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Original poster

ds in hospital with chest infection - any advice?

30 replies

zippy539 · 04/10/2004 18:34

Okay, am I being a neurotic mum. Ds (3) got admitted to hospital on Saturday with a chest infection. He's being given steroids, an antibiotic and is on a nebuliser (now every four hours). His stats (sats?) are improving now, especially during the day, though he still needed a bit of oxygen last night. The consultant almost discharged him this morning but I was reluctant a)because he still needed oxygen last night and b) because I felt though he was better yesterday (ie not wheezing etc) he was actually worse, in himself, today (rising temp, grumpy, flushed).

I think I'm worried because he had a chest infection which was v similar (though didn't need hospital) about five weeks ago which eventually went after antibiotics - I'm suspecting that this is the same thing, and it's continuing to go untreated - although the superficial symptoms (wheeze) etc are being brought under control by the drugs he is on.

Does anyone have any experience of this type of thing? Am I being neurotic? Should I just get him home? Is there anything I should be asking?

Have to go back to the hospital in a couple of hours for the night, but any advice appreciated. Sorry this is such a ramble - I'm knackered.

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nutcracker · 04/10/2004 18:40

I'm surprised they wanted to let him home if he still needed oxygen last night.

TBH I would have done the same thing too. Dd was hospitalised with pneumonia just before she was 2 and she wasn't allowed home until she had been off oxygen for 24 hours and had drunk enough to have a her drip removed.

Hope he gets better soon xxxxx

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 18:46

Thanks nutcracker, I was surprised too. The problem is he wont tolerate the oxygen through the nose clip thing so is still getting it through a mask and so they don't know how much he is actually needing. I think I would feel happier if they could identify the infection a bit more clearly - at the moment they don't even know if the antibiotics are working or not...

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nutcracker · 04/10/2004 18:48

Has he had a chest xray ???

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 18:51

Yes - the consultant said the results were inconclusive - he reckoned it wasn't a pneumonia but was v vague as to what it might be, though the bloods suggest ' a bug ' (his words). I really wished I had challenged him a bit more but I was so knackered this morning after 2 nights sleeping on the floor and consultant was busy showing off to hoards of students. That's why I'd like to be a bit more prepared when he comes around again tomorrow.

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SoupDragon · 04/10/2004 18:54

DS1 was hospitalised with pneumonia at easter this year. V scarey. He didn't have any wheezing or cough at any point though, just tightness and pain on breathing.

Are they IV antibiotics? DSs were with follow up oral ones and they knocked the infection on the head completely.

If your DS is not well in himself, I'd be concerned about taking him home. The hospital only discharged DS1 because he made a dramatic recovery in his general well-being even though his chest wasn't clear at that point. I don't think you're being neurotic at all.

nutcracker · 04/10/2004 18:55

I seem to remember them being a bit hazy when dd was ill. At first they said it was just a chest infection and then i overheard them say to each other that it was pnemonia.

Dd was in for a week and like i said they didn't allow her home until she was back to her normal running round driving everyone mad self.

I would say she was quite ill for about 4/5 days and then she started to perk up. Getting her to drink was a prob. Main thing was she was very very tired.

IMO If he is still needing the nebs then he shouldn't go home yet.

Hope you have a better night tonight.

SoupDragon · 04/10/2004 19:01

I think it can be tricky to diagnose with children. DS1 had appendicitis and menigitis suggested before they hit the rather lucky jackpot of pneumonia following a chext xray - they said they'd never been so relieved to see a huge shadow on the lung. The most they were able to say with any certainty before this was that he had an infection. It could, however, have been anywhere.

I agree that if he's still needing help to breath with oxygen or nebuliser then he's surely not well enough to be at home. I hope he's showing more signs of improvement tomorrow.

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 19:03

Thanks soupdragon and nutcracker - it really helps reading other people's experiences.

Soupdragon - He was on iv antibiotics until last night then went on to oral.

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Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 19:04

sorry - cross posts. Thanks again - I just feel something isn't quite right yet.

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Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 19:56

Just bumping this up cause I'm suddenly feeling a bit wobbly. Just went into ds's bedroom to get him some clean jammies to take to the hospital, saw his empty bed and started to bawl. Eeek. I need some sleep.

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nutcracker · 04/10/2004 19:59

Oooh it is awful isn't it, poor you.

I cried buckets when dd was in.

He will be right as rain soon enough you'll see.

Take a couple of his fave books in with you tonight and snuggle up with him for a nice story, colouring books too.

Oh and make a list of things you want to ask them too, you'll feel better when you have a clearer explanation of things.

Good luck hope he is better soon

Nutty xxxxxxxxxxxxx

PuffTheMagicDragon · 04/10/2004 20:00

Zippy, I have no experience to offer, but just wanted to wish your ds a speedy recovery.

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 20:03

Thanks Nutty - I feel like a complete woos (sp!!). I think I'm just a bit of a control freak and want to know EXACTLY what is wrong, how it will be fixed, and I have a lifetime guarantee that it wont recurr, please?

Great advice about the books and the list. Thanks so much. I really do appreciate your post.

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Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 20:06

Thanks Puff

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SoupDragon · 04/10/2004 20:07

Zippy, I held it together until we left DS1 there for the night when I completely lost it outside the hospital. We knew what was wrong with him, w knew he was getting the right treatment, we knew he was going to be fine and it all caught up with me.

One of the worst bits was when we got back to my inlaws' house and DS2 (then 3) woke up, crying, because he thought we'd taken DS1 on holiday without him (we were on our way to Wales and had simply abandoned DS2 with my PIL for 14 hours!). It was heartbreaking!

DS1 now thinks he had 2 holidays - on in the hospital and on in Wales so despite being very ill and having needles, blood tests and IV lines, he remembers it fondly! He was 5 and completely seduced by the Nintendo Game Cube the installed by his bed.

nutcracker · 04/10/2004 20:07

No prob, let us know how he is when you get chance

SoupDragon · 04/10/2004 20:08

BTW, DS1 made a complete recovery and has not shown any signs of a recurrance. However, I do still hold my breath occasionally when he has a cough (now!) or complains of similar pains to the onset of the pneumonia.

Tissy · 04/10/2004 20:10

Dd was in hospital with "atypical" pneumonia earlier this year, and was back up there on Thursday with a bad cough and wheeze, although they only kept her in for the day this time.

Apparently, it's pretty common at this time of year in this age group. Even if there isn't a family tendency to asthma (in our case there is), the airways can get blocked with phlegm very quickly, which causes the wheeze.

Have they given you an inhaler to use with a spacer device? This can help knock any future attack on the head early. 10 puffs of salbutamol into the spacer is equivalent to a nebuliser, and can be given at home.

dd's wheeze got better, and her cough became more productive than dry (a good thing as it gets the muck up!)very quickly, but like your son, her temperature continued to fluctuate and she's been a grumpy little madam for the last couple of days. We were VERY relieved to be allowed home, as we all sleep better in our own beds, the hospital isn't far away, and the nurses are very good at giving advice over the phone. I would say that if his sats are OK on air, and he's coughing well, and not wheezing, you'll be happier at home.

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 20:12

Thanks Soupy - I think you've hit the nail on the head, this is first time I've been home in 3 days and it's all catching up. Still snuffling away here but feeling much better thanks to the magic of mumsnet. Thank you so much,

Your poor DS2 - imagine him thinking you'd gone on holiday without him - poor wee lamb!

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Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 20:16

Thanks Tissy - his sats are okay on air during the day, they just go a bit duff at night. Sorry to hear about your dd - funny all the kids in ds's ward are there with respitory (sp?) probs though it's a general medical ward - the nurses have all said that it is the same thing every October.

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jellyhead · 04/10/2004 20:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tissy · 04/10/2004 20:45

of course you should be happy when you take your ds home that he will be OK, but presumably the consultant was happy that a) he would be OK, and b) that you would be OK, otherwise he (she?) wouldn't have offered. They're not in the business of kicking unwell kids out of hospital for no good reason. Another thing- I don't know which antibiotics thay will have given your son, but my dd had only 3 doses of one called azithromycin, when she had pneumonia- the course of antibiotics will probably finish before you think that he is completely better. Don't worry about that.

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 20:55

thanks Tissy and jellyhead.

Tissy - ds is on augmentin (sp?) first as IV and now orally. I think the root of my worry is that a couple of times the consultant has suggested that the infection is viral (ie wont respond to antibiotics). Then this morning, after I raised my concerns re us going home, he listened to ds' chest again and decided to test for something else (beginning with an m - can't remember) - I think this thing they are testing for isn't viral and can't be tackled with augmentin - he would need something else - but they wouldn't get the results of the test for a fortnight. I just so so so don't want to end up back in that ward with him in a few days/weeks.

Sorry, very waffly.

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jellyhead · 04/10/2004 21:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
zippy539 · 04/10/2004 21:12

Thanks Jellyhead - that's good advice. I'm going in at 10 so I'll see who's on and how he's doing. Tbh I think I'm just so confused and worried because I'm so tired. I can usually sleep through anything but two nights on the floor of a ward where ear splitting alarms go off every five minutes when the kids knock their masks off in their sleep, has defeated even me. I'm going to write a list of questions and then, as you suggest, speak to the consultant in the morning - when I've had a good nights sleep on the floor (ha ha ha )

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