Something not right

[Kittykat93]

Posting on here out of desperation really. My 15 month old son hasn't been right for just over six weeks. Started with a cough, cold, on antibiotics for a chest infection. The cough has never left, his temperature keeps going up, around once a week he gets a fever, becomes miserable and sleepy and not himself.

He has been seen by 5 doctors and sent into hospital twice. They have done a chest X-ray which was normal and sent us home. Just said he's got a virus.

Took him back to the gp again last week and they've given inhalers for asthma to try.

Today his temp rose again and came down after calpol and nurofen. He's still coughing.

I don't know what to do. Could it really still be a virus lasting this long? Does this indicate a problem with his immune system? I'm at a loss and so worried all the time. He's up a lot at night because of the cough so we are all exhausted.

Please help

Do you have pets?
Any kind of dust gathering under the cot/bed?
Is there something regular he goes to that could be irritating him?
We had to stop going swimming for a while because every time we went she got really sick.

No, this ain’t acceptable. go back to your GP and say something is not right and your child needs to be assessed/seen by a hospital doctor again. He should have recovered, not still be continuously ill.
Keep going back until they do more tests. Maybe he needs more antibiotics to clear it? Ask them about that. Unless they test your child, they are guesssing between whether it’s antibacterial or viral.
Ask them what other tests can be done. Have they done all the checks for pneumonia and sepsis for example? ask them. Inhalers will not do anything to cure a fever.
Don’t worry about being a nuisance. Say you’re going to keep going back until he’s better.
Good luck

Sounds similar to what my Granddaughter had (though not given inhalers). We were really worried about her - thought she was never going to get better! Does the timescale tie in with anything - starting nursery/activity involving contact with other little ones?

Whilst I would be very loathe to not tel you to get further medical opinions, I can say that my daughter has had lengthy periods the same from about 12 months until about 2 years. One cold led to another led to an ear infection that went onto her chest then a couple well days followed by unexplained misery for a couple days, then a runny nose and her being out of sorts, nore coughing that lasted weeks and repeat. And then a week long diarreoah but before a week well and then a runny nose again. I'm not saying that that's normal but I remember with all my 4 kids that particular period of time, ie early toddlerhood, is plagued with one illness after another. Follow your gut instinct, I'm just reassuring you that even tho she is my fourth, there have been many times over the last year I've felt there must be something more seriously wrong, but in hindsight I think it was just an age thing, teething and an immature immune system at an age where they suddenly get subjected to a wider network of bugs.

We have one short haired dog yes, I suffer with a lot of allergies so this is one of the things that's concerning me, that he might be allergic to the dog. Haven't even though about dust under his cot so will pull it out and hoover underneath just in case.

Thank you for all the replies, am reading through and taking advice

Oh and no he doesn't go to nursery. We go to a baby group usually once a week for an hour but apart from that it's just me and him (and the dog)! Doing activities together

What about the mattress? I have only just realised that there is an outer shell that can be washed. Sounds daft but anything that could be an irritant. There's no damp/mould problems that your aware of?
Maybe the dog needing groomed?

Good ideas, will check his mattress tomorrow. No damp or Mould issue that I'm aware of. I try to make sure I dust his room regularly to make sure nothing can irritate him, and also the dog is never allowed upstairs so there's no hairs at all where he sleeps.

Underlying infection? That has not been killed off. DS needed 2 weeks of strong antibiotics to get rid of his

Allergies wouldn’t cause a temperature that keeps spiking. That suggests he’s got an underlying infection.
I’d go back to the GP OP and day that it’s jot just the cough, it’s he fact his temp keeps going back up

Sorry for typos.
Say it’s not just the cough, it’s that his temp keeps going back up

I have said about the temperature but they just say that his chest sounds clear so they won't give more antibiotics. I understand why they just can't keep giving them out but this is ridiculous.

A lingering cough is one thing and could be asthma, a temp that doesn’t go away entirely is the thing that’s concerning. I’d go back and say your child is still unwell and ask for a definitive answer on what he has. Are they 100% sure it’s viral? I’d say you still
Concerned that he’s unwell and ask them what else can be done.
Just keep going back. That’s what all good GPs say - if they don’t get better, come back.

My mum tells me that when I started being allergic to dogs I would have a fever, I would go and play at my friends house with 2 dogs and always come home with a fever. She couldn’t make the connection to start with and then it became more apparent with breathing troubles too.