Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

OMG what a day, I've spent most of it at Kettering hospital with DS3!!!!

30 replies

TheQueenOfQuotes · 14/11/2007 22:57

As some of you may have read in 2 of my previous posts, DS3 (otherwise known as "TK") hasn't been quite right for a few days.....

Here commences the (very long - sorry) account of my day!!

He was pretty much the same last night, although he'd started to get a nasty cough too. Called the Dr.s and got an emergency appointment for 9.40am. Was seen by the doctor (one I'd never seen before but he was very nice). He had a look in his ears, said that the right one was completely clear, but the left one had quite a lot of wax so he couldn't see the ear drum etc properly. Then listened to his chest and decided that he'd got a chest infection.

As he was writing out a prescription for anti-biotics and some nasal drops he was still half observing TK, suddenly he got off the chair and got some fancy little device that measured his blood oxygen levels, and took his pulse. Oxygen levels were at 92% (borderline "ok") and his pulse was between 190-205 (should be around 120!). His temp was 38 (and he'd had Calpol earlier so he reckoned that he'd had a temp but the calpol had brought it down)

Decided there and then that I should get him checked out by the paediatric doctor in Kettering and called through to let them know I was coming as he suspected Viral Bronchiolitis Called Nick who came and picked me up so I could get home and get bits sorted quicker, picked Tongai up from nursery (early) and zooted off to Kettering.

Were seen quite quickly and they did the same checks - his pulse was still high, but oxygen levels had gone back up to 96%, said the same thing about his ears. At one point his temp was up to 38.5.

After quite some time Dr. came along and listened to his chest and seemed to agree that it was chest. He was given a nebuliser to help him breath and it certainly seemed to help. HOWEVER he still hadn't had anything to dirnk since 4am (when he'd had 4oz). They gave him some calpol and suggested I try to feed him again (around 3) - Nick dashed back to Wellingborough with Tongai to pick Taf up and drop them both at a friend's house.

Thankfully when he was gone TK had another 4oz of milk. And then went to sleep. On the opposite side from usual (leaning the left side of his head against my chest - rather then his usual right) He woke up at about 4pm and they wanted to do an "MPA" (basically picking his nose for him LOL) to check if he had any viruses. When I picked him up and carried him across the student nurse noticed that he had LOADS of gunk coming out of his right ear, I looked at my top where he'd been lying and it was covered in gunk too!

Another Dr. came and took a look and decided he'd got a rather nasty ear infection and a perforated ear drum (explains that HORRIBLE high pitched screaming) and they took a swab.

Then snotty nosed regristar came in and announced "he doesn't have a chest infection, his breathing is fine, he just has an ear infection" (I'm still not convinced that he DOESN'T have a chest infection as well.........). Asked about his milk intake........and of course since 4am this morning at that point he'd only had 8oz! Told us to offer him some more milk around 6pm and if he drank some he could go home.........if he didn't they'd insert a feeding tube and he'd probalbly be there overnight!!!

6pm came (and went) and he refused his milk. At 7pm he woke up again and we decided to try again.....as I was walking back from the parents room with the heated up milk I saw the registar 2 doors down from the room we were in. Thankfully TK drank 3oz and the registrar decided that he could come home.

So he's on antibiotics for the ear infection (and queried chest infection as far as I'm concerned LOL) and on a "cocktail" of calpol and neurofen alternated.

I WISH I could have seen that horrid HV that on Monday said "He's fine" as I'd have given her a piece of my mind.

TK is currently sound asleep on the sofa and hopefully the only was is "up" from here on in.

OP posts:
cadelaide · 14/11/2007 23:02

Poor, poor little chap.
I do hope you all have a good night.

kindersurprise · 14/11/2007 23:03

Oh, poor wee lad. I hope he is feeling better soon.

moljam · 14/11/2007 23:06

por baby!

hunkermunker · 14/11/2007 23:09

Oh, poor boy! Really hope he's OK now - scary for you all though

TheQueenOfQuotes · 14/11/2007 23:11

Thanks I'm hoping he's feeling better soon too.

OP posts:
wrinklytum · 14/11/2007 23:12

Bless him.Ear infections are mightily painful. hopefully he will feel better once the antibiotics start to work.

GreebosWhiskers · 14/11/2007 23:14

Poor wee love - it's awful when they're ill, especially when they're so wee. ds had bronchialitis last xmas at 6 weeks & was hospitalised from 22nd - 24th Dec. He went downhill so quickly but picked up again just as fast - they're tougher than they look.

Hope you & your wee man have a good night.

TheQueenOfQuotes · 14/11/2007 23:15

I hope he gets his appetite back soon too. When the registrar asked how much he'd drunk in the previous 24hrs I told him "21oz" - his response was "that's ok" (although he changed his tune when he realised that most if it had been more than 12hrs previously), but when his normal intake is anything from 40-50oz in a 24hr period it's nothing like "ok" for him.

OP posts:
cadelaide · 14/11/2007 23:18

how old is he QoQ?

TheQueenOfQuotes · 14/11/2007 23:21

he's 5 1/2 months.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 14/11/2007 23:24

OMG, QofQ! How terrifying for you.

I hope he gets better soon!

NorthernLurker · 14/11/2007 23:31

Hi QofQ - how scary. Ear sounds nasty. I do hope the anti-biotics kick in soon and you can all have a lovely, calm weekend!

TheQueenOfQuotes · 14/11/2007 23:50

Yes it was scary - especially given than the only time (excluding giving birth) that ANY of my DS's (including DS1 who's 7yrs old) have been anywhere near a hospital is when DS1 had one of his (extremely frequent) chest infections as a baby - and one started on a Friday night, so we took him to the Out of hours doctor - which was based at the hospital, were given a prescription to get on the Saturday morning and then sent home.

DS1 did have bronchiolitis as a baby, but fortunately it was caught early enough to keep him at home (I'd assumed it was another of his regular chest infections starting and got him to the Dr.s pronto) so being sent to the hospital with DS3 being suspected of having it was pretty alarming.

OP posts:
LilRedWG · 15/11/2007 09:54

I'm glad he's on the mend now!! Well done you for ignoring the HV

Lulumama · 15/11/2007 09:57

oh dear

how awful and frightening, hope he is 100 % very soon...

you all need plenty of rest now

TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/11/2007 10:03

oh she was horrible HV - she's not actually one of "mine" - she's from a different surgery, but I go and get him weighed at the Sure Start Centre - where they are.

The other HV that is there usually is lovely, and I'm 100% certain would have given me the time of day to listen to my concerns (of course at that point all I could really say was that he wasn't "right" - had no idea what it was). This HV looked at his red book, saw he was gaining weight well, I started to try and tell her that he seemed unwell and she just gave me the red book back said "oh he's fine" and walked off!!!

TK was much better last night, slept on the sofa from 9-12.30, had 4oz of milk and some Neurofen and DH managed to get him settled in his cot around 1. He woke up at 4.20 - I took him downstairs (as per normal), he still refused to drink anything, but had some more Calpol and slept on the sofa until about 7.30. Woke up and had some Neurofen (do you see a pattern here LOL), but refused milk again. Fell asleep at 8.40 (on the sofa) and is still there.

I just hope we can get some more milk into him today.........

And I'm still convinced that he's got a chest infection as well - he's so rattly with a horrid cough (and the Dr. at the Dr.s surgery yesterday said almost straight away when he listened to this chest "Chest infection"........I think it was the snotty nosed Registrar being too lazy to listen properly, as the ear infection had by that point made itself VERY obvious).

OP posts:
MegaLegs · 15/11/2007 10:06

Oh dear , poor little one, and poor you it's horrible when they are ill. Now that all that gunk has come out of his ear the pressure will have eased a little and hopefully he'll feed properly again as I remember being told with DS1 that sucking the milk is painful when the ear is infected and full of gunk.

Hope he's on the mend.

Divvy · 15/11/2007 10:30

That HV is from Queensway medical centre, she did seem completely distracted. "oh we dont plot on the graph everytime as its not helpful" erm...you hadnt been for 6 weeks, so in this case it would have been...and saved us alot of coffee time, trying to work out his weeks Glad he is a bit brighter today.

Lizzylou · 15/11/2007 10:43

QOQ, how awful for you and your DS3, poor little thing. It is awful when they are ill so young, hope he feels better soon.

I'd never been to hospital with my two but, spent yesterday aftenoon in Blackburn Royal Infirmary with DS2 after he had a high temp and went floppy with blue lips. He soon perked up and was fine but spent 3 1/2 hours chasing a nappyless 20mth old round the childrens ward with a plastic cup trying to get a urine sample (to rule out an infection which can cause high temp), he pooed 6 times in that time! He's absolutely full of beans now.

TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/11/2007 12:59

Mega - yes is occured to me it must have been very painful trying to drink.

He's still not drinking much (had 4oz at 12.30 this morning, and another 2oz at 11.20) but I'm wondering whether it's to do with the fact that he remembers it was painful - rather than it actually being painful now IYKWIM.

OP posts:
LadyOfTheFlowers · 15/11/2007 13:10

I had a similar experience with Ds1 a few months back.
Doc decided chest infection - Bronchilitis or whatever it's called, treated him for that. No better.
Phuemonia - Treated for that - No better.
Perforated ear drum - Treated - No better.
All the while I am insisting my boy is ill. In return I am getting the same patronosing excuses and spoken down to by all involved. (Am 24).
This goes on for 3 months. Ds has a constant temp of 40.1-40.5.
In the end, his little body can take no more and he has a febrile convulsion.
I call 999.
Ambulance ladies take us in and insist he is admitted to childrern's ward as he has been ill so long.
Guess what he has?
KIDNEY INFECTION.
Stays in hosp a week.
As it has gone undetected for so long, his kidneys are scarred and he has to have ant-b's until he is 5.

LadyOfTheFlowers · 15/11/2007 13:11

Hope your lo is on the mend now btw.

TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/11/2007 13:14

LOTF - that must have been awful!

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 15/11/2007 16:34

omg, LOTF!

how horrid!

QofQ, I hope TK continues to improve.

DH just whisked DD1 off to the surgery. Think she's got an ear infection as well.

It happens every year - she gets a cold and it either goes into a chest or ear infection.

Poor bairns!

Here's hoping the ABs have him right as rain soon!

TheQueenOfQuotes · 15/11/2007 17:18

goodness - these ear infections seem to be everywhere atm!

DS1 used to get a chest infection with EVERY cold as a baby......so much for this BFing means healthier kids - DS1 - fully breastfed, most illnesses as a baby, DS2 fully bottlefed hardly ever ill as a baby, DS3 mixed fed for 4 months - already ill with nasty ear infection (and yes it's anecdotal and I know that on the whole BF babies get fewer of these bugs than bottlefed it's just my lot that my kids do things opposite ).

He's certainly a lot happier, he's been awake longer (playing awake rather than crying awake) today, but still isn't drinking his milk, 4oz at 12.30am this morning, and 2oz at 11.20.....and nothing since

Not sure what to do with him on that front really. Although his ear is still oozing a little so it could be it's still too uncomfortable?

OP posts: