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Original poster

Very worried about ds :(

36 replies

pucca · 23/11/2009 18:19

He has been "off" for a few days, he had a terrible cold but today has taken a turn for the worse.

His temp is 40.1, he is lethargic, lying very still on sofa in and out of sleep, bright red cheeks and a terrible cough. He was sick the other night through coughing. His cough is very wet sounding, he also said his head is sore as is his tummy and his chest.

I have been listening to his breathing while he has been lying on the sofa and he is sort of moaning when he breathes out.

I have spoke to G.P who said if his temp is still above 40 in an hour ring back.

OP posts:
jkklpu · 23/11/2009 18:23

Poor you and him. How old is he? Could it be swine flu?
I presume you're dosing him with calpol and brufen to try to bring his temp down?

fatsatsuma · 23/11/2009 18:28

It sounds like a chest infection and he should be seen by a doctor tonight. Can you ring the GP back and ask for him to be seen asap ?

My ds was ill like this is the summer, and it was very worrying, but he recovered very quickly. Hope your ds is OK.

Original poster
pucca · 23/11/2009 18:31

I am going to get out of hours G.P i think, have put my ear to his chest and it sounds creaky/crackly. He def not right

I have given him max dose of calpol 10ml and it brought his temp down a little to 39.3. He was shivering saying he was cold earlier and i have no heating on but he is red hot and his cheeks bright red.

He is 3...

Thanks everyone

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trace2 · 23/11/2009 18:35

poor ds let us know how you get on?

fatsatsuma · 23/11/2009 18:35

You are right to follow your instincts pucca, esp as he is so little. I think we tend to know when our children are really unwell, and doctors respect that too.

Let us know how you get on.

fabhead · 23/11/2009 18:37

Remember you can give ibuprofen (Calprofen) too - I find it is better at lowering the temp for mine

Original poster
pucca · 23/11/2009 18:39

Thanks everyone, will of course let you know...

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PixieOnaLeaf · 23/11/2009 19:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

fatsatsuma · 23/11/2009 21:03

Hope your ds is OK pucca. Thinking of you.

foxinsocks · 23/11/2009 21:12

poor lad

there is a very nasty virus doing the rounds (not sure if swine flu or not) with a hideous chesty cough

ds just had it and also had a temp of above 40C (but this is very typical for my children to get such a high temp when v ill!)

I hope he gets better soon. Fwiw, I've also found ibuprofen better at lowering temperatures.

zonedout · 23/11/2009 21:54

sorry your ds is so poorly, we are currently going through some really awful bugs here, one of which is high temp with awful chesty, wheezy cough (and ds2 is asthmatic so i know a wheeze when i hear one ) ds1 also has an ear infection and stomach bug with his and has also been running a temp of 40.1. like pp, i find calpol doesn't touch it and he really needs a full dose of nurofen to reduce it. i have the fever/cough thing and it is horrid.

you have my sympathies, it is so horrible when they are so poorly. hope he feels better very quickly.

Original poster
pucca · 23/11/2009 23:16

Sorry its taken me so long to reply, well i took him to the emergency doctors, and he has a ear infection and a chest infection so they have given me some antibiotics for him. So hopefully he will be back to driving me mad soon

There are some awful bugs and colds going round at the moment, i dread winter for this reason.

Thanks so much everyone for the response, i really appreciate it! Mumsnet is so brilliant for this type of thing

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Original poster
pucca · 24/11/2009 09:54

He won't take the Ab's, tried talking him round and he is having none of it, complete nightmare

OP posts:
orangina · 24/11/2009 10:08

Can you bribe him with telly and chocolate?

fatsatsuma · 24/11/2009 10:28

Have you tried giving it in a syringe which he can suck out of? Or mixing it with a drink he likes?

Otherwise phone the GP (or pharmacist maybe?) and ask if there's a different flavour he can have. We had some horrible aniseed flavoured ab's once for dd1, and as soon as I told the GP she prescribed a different flavour. Worth a try.

I'm sure they told you all this, but keep getting him to sip lots of drinks that he likes. Maybe with a straw if he's not very keen on drinking at the moment. Just important that he takes in lots of fluids.

BarackObamasTransitVan · 24/11/2009 10:30

What form did the ABs come in? My ds had some recently for a chest infection and they came as a bright yellow, banana flavoured liquid. They looked, smelt and probably tasted like the most revolting artificial milkshake you can imagine - needless to say he was disappointed when the course was over
I'm sure your GP would give you another prescription if you can't get him to take the ABs he has currently. Or, would it be OK to mix them with some yogurt or something (obv ask your GP about this first)?

Original poster
pucca · 24/11/2009 10:36

Yes its the yellow liquid one, reminds me of childhood smells yummy, but he is having none of it, ds is very hard to talk around not a pushover like dd

Awful i know but i have just had to make him have that dose, had to grab him on my knee and just put it in his mouth. Feeling very guilty now and he has to have it 3 times a day (oh joy!).

The thing is he had a dose quite easily last night at around 9pm, but then he vomited at 3am (coughing) and i think he thinks the AB's made him sick.

Thanks everyone, if its going to be a struggle will have to see if there any other alternative, as he almost vomited it back up just then because he was crying etc which made him cough.

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Jenski · 24/11/2009 10:47

Hi Pucca

Has his temperature come down now the antibiotics have started?
Just a word of warning (not that I wish to worry you), but if temp stays high and he is sick after antibiotics please take him back to the dr. A couple of years ago my dd2 had very similar but kept being sick. I noticed that when she was sick it was quite bubbly - it turned out that she had pneumonia (it took her months to fully return to normal).

I just wanted to add it because at the time it took three drs to actually realise.

Hopefully he is responding well though and like I said I don't wish to cause you unnecessary worry!

Original poster
pucca · 24/11/2009 10:51

Hi Jenski, his temp is still up, not as high as it was but is 38.6. I woke up to him vomiting last night, but he hasn't been sick since.

Thanks for the help, was there any other signs? just so i know what to look out for. Sorry to hear about your dd

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fatsatsuma · 24/11/2009 10:56

Agree with Jenski that you should keep in touch with your GP if he vomits again.

The episode I mentioned with my ds was when he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia, and he had all your son's symptoms. Like Jenski, it was also missed by the first GP we saw. He had to have ab's intravenously for a few days, and then orally.

However he was only in hospital for two nights and back to normal after two weeks, so it wasn't serious. But your ds definitely needs those ab's to start working asap, and vomitting is not a good sign.

fatsatsuma · 24/11/2009 11:03

You should look out for pain/discomfort/difficult with breathing.

The thing that convinced the second doctor that it was pneumonia with my ds was when he tapped his chest at the back and it sounded 'dull' on one side rather than hollow like a drum - because it was congested with gunk.

If he still has a high temp and is lethargic and not seeming any better, and if you are still concerned about him, I think you should see the GP again.

Like I said before, follow your instincts. Hope you are OK Pucca

Original poster
pucca · 24/11/2009 11:21

Thanks fatsatsuma...that really helps, i will def keep my eye on him.

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fatsatsuma · 24/11/2009 11:39

Well, like Jenski I didn't want to worry you with the word 'pneumonia' but the way you were describing your ds sounded so familiar. With my ds it was caught and treated quickly and wasn't serious.

Hope the ab's kick in really quickly now. It's amazing how quickly children bounce back - I'm sure he will be his normal self again very soon.

Jenski · 24/11/2009 14:13

hi pucca, hope your ds is feeling better.

My dd2 had much the same as fatsatsuma has said, with dr tapping her back to discover a 'dull' sound and listening to her chest could hear a wheeze and crackle.

However, it may just be the wrong abs for your ds, so worth going back to dr if they are not staying down. With my dd2, she was prescribed a three day course of different abs from the hospital which made her feel alot better almost instantly. I can't remember what they were called though....

It is so horrid when they are feeling poorly. I have just made an appt for my dd3 who has had high temp and cold/flu like symtoms for over a week. Dr yesterday just said it was one virus on top of another, but I am going back for a second opinion. She too has been sick with coughing so much at night. It seems wrong to be giving her so much calpol, but her temperature soars the minute it wears off

Original poster
pucca · 24/11/2009 18:48

Thanks again, sorry to hear about your dds Jenski, hope your dd3 better soon.

Well ds has perked up abit so fingers crossed he will be driving me crazy again soon.

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