Oh fgs! Any GPS about? Ds is 9 and I still dont know when to take him to the gp or not :(

[Badvoc]

Ds1 (9) has been ill for about 3 weeks now on and off.
Started with a nasty head cold...2 days off school.
Then the following week a really nasty cough.
Took him to the gp last Monday and he was given amoxyycillin tablets for 5 days for a chest infection.
I didn't realise it was only a 5 day course til I got the tablets home.
He has taken them all...finished at tea time...and is really not that much better.
the gp was rather perfunctory to say the least! Locum I had never seen before.
Still not eating as much, coughing mostly at night and we have had to give him his inhaler the last 2 nights which we haven't had to do for at least 2 years!
(Dx as asthmatic but discharged from paed last year)
He is very pale and his skin is blotchy.
I think he may have needed a longer course of ABs tbh.
Do I phone and speak to a gp or get him an appt tomorrow?

Deffo take him back, he'll probably need a different type of antibiotics. If you call the GP will probably want to listen to his chest before prescribing something anyway so I'd just make an appointment.

Yeah...dh thinks I am being silly but he isn't right.

Take him back. When dd1 had pneumonia the first antibiotic they ave her didn't seem to do any good, so they changed it, and only then did we see any improvement.

Definitely take him back, if possible ask to see a more experienced doctor. He needs different/stronger antibiotics if the amoxicillin didn't work in 5 days.

Hope he feels better soon x

Ugh.
Taken him back.
His chest is clear, apparently.
Hmm.
Got another inhaler but gp says he could be coughing for 6 weeks!
He is currently tucking into tomato soup and naan bread (I know, weird combination!)
Thanks for the advice.
He has also got a very splotchy face so am thinking viral rash?

Hope your dd is better dewe?

It was 4 years ago, so yes she is better, thanks. She had to be careful for ages though, it was a nasty bout for a child who is almost never ill.

Rash could be viral rash or could be allergy to antibiotic.

I was told with dd1 that often they are coughing for ages after their chest is clear. In fact dd1 didn't cough until the antibiotics started to work. Luckily they were checking her every day, so I was able to ask. What they said was that coughing is actually good because it's moving the blockage. Because dd1 wasn't coughing that was more of a concern. So she sounded, and looked, worse when getting better if that makes sense.

Obviously if he's asthmatic you need to be very careful, so do go back if you think he needs it. Dd1 was checked every week for a while, because they were worried that it could have left a weakness where it might reoccur. Thankfully it hasn't.

I like tomato soup and naan bread, so I don't think that's wierd.

That's good.
Ds2 has now started coughing and has a temp.
Sigh.
I feel like it will never be over :(

Glad to see his chest is clear - I second the rash being a reaction to the antiBs - or more likely the additives in kids AntiBs -

my own DD ended up in A&E due to additives in prescription drugs she needed for her last chest infection, as it affected her stomach lining as well as her skin, so the reaction can be quite strong, some additives can affect asthma too, so might be in part responsible for the ongoing cough - though as DeWe says, the cough itself can hang on for a long while on its own, it was explained to me as irritation/inflammation that takes a while to settle after the actual bug has cleared - we found inhalers & a spoonful of Manuka honey helped a lot

hope he's properly better soon - if you think he's still generally run down, Spirulina is a fantastic tonic, full of vits & minerals & an immune boosting enzyme - it made a huge difference to my own DDs health after she had double pneumonia & wasn't recovering well at all - from part time school & still flagging & talk of juvenile M.E. , to back to full time & coping fine in undr 2 weeks of Spirulina :)

sorry cross post :( - hope DS 2 is better soon & YOU manage to get some rest

Rock...that's good news re your dd.
Ds1 already takes omega and zinc and mag but may need to get some more into him.
Poor ds2. He had flu prior to xmas and was really poorly. Hope it's not as bad this time...
I was on ABs last week for a secondary chest infection after flu. Properly wiped me out. 3 days in bed the works.
Been running round a lot today so am feeling pretty rough now.
:(

SPIRULINA INFO HERE

EASIEST BRAND PILLS TO TAKE HERE

Poor you :( - the links above have info on spirulina & the second one is the brand we buy - I used to be able to buy it in the Health Food shop, so you might be lucky, but ours stopped stocking it & the ones they do stock are bigger pills & powdery, so not easy to take, especially for kids, so I buy online direct from the manufacturer now, it cheaper & the delivery was very quick :) - sounds like you could do with it too

hope you all feel better soon, if not flasks of drink, bottles of drinks, snacks & medicines too & all of you huddle up & watch movies till you feel a bit stronger - good luck

Thanks x

Ds2 rushed to hospital,last night with croup.
Along with a lot of others it seems!
Sigh.
Poor ds1 off school too as he didn't get to sleep til 3am...

Really sorry to hear that :( - having been there with DD when younger, I really feel for you & I only had my DD to think about so can only guess the extra stress you have right now - at least your DD is now in good hand & getting proper attention - bar croup did they say what it is ?? - wishing you strength & that everyone recovers soon

Thanks rock.

I know others have it so much harder but it's been a really bad few months for us health wise...dc, me, my parents...and I heard yesterday that a job offer for sept is now a no go.
So, all in all I feel,pretty sorry for myself! :(
Am mainlining coffee in order to stay awake today! :)