?

Original poster
ElmoFan · 14/11/2011 13:37

Thank you all x

She had a good night and i took her back to my doctor this morning and both doctors examined her . She has Croup Sad and an ear infection . She has been put on strong antibiotics and steroid tablets . Her temp is still high so have just to keep going with Calpol & nurofen for a few more days . I asked if she could have a chest xray but doctor reckons it's no use as all that will show up now is this dose . so maybe when this clears up i'll ask again .
Thank you all for your replies .

OP posts:
dikkertjedap · 14/11/2011 21:43

Do you know why your GP has prescribed anti-biotics given that croup is almost always caused by a virus? Personally I would still insist on a chest X-ray. Also, if the fever disappears but comes back after the anti-biotics is finished then really insist on a proper review, eg chest X-ray, blood tests, urine tests. In my experience there is too much Russian Roulette going on with children's health and not enough proper diagnosing and referring by GPs. (sorry, I just have had some very very bad experiences which could have ended with a fatal outcome)

giraffesCantDookForApples · 14/11/2011 21:52

Wonder if maybe needs some stronger antibiotics - maybe the infection isnt quite going away? would push for a resp appointment at hosp

vigglewiggle · 14/11/2011 21:58

My DD sounds very similar to yours. She has asthma and eczema and nut allergy. She has steroid inhalers, but also takes a relatively new drug called Montelukast. It's a chewable tablet once a day and it seems to have made a big difference.

I'm not sure what the criteria is for prescribing, but it may be worth asking about.

MollieO · 14/11/2011 22:47

Montelukast has been around for years (well the last 10 anyway). Ds had this as well as the usual inhalers and it helped with his breathing but not with his repeated chest infections.

I would push for a referral then at least you can have a consultant assess her treatment and care. Ds's care had to be managed carefully and adjusted as needed so I'm surprised that you only appear to have seen the consultant once.

Original poster
ElmoFan · 15/11/2011 08:51

Good morning Smile

She was given the antibiotics because both her ears are infected .The antibiotic she has now is double the strength of the one she was given last Wednesday(by a different doctor) . The doctor my dd see's normally is a paediatrician who also volunteers in my local children's hospital and tbh the impression we got from the consultant we saw in January is we shouldn't be doubting her doctors treatment as it's exactly what the consultant would give dd to treat her Confused but offered no tests to see why she is suffering like this , and just referred her back to her GP but did say that if she got any worse we could get her referred back to him in the hospital and she wouldn't have to wait too long . My gp still thinks it's due to uncontrolled Asthma , but i don't agree tbh. He has mentioned putting her on 1 tablet per day to help with her Asthma and to see if this stops the chest infections but hasn't prescribed that yet .
I am so sorry you all are going through the same thing with your dc's Sad x

OP posts:
dikkertjedap · 15/11/2011 19:40

Just a thought, if she is on steroid tablets, be very very careful that she does not come into contact with kids with chicken pox unless she has been vaccinated against chicken pox or has already had it. You may need to alert her school that she is more vulnerable. A lot of chickenpox is going round at the moment.

If you can afford I would go private or at least push for a second opinion. As said earlier, I have some very bad experiences so I have not much faith left in GPs.

hellhasnofury · 15/11/2011 19:49

No, plese don't let her come into contact with chicken pox. We have a very scary tale we could tell you about steroid tablets and CP. In fact, if she hasn't had it it might be worth enquiring about vaccinating her against it.

My dd has been for a check up today, she now has a wheeze but we're holding fire on treatment as her peak flow is still high. We're hoping we don't need the steroids we have in the cupboard.

Original poster
ElmoFan · 15/11/2011 20:19

She is on Prednesol tablets for the next 5 days but wont be going back to school until next week . she has already had CP in April this year , but you can get CP more than once cant you ? Would it still be dangerous for her ?

I will push for a second opinion and a chest x ray . Thanks dikkertjedap x

hellhasnofury - I really hope your dd is ok , fingers crossed for her xx

OP posts:
hellhasnofury · 15/11/2011 21:16

DD hadn't had CP when she managed to get it while on Pred. Can they test for immunity against CP? I'm guessing they can.

I think getting CP a second time is rare but not unheard of.

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