is there anymore I can do to help dd?

[redwellybluewelly]

DD is 2.6, she suffers from severe focal febrile seizures and had had about a dozen each leaving her semi paralysed for hours or days depending on how soon she comes round (last few were admitted).

Anyway because of this we get a bit neurotic about fevers, especially related to sore throats whoch have been the source of infection in the past. High fevers with ear or chest infections haven't caused seizures.

So. Last Monday she woke in the morning earpy burning up, we got the fever under control but she was listless, refused to walk, slumped in chair etc, hard to get her to drink and eat, Tuesday she did seem much betyer. Kept her on max dose ibuprofen/paracetamol throughout monday and tuesday. Tuesday afternoon took her to GP who said throat/ear infection. Did

Damn phone.

Did a very short day at nursery on Wednesday and Thursday, Friday recovered and happy. I went out last night with a friend and was called home at ten by DH as DD had a high fever (39.9), was shaking and coughing so hard it was hard for her to breath, he gave her ibuprofen.

By the time I got home (ten minutes? ) DD was breathing more easily but pale and clearly ill. I stayed up all night watching her and monitoring her fever as she was coughing a horrid wet cough, snot everywhere, gagging on mucus.

We've cooked her favourite foods today bit she only eaten a tiny bit, got her to drink watered down squash so she is having wet nappies. Keeping her warm but not wrapped up, full doses of meds but realistically is there anything else I could do?

Thank you

What a worry for you. You seem to be doing everything that you need to do, but in your position I'd play it safe and phone NHS Direct.

I do hope she's better soon.

I don't think there is anything else you can do except monitoring her cough. If it sounds like a productive cough she may be developing a chest infection and may or may not need antibiotics.

For her sore throat, she may like some ice cream/milk shake or ordinary lolly pops or chamomile tea. A teaspoon with honey is also good, Manuka honey even better (Holland and Barrett sells it amongst others, the higher its rating the stronger its antibacterial properties. There is also a throat spray you can buy OTC at your chemist (Difflam I think it is called). Some chemists are not willing to sell it for children though, although I vaguely remember that it is okay for children, will say so on the leaflet whether it is or not. It numbs the throat a little.

You are already giving maximum doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen, but when you no longer need both I would stick to the ibuprofen as it is also anti-inflammatory.

I always thought that febrile seizures were triggered by rapidly increasing fever, is this also the case with your dd or not? If so, I would by the first sign that something is wrong start giving calpol rather than adopting a wait and see approach (I normally only start giving calpol at 39 degrees but my dd has never had a febrile seizure).

Hope she gets better soon.

Thank you both for replying.

We do use Ibuprofen over Paracetamol as it works faster and we have a dose for her weight, we also dose at the very first sign of illness for neuroprotection. There was no warning Sunday night she was ill and so temp on monday was bolt from the blue. Similarly on Friday she had been stable for a day and no sign of a fever at bedtime.

She is better tonight, sleeping more easily with better colour but we'll see how she is in the morning, I will take her to OOH if needed and we have open access to our children's assessment unit.

I hadn't thought of honey or lollies, will try those tomorrow, she usually eats a lot even when under the weather

Good to hear that she is getting better.

Unfortunately she is too young for a decongestant like Sudafed, but there used to be Otrivin decongestant nose drops for young children which are now prescription only so maybe your GP can prescribe them? If she has a bad cold then giving the Otrivin drops may prevent a throat and/or ear infection as it helps draining the snot a lot quicker. If you cannot get hold of them or cannot use them any more (because you can only use them for a given number of days in a given period, I believe you need a month in between each time) then you could use saline spray or drops (like Sterimar spray from Boots for example), not as effective as Otrivin but still quite good if regularly used.

Oh, re the honey. It is very good for sore throats and sometimes even helps with coughs. However, it is awful for teeth. So if you can, let her drink plain water afterwards (not straight away, but say 5 minutes later or so). All the medication (including antibiotics), extra sweets to help with the sore throat, are real hard on the teeth, so even more careful brushing and possibly more intensive monitoring by dentist may be advisable as damage is so easily done.

Is it possible she's deficient in anything? Lack of iron, vitamin c or d can cause recurring infections. I find either tesco or sainsburys own brand kids multivits good as they contain iron, zinc and b vitamins, good for immune health. At least if you can bolster her against too many illnesses, it may help a little.

Thank s again,

Dd is more like her usual self today but I do regret weaning when she is ill, at least when I fed her I knew she was getting some goodness. Food of choice is fruit and sausages, refusal of everything else.

Cough has definitely receded but she is quite weepy and tired.

Will look into vitamins