how long to wait out for a "viral infection"?

[Boboma]

My DD (5) has the diagnosis of 'viral infection'. She had obvious cold which started 11 days ago, has had low fever (38-39) starting a week ago but for the past 5 days has been really miserable: fever 39-40 at night and 38-39 in the day. We're giving her caplol/brufen as the doc said and waiting.....
I'm feeling nervous about waiting though! She had a 'viral infection' when she was 1.5 that turned out to be severe pneumonia but they couldn't hear it because her whole lung was filled with fluid.
I'm trying not to be paranoid - but do 'viral infections' go on this long and should we just keep on like this? She won't really eat and it is hard to get her to drink. They won't give antibiotics unless they hear something on her chest or see throat/ear problem...Arrrgh! We've been to docs 3 times so I don't want to appear like a nutcase!

I would take her to A&E for an X-ray having my child almost dying from pneumonia after having been fobbed off by the GP even the afternoon my dc was blue lighted to hospital 2 hours later.
Many GPs are not able to listen to a child's chest in a reliable way. Many top paediatricians say that it is very difficult to diagnose pneumonia in a child only by listening and hence rely on X-rays.
Fever is going on for too long and very worryingly both during night and during day. If the fever doesn't significantly come down when you give both ibuprofen and paracetamol at maximum dose then I would take her right now. Too much too lose IMO.

has the GP said where the source of infection is coming from? ie, ear etc? a 5 day history of temperature with no clear focus would have me asking for a referal to the peads Dr's to try and establish where the temp is coming from particulary with her history and aside from that having to give calpol etc for 11 consecutive days as it seems you've had to is not ideal. Take her back to GP its what they're there for!

Thanks. Back to GP tomorrow.x

After 11 days I think I'd be asking for a chest x ray. My ds also had pneumonnia which was only diagnosed with a chest x ray and couldn't be heard. I don't understand why GPs aren't more aware of this fact.

Turns out that she does have pneumonia and I asked the Dr to check after the X-ray diagnosis if he could hear it and he definitely could not. The paediatrician told me last week when we were in to be checked that the policy was not to do X-rays now and just treat if they suspect chest infection. However - they clearly can't hear my DD's pneumonias, and it sounds as if she is not alone. Anyway, hopefully she'll be on the mend now with right medicine. I won't hold out so long with next 'viral infection'! Thanks again for your advice. x

Good that it has now been diagnosed and she is on antibiotics. Bad that you had to wait so long!

Monitor her closely, there are many types of antibiotics and sometimes they need to be given a mix to get rid of the pneumonia. It can take several courses in a row. It is a serious disease.

You may already do this but if she suffers from severe coughing, you may want to check that she has enough oxygen. One of the quick tests is the nailbed test. You push very firmly at the base of the nailbed of one of her fingers/thumb so it goes white. Within a second of you letting go it should be nice and pink again. You can google it if you want to find out more.

Very important she takes the antibiotics and keeps them in. I hope that you have not been prescribed erytrhomycin, but if you have and she has any sign of stomach upsets go straight back to GP and insist on Clarithromycin (newer and significantly more expensive successor of erythromycin which you only have to take twice a day and far fewer side effects). Keep a diary with temperature and when she gets medicine and whether she keeps it in.

You will want to see an improvement really within 24-36 hours (e.g. before Bank Holiday starts) - you will want to know that she is on the right antibiotics. Have they told you how severe the pneumonia is and where in the lung(s)?

Hope she is on the road to recovery, but remain vigilant, pneumonia is a serious disease and often underestimated (also by GPs!).

Oh god. This has scared me now! As my daughter(1) has been diagnosed today with a 'viral infection' however when she was born she had pneoumonia and I nearly lost her:(
I'm scared of it all happening again.
How can I tell if it's pneoumonia, symptoms? Signs?

Lou

Try not to panic. Ds was just 4 when he was diagnosed. His symptoms were:

• swine flu first
• severe horrendous cough
• temp of 40 with max doses of anti pyretics
• delirious
• not eating or drinking
• weak
• very very ill seeming

I will say that he did seem to have short bursts of energy though.

Lou
Out of control temperature, which does not respond (or only marginally respond to) maximum doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Severe coughing, which may (not necessarily) result in breathlessness, distress, blue lips.

High temperature for 5 days or more.

Child is clearly ill but it is not clear what is causing it (eg. no ear infection, no sore throat).

Unfortunately many GPs call anything they don't understand or don't know a viral illness, that is why you now have to be so vigilant and use your own judgement. Then again, you may be lucky and have a good GP.

If in doubt seek second opinion from an expert (eg. A&E paediatrician unless you have very good GPs where you are_

Thanks for all your advice dikkertjedap. We have 2 antibacs to cover the spectrum for 10 days and have the nicer clarythromicin and are also on open access incase IV is needed. We are very much keeping our eyes on her. It is deep down one lung, but not as severe as previously.
Its not that I thought that they were bad GPs. They checked her out thoroughly and sent her to hospital for checks twice too. I'm just concerned that my DD's pneumonia's can't be heard by stethoscope (this is no. 3 for her) and that they don't do X-rays more swiftly. I will be more demanding in future!
Hi Lou. I really hope that your DD is OK. My list of symptoms is very similar to easts. Keep a careful record of her temperature and after a week be more insistent about thorough checks and don't let her go downhill as much as we did. If she's had pneumonia before then please learn from my experience and ask for X-ray if symptoms are as above. Really hope that she gets better. x x