Constant cough and very swollen glands.

[wizardywoo]

Just after a bit of advice about DS 3.9yrs who has had a constant cough since Oct/Nov and very swollen glands on the left side of his neck under his ear.

He has been given a ventolin inhaler which has made no difference and we have a vicks vaporiser bubbling away constantly, still no difference.

We have been up and down to the Drs since Oct and they have said that the cough is causing the lump in his neck because of infection. He has a cluster of lymph that are very raised. We can easily see them without having to touch to feel them.

The G.P hasnt looked at anything other than his ears,throat and chest, all have seemed clear on every visit other than the glands.

His breathing is very noisy today again so DH has said he is marching back to G.P tomorrow for them to check him all over, i went last Weds and they checked his chest and it was clear. This will be the 6th visit since Oct so i'm worried they will think we are neurotic. To complicate matters he has CP and LD. He is so tired all of the time.

What else can we try?

I think you need a proper assessment from a paediatrician not a GP. Also, I was told by our paediatrician that the majority of GPs only listen to the chest to reassure parents, but that in practice it is EXTREMELY difficult to judge whether a chest is clear or not through just listening. That is why on hospitals they rely on X-rays to diagnose pneumonia. My dd had very severe pneumonia, various GPs said her chest was totally clear, including on the afternoon she collapsed and was rushed to hospital. They straight away took chest X-ray which showed very severe life threatening pneumonia. Let this be a lesson!
Swollen glands are indeed an indication of an infection, but would this be a bacterial or viral one? Has the GP tested blood to determine this? Has the GP prescribed broad spectrum anti-biotics? Really, I urge you to seek proper medical advice. If you cannot get an urgent referral to a paediatrician, either go private (Portland Hospital has a network of paediatricians throughout the country I believe) or go to A&E and say you are really really worried. Many A&E doctors I have met (and that are quite a few) won't mind because they know that ultimately the knowledge and diagnostics tools of GPs are quite limited.

Thankyou for your advice. I looked for Portland paeds locally and unfortunately we dont have anything down this end the country.

I went through a similar thing with DD as you have, except she was rushed in with RSV at 6 weeks after being told she was clear the day before. We spent 2 weeks at BCH with her on the vent.

I wonder if the G.P is dismissing me so easily because he knows how paranoid i am due to previous experience.

We havent had any anti Bs as there is no sign of infection in ears or throat just the lump on his neck indicating infection and of course the cough.

We phoned Ds's paed that deals with the CP and his development, she is phoning back tomorrow so hopefully he will be seen by her and get some tests done asap.

Thanks again

Dikker,

Do you get referral fees for the Portland? I have never seen you on a thread where you fail to recommend them? My one experience with them is it is purely a money game. They asked for credit card details (and debited it) before the appointment and then treated us and our baby rather disdainfully and came out with a solution which we never tried and subsequently was proved to be wrong. Personally, I think there are plenty of private paediatricians with a far better attitude than the one we saw at the Portland. Of course, maybe we were just unlucky but it is the first port of call for very rich expats, as they normally give birth there, and I suspect their attitude is driven by that.

I think for acute illness, the NHS is OK but, on the other hand, when you are a concerned parent, going to see a paediatrician privately is a good option. Personally the key is to find a paediatrician whose interest chimes with both the age of your child and the problem that you are dealing with. We now have an excellent one in case of emergencies, but unfortunately, for the OP, he is local to us in SW London.

I would google private paediatrician, you area and then pre school endocrine or pulmonary and see what you find. Then look them up and maybe have a chat with their secretary.